Operational oceanography was launched ten years ago and is ready now to progressively step forward, moving from research to operational exploitation in the framework of G.M.E.S. (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) a joint program of the European Commission and the European Space Agency.
In this general context, Operational Coastal Oceanography is developing over the world, Europe and France. Major information and forecasting systems have been developed on almost all the coasts of North America: U.S.A and Saint Laurence gulf and estuary.
In Europe, the way was opened by northern countries around the Baltic and North seas, followed by Mediterranean countries. In France, the effort was started, in an initial step, on the global ocean with the development of the Mercator project which now appears as a European leader.
The Previmer project which focusses on coastal observations and forecast started two years ago: as the similar OCO systems over the world, it is characterized by a large variety of phenomena and coupled processes as well as by a large number of partners which are associated to the development, aiming towards numerous but complementary objectives.
