-- A NOAA Tool for Safe Navigation --
The Physical
Oceanographic
Real-Time System (PORTS) is an information acquisition and dissemination technology
developed by the National Ocean Service (NOS) in cooperation with a number of ports
throughout the United States. The first permanent, fully integrated, operational PORTS was
deployed in Tampa Bay during 1990 and 1991. The system is managed, operated, and
maintained
under a cooperative agreement with NOS. PORTS includes the integration of real-time currents,
water levels, winds, and water temperatures at multiple locations with a data dissemination
system that includes telephone voice response as well as modem dial-up and dedicated modem
displays. PORTS consists of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) with water temperature
sensors, a "nowcast" of currents at other locations, water level gages with
anemometers, packet radio transmission equipment, a data acquisition system and an information
dissemination system (IDS).
Why PORTS?
The traditional prediction tables that are published annually by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide information about the astronomical tides, currents, river flow, and other meteorological forces. Real-time measurements, enriched by nowcasts, were identified as critical requirements for safe navigation.
Public Access to PORTS Data
PORTS is a public information system that provides real-time information to the general public and provides essential information for safe and cost-effective navigation, search-and-rescue, hazardous material and oil-spill prevention and response, and scientific research. PORTS also provides NOAA's Global Ocean Observing System with coastal ocean measurement and dissemination components. All data are continuously archived and are available to the public. PORTS data are broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio hourly by the national Weather Service and are available on a prioirty basis for trajectory modeling in support of the U.S. Coast Guard.
PORTS Locations
Houston/Galveston|
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