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In this paper the problem of the optimisation of at-sea campaigns is tackled throughout the implementation of a near real-time decision support system (DSS) for short-term Lagrangian observing platforms. The DSS consisted of two modules: a real-time coastal-ocean forecasting system (CFS), including both hydrodynamic and particle-tracking numerical models, and a module to provide optimised deployment solutions for a set of Lagrangian current-meter buoys. The system was calibrated for a shallow water environment – the Cabras Lagoon in the western Mediterranean Sea. The DSS was then applied to provide in situ optimised measurement strategies during a Lagrangian survey campaign. The different solutions provided by the DSS were verified by real-time measurements and the system was established to be efficient in reducing the cost–benefit ratio and favouring long records and near-synoptic and non-redundant observations.

An operational ocean forecasting system provided numerical predictions on the main hydrodynamics in the seas around Sicily. The system is evaluated using an independent dataset of sea surface tempe...