Ocean Prediction for Costa Rica (OP4CR)

OP4CR Structure

The project is structured into six interconnected Work Packages (WPs), each addressing a specific component to ensure the project’s success. WP1 focuses on overall project management and coordination, ensuring alignment across all activities and the delivery of outputs. WP2 is dedicated to community building, engagement, and communication, fostering connections among stakeholders and promoting awareness of the project. WP3 addresses capacity development, including the co-design process with local stakeholders and partners. WP4 focuses on the development of a marine monitoring dashboard, including data ingestion from different sources such as ocean models, satellites, and in situ measurements. All applications and pelagic species data are developed under WP5. Finally, WP6 is dedicated to delivering an in-depth diagnosis of the national context and providing a set of recommendations for establishing an Ocean Prediction Service Center in Costa Rica. Together, these Work Packages aim to transform ocean data into actionable knowledge for policymakers, scientists, and local citizens.

OP4CR Timeline

First Phase – January to June 2025

The first phase of the project aims to deliver a practical tool to support marine monitoring activities around the Cocos Island Marine Protected Area. This marine monitoring dashboard will be integrated into SINAC-ACMC'S control center and co-designed with then to ensure that it meets their requirements and needs.

The tool will be fully available in Spanish and will include key ocean variables to help track the state of the marine environment, including temperature, salinity, currents, winds, and pelagic species, as well as 10-day forecasts. Additionally, it will feature an alert system based on thresholds to notify users of anomalies in ocean conditions, along with statistics and metrics to monitor key variables in specific regions.

Second Phase – July 2025 to December 2026

The overall goal of the second phase of the project is to deliver a final report with a set of recommendations for developing an Ocean Prediction Services Center in Costa Rica. During this phase, an assessment will first be conducted to determine the current situation in Costa Rica regarding ocean prediction services. To provide a detailed analysis of the requirements and expectations of local stakeholders regarding tools and services based on ocean prediction, a set of workshops will be organized to gather inputs and decide on the types of tools, models, and observations needed to support Costa Rica in its efforts to monitor its marine territory. This will also include the participation of regional stakeholders to foster international collaboration. In addition, training sessions will be delivered based on the output already developed by the OceanPrediction DCC initiative. Finally a final report will be prepared based on the information gathered during the events and stakeholder discussions, outlining recommendations and steps to develop an Ocean Prediction Services Center in the country.