On June 30, 2004, ship traffic in Galveston Bay, Texas, gained a new tool to assist in safe navigation. The NGOFS - Galveston Bay, created by NOAA's National Ocean Service, provides mariners, port managers and emergency response teams with present and future conditions of water levels, currents, temperature and salinity.
NGOFS - Galveston Bay "nowcast" (for present conditions) and "forecast" (for future conditions) products are generated by a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model that uses real-time and forecast data to predict this information at thousands of locations throughout Galveston Bay. The information NGOFS - Galveston Bay provides assists port managers and shippers in making decisions regarding maximum tonnage and passage times without compromising safety.
Disclaimer:
The Northern Gulf of America Operational Forecast System (NGOFS) has been implemented by NOAA's
National Ocean Service (NOS) to provide the maritime user community with short-term predictions of
water levels, water currents, water temperatures and salinity of the northern Gulf of America.
NGOFS uses a numerical hydrodynamic model to generate the nowcast and forecast
information; therefore, they should be considered as model-generated nowcast and forecast guidance
. For more detailed information related to the OFS disclaimer, please visit at the
Disclaimers web page.