The ocean plays a vital role in determining weather and climate. The physical and chemical state of the ocean is key to determine marine habitats and the health of marine lives. Hence, it is imperative to understand the causes of variability in the ocean state across different time scales through data collected by in-situ ocean observation platforms. Further, the knowledge acquired through in-situ observation networks act as building blocks in the development of ocean state forecasting systems. Considering these aspects, ESSO-INCOIS has been maintaining various in-situ observation platforms in the Indian Ocean under the Ocean Observation Network (OON) programme. A synopsis of these networks is summarised in this article.

A geographic information system (GIS) based application Ocean Data and Information Systems (ODIS) was designed, developed and implemented at ESSO-INCOIS for easy dissemination of data and data products. It is an open source platform for publishing spatial data with interactive mapping applications on the web. MySQL serves as the backend database. This article presents storage, organisation details and data visualisations pertaining to oceanographic data. ODIS is set as an end-to-end system comprising acquisition of data from heterogeneous oceanographic platforms, processing and integration, quality controlling and disseminating for research and development.

We are living in the digital era and data driven decisions with advanced analytics and visualisation features are becoming an integral part of all walks of life. In ocean sciences abundant marine meteorological and oceanographic data from a variety of ocean observing systems are fed into models to improve the quality of weather and ocean state forecasts. Well-organised data in an integrated environment will support the usage and help in better understanding of oceanographic processes. This article presents the development of Digital Ocean, a single platform that efficiently integrates heterogeneous ocean data and provides advanced visualisation and analysis to facilitate the improved understanding of oceans through a multi-disciplinary approach.

The Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004, caused approximately 2,30,000 casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure in several Indian Ocean rim countries. In fact, the 2004 tsunami was one of the strongest and deadliest ever recorded in terms of magnitude, which put into perspective the need to set up an early warning system for tsunamis in India. Following the 2004 tsunami, the Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) was established to provide early warnings on impending tsunamis triggered due to earthquakes in the Indian Ocean. This article describes various components of ITEWS, the decision support system and the bulletins. It also discusses issues, challenges and future developments.

Dense population along the Indian coast impacts the coral ecosystems making them susceptible to natural and man-made hazards. This work assesses the physical vulnerability and socio-economic risks due to oceanogenic disasters at the regional as well as micro level. The study also encompasses the impact of sea surface temperature (SST) on coral ecosystems that leads to coral bleaching. The assessment of remote sensing data combined with geographical information system (GIS) technology provides meaningful information on coastal vulnerability and risk associated with oceanogenic disasters along the Indian coast holding immense relevance for disaster management.