SOMISANA
Sustainable Ocean Modelling Initiative: a South african
approach
A Sustainable Ocean Modelling Initiative: a South African
Approach (SOMISANA)
The vision of SOMISANA is for a sustained and transformed critical mass of internationally
recognized South African numerical ocean modelling experts who provide accurate information about the changing
state of the ocean for enhanced impact. The meaning of
SOMISANA is ‘to work together’, underscoring the role that we
hope SOMISANA will play in facilitating collaboration and
cooperation between various institutes in generating information about
the state of the ocean that supports coastal resilience.
THREDDS
Utilize our THREDDS server for SOMISANA's extensive data
library. As the standard protocol for accessing NetCDF files,
it offers high-resolution ocean data to illuminate our
regional domains. The server is adept at generating WMS
web-maps, thereby enabling efficient creation of interactive,
data-rich maps. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, large
datasets can be navigated seamlessly, making it a vital tool
for data-driven decision-making in multiple fields.
Access Files
Files
With our File Server, you have the ability to directly
download raw files, providing flexibility to work with data in
your preferred format. Additionally, it supports cutting-edge
cloud-optimized file formats, such as Zarr directories and
Kerchunked NetCDF v4 range pointers. This innovative approach
guarantees users can manage substantial data volumes
effectively, optimizing both time and resources. Access Files
Visualisations
Venture into our operational forecast data through our
user-friendly web visualization platform. This tool presents a
comprehensive overview of our datasets, transforming raw
information into comprehensible visual interpretations. Offering
customizable views, the platform invites you to delve into the
data, unearthing invaluable insights that can augment your
understanding and empower more accurate projections.Click To Visualize
News
Highlights from the most recent SAEON news-letter articles on
ocean modeling.Isn’t an ocean model just a digital version of the ocean, and
therefore a digital twin of the ocean? Once observations of
the ocean are digitised, can they be considered a digital twin
of the ocean? These are the questions I had in my own mind on
my way to China, which I rather sheepishly admitted to another
one of the attendees I met on the plane. I realized that I was
not alone in my uncertainty around the concept.
~Giles Fearon
SAEON’s participation highlighted its collaborative work in
marine information management and high-resolution ocean
forecasting that forms a fundamental part of Sustainable Ocean
Modelling Initiative. The second Coastal and Regional Ocean Community Model (CROCO) summer school,
organised by Lionel Renault (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)
and Jennifer Veitch (South African Environmental Observation Network)
was hosted at the Centre for High Performance Computing in Stellenbosch..