Quantify Water Level Measurement Uncertainty

CO-OPS seeks outside expertise and support for the development and exploration of a measurement uncertainty quantification method, following the latest guidance provided by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). As discussed in Appendix A, Summary of Issue, CO-OPS does not have a rigorous validated process to quantify water level measurement uncertainty.

A summary of our Observing Programs can be found in Appendix B. The objective of this agreement is to advance the exploration and refinement of a method for quantifying measurement uncertainty, aligning with the contemporary standards observed in the global oceanographic and meteorological measurement communities. The scope of work encompasses tasks such as data analysis, custom coding, algorithm modification, testing, and documentation of all CO-OPS water level observation systems.

These efforts are directed towards the comprehensive identification and quantification of significant sources of measurement error and uncertainty associated with the diverse range of water level sensors utilized by CO-OPS across various coastal environments and conditions. The Contractor will work at their own location, and shall be required to attend bi-weekly virtual project meetings with Project Officers located in the Chesapeake, VA CO-OPS Field Office.

CO-OPS will make all existing data sensor data available for digital retrieval. All work product, data, and publications resulting from this effort shall be provided, in its entirety, to CO-OPS in a digital, unlocked, editable format. A summary of known contributors to measurement uncertainty for each of the primary water level sensor types employed by CO-OPS observing system network listed above is also included in Appendix A of the attached PWS. These sources of uncertainty reflect all known factors. Sampling rate and averaging computation every six minutes is also outlined, and varies between different sensor types.