The Upper – Great Lakes Observing System (UGLOS) is a unique public – private partnership between Michigan Universities, private sector entities' and First Nations to provide coastal observations throughout the harsh and expansive Upper Great Lakes. The new Great Lakes Research Center of Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech), on the deep water Keweenaw Waterway connecting Western and Central Lake Superior now leads the UGLOS effort. The partner entities include Michigan Tech, the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), the University of Michigan, Northwestern Michigan College, LimnoTech Inc. and, potentially, others in the future. Private Sector entities include coastal municipalities whose economy depends upon up to date and accurate meteorological and oceanographic information, municipal drinking water intakes, private coastal and water quality consulting firms, Nuclear Power generation facilities, commercial boating interests, Native Communities and Government agencies (NOAA, United States Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Data Buoy Center and the National Park Service to name a few).

This network of observing stations continues to grow annually, due primarily to increased public and commercial interests. The original, Coastal Monitoring Buoy (CMB) technology was developed by the Ocean Engineering Laboratory (OEL) of the University of Michigan (now part of Michigan Tech) and was transferred to a Michigan yacht building company, S2 Yachts of Holland, Michigan. S2 has produced and improved upon, the original University design and now produces a rouged, robust and affordable coastal monitoring buoy that meets all new IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System) standards for directional wave sensing, the TIDAS 900.

The UGLOS network presently consists of five CMBs in Lake Michigan, one at the University of Michigan’s Biological Station (supported by NSF) and two buoys in Lake Superior (with a third being added later this year). All eight of these CMBs report all meteorological and oceanographic parameters to a this web site (uglos.mtu.edu) as well as to NDBC and the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) every 10 minutes throughout the navigation season. Ten minute reporting is required within the coastal regions of the Great Lakes due to the extremely rapid changes, which occur in these waters.