Defence-related applications for operational oceanography

SOAP—Système Opérationnel d'Analyse et de Prévision—is the oceanic forecasting system used by SHOM (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine) to elaborate defence-related products for the French Navy. It has been routinely operated, in successive versions, since April 1998. In the near future, oceanic modelling opportu- nities will grow and improve through ongoing initiatives in operational oceanography to prepare GODAE. With the increase in options, the issue of bringing down the “primary production” of the models to products relevant for customers becomes even more important. The first part of this paper is dedicated to briefly presenting current and future modelling capabilities of the SOAP system. The second part sketches how defence-related products are elaborated from the “primary production” with emphasis on the customers' expecta- tions. Preliminary feedback on these products, collected during operational experiments conducted in the North Indian Ocean and Mediterranean are presented in the conclusion.