Operational data management in support of search and rescue operations. Malta, Central Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

In 2015 the number of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations surged in response to the humanitarian crisis of the massive exodus of migrants and refugees from Africa and Middle East entering into European waters. The success of a SAR mission relies on the availability of maritime and aerial resources to cover extended areas and the optimized use of such limited resources. In turn, the planning for the deployment of SAR units relies on the amount and quality of information readily available. In the past decade, the oceanographic com- munity has been significantly improving the metocean information available in near-real-time to end-users, making available both observational data (present time) and model-predictions (forecasts). Emergency respon- ders truly benefit by this surge of available environ- mental information when such data are being integrated into larger frameworks - Common Operational Platforms (COPs). When multiple layers of dynamic information are being presented into a COP they pro- vide added-value contents to end-users and significant- ly improve the decision making process. This editorial presents an example of effective collab- oration in the Mediterranean Sea between academia (University of Malta) and industry (RPS ASA) to sup- port an end-user in charge of SAR operations in the region (Armed Forces of Malta). Presently environ- mental information generated by the sub-regional CALYPSO project is seamlessly provided to SAR operators via web-services; this met-ocean data can then be integrated into drifting models and search and rescue planning systems.