INCOIS launches Products

INCOIS launches Products

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has launched a trio of products to better cater to its diverse users. The Products are

• Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Services System,
• Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Services System and
• Algal Bloom Information Service

Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Services System

• It is an innovative impact-based advisory and forecast service system for small vessels operating in Indian coastal waters.
• It warns users about potential zones where vessel overturning can take place.
• The warning system is based on the ‘Boat Safety Index’ (BSI) derived from wave models forecast outputs such as significant wave height, wave steepness, directional spread and the rapid development of wind at sea which is boat-specific.

Swell Surge Forecast System

• Swell surge forecast system is an innovative system designed for the prediction of Kallakkadal/Swell Surge that occurs along the Indian coast, particularly the west coast.

Kallakadal

• Kallakadal/Swell surge are flash-flood events that take place without any noticeable advance change in local winds or any other apparent signature in the coastal environment.
• Kallakkadal is a colloquial term used by Kerala fishermen to refer to the freaky flooding episodes and in 2012 UNESCO formally accepted this term for scientific use. They are caused by meteorological conditions in the Southern Ocean, south of 30°S.
• During Kallakkadal events, the sea surges into the land and inundates vast areas.

Algal Bloom Information Service

• ABIS provides timely information on harmful algal blooms, which are detrimental to coastal fisheries, water quality and also tend to induce respiratory problems within the coastal population from time to time.
• The target users- fishermen, marine fishery resource managers, researchers, ecologists, and environmentalists.
• INCOIS-ABIS will provide near-real-time information on Spatio-temporal occurrence and spread of phytoplankton blooms over the North Indian Ocean.
• Four regions have been identified as bloom hotspots-
• North Eastern Arabian Sea
• coastal waters of Kerala
• Gulf of Mannar
• coastal waters of Gopalpur.

Source: PIB