The PORSEC Association mission is to promote the open exchange of knowledge about the oceans and related atmospheric sciences and the use of remote sensing technology in oceanic research:
“The PORSEC Association supports the principle that the ultimate objective of this knowledge is to protect our oceans and atmosphere and promote sustainable use and development of oceanic and coastal resources.

A goal of the PORSEC Association is that its conferences will further understanding of the Earth’s environmental processes such as climate variability, the effects of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), oceanic hazards such as tsunamis, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones, sea level rise, and other climate change effects and the effects of pollution through exchange of ideas and knowledge.

The PORSEC Association aims to provide better opportunities for scientists, especially from developing countries, for learning and applying state of the art techniques related to ocean remote sensing, including space and underwater technologies, as well as associated data management and information technology.”

KOSC, in the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) is in charge of operation of the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) onboard a Korean geostationary satellite called the Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS), which was launched in June, 2010.

For the last eight years, the GOCI has provided unique dataset of hourly observations of the earth surface for monitoring ocean and atmospheric environments around the Korean peninsula. The eight-times-a-day measurements from GOCI are useful to monitor fast varying phenomena such as suspended matter dynamics, harmful algal blooms, floating macroalgae in coastal waters and regional transportation of dust aerosols.

The next ocean color sensor, GOCI-II, which will be loaded on the Geo-Kompsat 2B, will be launched next year in 2019 and in succession to GOCI.

The roles of KOSC include real-time satellite operation, scientific algorithm and application technique development, operational computing system development, and sensor/hardware development for GOCI/GOCI-II.

• For satellite data users all around the world, KOSC receives GOCI raw data and processes and distributes level 2 data. KOSC also performs daily monitoring of ocean environmental issues over the seas surrounding Korea.
• KOSC also develops scientific algorithms for GOCI/GOCI-II products (Atmospheric correction, Chl-a concentration, etc.) and performs calibration/validation using in situ ship measurements. Researches at the KOSC also cover development of techniques for ocean satellite remote sensing application to ocean environment (e.g., floating algae) and safety monitoring (e.g., sea fog), and climate variability (e.g., ocean primary production).
• KOSC has successfully developed the GOCI-II spaceborne optical instrument in collaboration with Airbus DS and Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
• KOSC is currently developing GOGI-II Ground Segment (G2GS) system based on state-of-the-art remote sensing and information technology.

Furthermore, KOSC is contributing small and medium-sized businesses and researchers in universities to broaden sciences and techniques in ocean remote sensing. KOSC also supports research conducted in ocean and fishery industry.