U.S. IOOS Program Office Quality Assurance of Real-Time Ocean Data Project

The Quality Assurance of Real-Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) Project is an activity of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office designed to establish and document the minimum quality control and quality assurance procedures a non-federal Regional Information Coordination Entity must perform to meet certification criteria. Regional entities like the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association, and others, expect to benefit from certification by gaining federal protection from civil liability associated with dissemination and use of IOOS data and by becoming eligible to compete for future funding opportunities which may require certification. More importantly, these procedures will help ensure that only valid qualified data are inserted into and redistributed by the national data system.