Mid-atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (maracoos)

What Mid-atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (maracoos) does

MARACOOS is a non-profit Regional Association of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), one of eleven federally certified organizations operating under the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009. The organization delivers real-time and forecast ocean and coastal information for the Mid-Atlantic region spanning Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. Its core product is OceansMap, an interactive platform that combines near-real-time observations and model forecasts with curated "Insights" dashboards for specific use cases (coastal hazards, maritime commerce, water quality, fisheries, and offshore energy). Supporting infrastructure includes an HF Radar network for ocean surface currents, the Water Level, Waves & Webcams (WWW) low-cost sensor network, satellite-derived sea surface temperature and ocean color products, Rutgers ROMS ocean forecasts, autonomous underwater glider transects, and emerging streams such as animal-borne CTD sensors.

Underlying technology relies on Unidata's THREDDS data catalog and ERDDAP servers for open distribution, with all data archived at NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information under federal quality assurance standards. Specialised sub-products include the East Coast Community Operational Forecast System (ECCOFS), Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) monitoring, the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) BioTrack, the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN), and a MetOcean integration layer. Governance is exercised through a Board of Directors with representation from academic institutions, federal and state agencies, and industry partners.

MARACOOS operates on a community-led, government-funded model. Revenue is derived primarily from federal IOOS program grants, supplemented by project-based co-funding from NOAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service, multiple state agencies, and university partners. All observational data and forecasts are distributed under a free, open-access (Freemium) model via web portals and self-serve data servers; no commercial pricing or paid tiers are disclosed. Its ten-member core team (Executive Director, Deputy Director, Technical Director, Engagement Manager, HF Radar Lead, Water Level Manager, Communications Manager, Deputy HF Radar, Program Coordinators, and Senior Program Manager for Special Projects) is supplemented by partner personnel across the network.

Name

Mid-atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (maracoos)

Legal name

Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System

Website

https://maracoos.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MARACOOS is a federally certified non-profit Regional Association of the U.S. IOOS network that delivers free, real-time ocean and coastal observing data and forecasts for the Mid-Atlantic through its OceansMap platform, HF radar, sensor networks, and partner-built numerical models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Federal IOOS Funding: MARACOOS receives federal funding through the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program, which is established under the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009. As a federally certified Regional Association, they participate in the national IOOS network of 11 regional associations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MARACOOS operates and coordinates a regional coastal ocean observing system across the Mid-Atlantic Bight, delivering real-time and historical oceanographic data (currents, water levels, temperature, salinity, waves, wind, and biological indicators) through portals, catalogs, and web services. It federates data from HF radar, gliders, moorings, satellites, animal-borne sensors, and numerical models to serve stakeholders ranging from federal/state agencies to researchers, mariners, and the public.

Product overview

MARACOOS is a regional coastal ocean observing system that operates as a unified platform plus modules architecture. The core product is OceansMap, an interactive platform combining near-real-time observations and model forecasts. Supporting modules include the Water Level, Waves & Webcams (WWW) Network for coastal hazard monitoring, HF Radar for ocean surface currents, predictive models (ROMs, CBEFS, ECCOFS), and specialized monitoring systems for HABs, biodiversity (MBON), and acidification (MACAN). Data is distributed through the THREDDS Data Catalog and made actionable through OceansMap Insights dashboards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OceansMap: Interactive data portal combining near-real-time observations and model forecasts from the Mid-Atlantic region into a dynamic, customizable platform
• WWW Network
• ECCOFS
• MBON - BioTrack

