Regional Analysis of Indian Ocean (RAIN)

Current Context : Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has upgraded its Regional Analysis of Indian Ocean (RAIN), system for gathering better information on the health of the Indian Ocean.

• The upgraded version by INCOIS includes sea surface height in addition to salinity and sea surface temperature.

ABOUT REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF INDIAN OCEAN SYSTEM:

• It is a data assimilation system developed in Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
• The new version has been incorporated with the Sea surface height anomaly (SSHA).
• In the new system, for running ocean models, observations are taken at the ocean’s surface and below the water at depths ranging from 3 metres to 2,000 metres, depending on the requirement.

KEY FACTS ABOUT INDIAN NATIONAL CENTRE FOR OCEAN INFORMATION SERVICES

• Established in 1999 as an autonomous body.
• Ministry : Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO).
• Objective : To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focused research