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GANDER Market
The myriad of potential users for GANDER come from both the private and public sectors. Up-to-date information on sea state will bring benefits to:
- Mariners. In stormy conditions where important operational decisions must be made, they will be able to 'see' the weather that lies ahead.
- The offshore industry and inshore fisheries will be able to track the paths of approaching storms.
- Leisure yachts will benefit from being able to make decisions based on a display of sea state in their area before venturing out.
- Insurance companies could see their marine claims cut significantly with the widespread use of GANDER.
- Meteorological forecasting centres will benefit from greatly improved knowledge of actual sea conditions that can be input into their forecasting models leading to even greater accuracy.
- Planners of naval operations will benefit through direct observations in support of conventional forecasts.
- The scientific research community will have access to data on global changes, year on year, to the world's oceans through an invaluable archive of the wave climate - a key indicator of the distribution and changing patterns of global energy.
- Other potential beneficiaries include fisheries, coastal defences, high speed ferries, cable and pipe-laying vessels, towing large loads, and naval operations.
In combination with data from the Topex/Poseidon satellite, which is already in orbit, GANDER should allow major ocean currents and eddies to be tracked around the globe. These are important for navigation and can make significant improvements to the speed and efficiency of voyages, resulting in fuel savings and reduced risk. Their changing patterns are also of general interest to climatologists.
