IOOS® support the Blue Economy

Measuring, observing and forecasting our oceans, coastal waters and Great Lakes is a crucial endeavor, supporting a wide range of safety, economic and environmental benefits. The `Ocean Enterprise' - business activity that underpins making ocean measurements, observations and forecasts, and their subsequent use to deliver economic and societal benefits - is an important industry cluster, and one in which the U.S. is an acknowledged global leader. As the `Blue Economy' - the use of the oceans - expands in the coming decades so too will the need for ocean data and information. As a part of the wider `Blue Tech' industry, the Ocean Enterprise is set to be a growing sector, delivering increasing benefits to the U.S. economy and U.S. employment. The purpose of this paper is to provide the results of the “The Ocean Enterprise” study of business activity in ocean measurement, observing, and forecasting. The Ocean Enterprise is valued at $7 billion annually, made up of 410 companies across 36 states.