OCTOBER 23, 2015--The week of October 19, 2015, the NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center hosted a technical meeting with more than 60 experts from academia, government, and industry to reflect and look forward at oil observation technologies to improve preparedness for the next major oil spill.

The expected outcome was improved understanding, and greater use of these technologies to accurately map and assess oil slicks during actual oil spill events. Over the last half decade, NOAA and NASA have provided satellite-based pollution surveillance to regulatory and trustee agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA. These tools along with other remote sensing platforms and the traditional human observer overflights to map oil slicks provide critical information for oil spill assessment (impacts), trajectory analysis (planning), and tactical response operations (resource protection and oil spill cleanup).

Remote sensor packages on aircraft and satellites have advantages and disadvantages relative to the human observer, but when properly used and coordinated, have realized advantages during surveillance and emergency response and assessment operations. The objectives of this effort included identification of applicable technologies for oil observations; improved understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different sensors and platforms; proper interpretation of remote sensing, and improved future coordination, training, and data delivery.

The technical meeting focused on identifying gaps in current technology and implementation to improve future oil spill surveillance, observation, and mapping. The organizing partners included the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) and OR&R’s Emergency Response Division and Assessment and Restoration Division.

For more information, please contact Charlie.Henry@noaa.gov.

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