OPENING ADDRESS

by Prof. Dr. Keisuke Taira, Chair-parson of IOC/WESTPAC, ORI, Univ. of Tokyo

Good morning:

Dr. Yasuhiro Ganeko, Chief Hydrographer, Hydrographic Department, Japan Coast Guard,

Dr. Tadahiko Katsura, Director of Japan Oceanographic Data Center,

Mr. Sydney Levitus, Chairman of Global Ocean Data Archaeology and Rescue project, International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO,

Distinguished National Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honor to participate in the opening ceremony of the International Workshop for the Global Ocean Data Archaeology and Rescue project in the Western Pacific Region. I am serving as Chairman of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific, WESTPAC, for a period from 1996 to 2002. WESTPAC will elect new chairman in the Fifth Session, which is scheduled in mid- September 2002, in Perth, Australia.

IOC was established by the resolution of UNESCO in 1960. Among the United Nation bodies, IOC is only one organization dedicated to Oceanography.  The Second Session of IOC in 1962, the Cooperative Study on Kuroshio and Adjacent Areas, CSK, was adopted as the first WESTPAC project. In 1977, Program Group for WESTPAC was approved by 10^th IOC Assembly to expand CSK. In 1989, IOC Assembly decided to establish Sub-Commission for WESTPAC to expand its activity with the Regional Secretariat.

Oceanographic observations have been made intensively in the WESTPAC Region. By making a full use of the observation, NEAR-GOOS, North East Asian Regional project of Global Ocean Observing System, was established in 1997 by WESTPAC. Two data bases, both open to everybody by Internet, are operated. One is the Real Time Data Base, operated by Japan Meteorological Agency, and the other is the Delayed Mode Data Base, operated by Japan Oceanographic Data Center. Ocean service and climate are the important modules of GOOS. Operational oceanography is the target of GOOS, and daily mapping is very important for ocean forecasting.

Ocean observations require a large cost and manpower, and are made by various organizations, such as hydrographic office, meteorological office, fisheries office, environmental office, academic societies, and so on, to fit their purpose. Even a single data is very important to study climate because the data cannot be produced again at the point at the time. In this regard, I wish to emphasize the important mission of GODAR. I hope a fruitful workshop by your efforts.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.