Products and services

• OceansMap Interactive web-based data portal that visualizes and delivers MARACOOS coastal ocean observing data in real time, serving researchers, managers, mariners, and the general public.
• World Water Network Federated network of in-situ water level and related observing stations providing continuous measurements across the Mid-Atlantic coastal region for operational and research use.
• HF Radar Network High-frequency coastal radar network producing hourly surface current maps across the Mid-Atlantic Bight for search-and-rescue, spill response, and maritime safety.
• THREDDS Data Catalog Server providing standardized, machine-accessible datasets in netCDF and other formats via THREDDS/ERDDAP protocols for researchers and modelers.
• ECCOFS (East Coast Coastal Ocean Forecast System) Operational numerical ocean forecast model providing nowcast/forecast fields of physical oceanographic variables for the U.S. East Coast and Mid-Atlantic.
• HABs (Harmful Algal Bloom) Monitoring Near-real-time detection and tracking of harmful algal blooms along the Mid-Atlantic coast to support public health and fisheries management.
• MBON BioTrack Marine Biodiversity Observation Network product delivering biodiversity data and biological observations for the Mid-Atlantic region.
• MACAN Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network product providing acidification monitoring and data products for assessing ocean and coastal acidification impacts.
• Animal-Borne Sensors Program Program that deploys sensor packages on marine animals (e.g., sharks, turtles, seals) to collect oceanographic and biological observations in otherwise under-sampled regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Real-time and forecast information to identify changing conditions affecting recreational and commercial fisheries in Chesapeake Bay
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner providing national standards and integration with NOAA data systems. NOAA archives MARACOOS data through the National Center for Environmental Information.
• Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey academic partner providing ocean forecast modeling (ROMS), underwater glider data, and HF radar data infrastructure. Rutgers hosts data servers for MARACOOS.
• Stevens Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to the Water Level, Waves & Webcams (WWW) network and OceansMap development. Supports water level monitoring in New York and New Jersey.
• University of DelawarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner leading coastal research, wave buoy deployment (SOFAR Spotter), shark tagging for hurricane forecasting, and coastal resilience projects.
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting water level monitoring and coastal resilience in Virginia. Works with communities to deploy sensors and modeling tools for coastal decision-making.
• University of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner advancing water level sensors and flood monitoring in Maryland. Dr. Timothy Canty leads WWW Network deployment.
• Old Dominion UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to coastal and ocean observing activities in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Monmouth UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting water level monitoring and webcams deployment in the Mid-Atlantic, particularly New Jersey.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner supporting coastal planning and storm damage reduction. Joe Vietri serves on MARACOOS Board as Chief of Planning & Policy, North Atlantic Division.
• CODAR Ocean SensorscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing HF radar systems for ocean surface current monitoring across the MARACOOS region.
• Campbell ScientificcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing sensor equipment for water level and environmental monitoring deployments.
• RPS/Tetra TechcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical services partner providing data infrastructure support and server hosting. Contact: [email protected].
• Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association coordinating the 11 IOOS Regional Associations and setting standards for coastal and ocean observing.
• IOOS Regional Associations (AoOS, CARICOOS, CeNCOOS, GCOOS, GLOS, NANOOS, NERACOOS, PacIOOS, SCCOOS, SECOORA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 10 other IOOS Regional Associations across the U.S. providing complementary regional coverage and shared standards.
• New York Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Sea Grant program partner. Dr. Kathy Bunting-Howarth serves on MARACOOS Board as Interim Director of New York Sea Grant.
• MARCO (Mid-Atlantic Regional Council for Ocean Action)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional coordination body for Mid-Atlantic ocean issues, aligning priorities with MARACOOS mission.
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research partner contributing to marine science and environmental monitoring in the Mid-Atlantic.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading oceanographic research institution collaborating on coastal research and ocean observing systems.
• Virginia Coastal Zone Management ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner. Ryan Green serves on MARACOOS Board as Program Manager for Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program.
• National Weather ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal weather forecasting partner supporting coastal hazard warnings. Nelson Vaz serves on MARACOOS Board as Warning Coordination Meteorologist.
• WebCOOS National NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational webcam network integrating with MARACOOS WWW Network for coastal observation and flooding support.
• ACT NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOcean observing network partner contributing to coastal and marine monitoring.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mid-atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (maracoos)