V1, 7/18/05 21 Governance and Planning It is evident that substantial effort has gone into optimally structuring the fiscal governance system of the program. It has been designed to be an affiliation of equals with all institutions serving as primes.  The purpose was to establish a system where no “infighting” would occur and that funds could be distributed efficiently and equitably, with maximum flexibility. It appears that the goals of this objective have been met and the program is to be commended for that effort. This structure of fiscal distribution of funds appears viable and allows for the fiscal tracking and accountability needed for the consortium to operate efficiently. It also allows for the transparency. However, fiscal governance is not program governance. SEACOOS is in need of a master plan as well as a five year strategic plan which is reviewed semi annually and updated each year as the “market” as well as the technology changes. This “rolling” plan must be accompanied by a family of implementation plans which execute the vision put forward in the strategic plan. . It is critical that a long term financial management strategy (not internal fiscal management) be developed and put in place which reflects the changing “colors” of money as a program progresses from a research program to an operational entity. This plan will incorporate timelines to aid in the transition from a sole funding source to several funding sources needed to sustain the operation (i.e. Federal research funding agencies to Federal applied agencies, to State and Local applied agencies to private sector and even venture capital if appropriate). This needs to be accompanied by a plan to “market” the outyear funding sources NOW. All potential funding sources should be at the table in the planning phases of the operation to ensure that they have had enough lead time to procure the funds required (i.e. get it into their out year budget requests) when their participation is expected. SEACOOS should revisit its Project management plans and conform to the project management software which has been developed and tailored with program funds for the tracking and accountability of the project. It is not sufficient to say that some participants won’t use the software. Possibly providing them with the help of a “translator” to aid in the entry of their activities into the system might prove helpful. Creating documents such as action lists and issues list, often on a weekly basis, can detect problems when they arise and provide solutions before major program disruptions occur. Observations and Modeling The overall observing system goal is to develop and maintain the in situ and remote measurement components of a prototype Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (RCOOS) for the Southeast United States. It is important that it is consistent with the national IOOS strategy. The relevant core objectives are to deploy modern scientific in situ measurement and remote sensing systems that augment the “national backbone”, to evaluate emerging measurement technologies in test beds, and to distribute measurement-