The Environmental Coastal Observatory of the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (OCASO) is a cross-border project led by the University of Cadiz, with the following partners: the University of the Algarve, the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute, the Spanish Port Authority and the Spanish Oceanographic Institute. The main goal is to aggregate oceanographic information and knowledge about this coastal area.

Observation data is collected from various platforms managed by the partners, such as fixed buoys, high-frequency coastal radars and oceanographic campaigns, including the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), such as the AUV operated by the University of the Algarve.

In addition to observation data, the consortium manages a set of numerical models that provide more detailed information, and also have the capacity to generate forecast data. In this context, the University of the Algarve is contributing the SOMA system, an operational model of the Algarve coast. This model runs each day on the university’s servers, providing 3-day forecasts of the region’s oceanographic variables.

Observation and forecast data are integrated into an open-access website viewing platform. This set of information allows companies in the blue economy to improve their performance, while also ensuring an improvement in the maritime environment, the safety of seagoing operations, the monitoring of maritime pollution, fishing, aquaculture, energy, tourism and other areas.