Real Time Tide Gauge

A real-time tide gauge transmits water-level readings within seconds to minutes of acquisition rather than storing them for later download, so the data feeds operational systems while the tide is still running. The sensor (radar, pressure, or acoustic) samples at one to six minute intervals and pushes the value over GSM, GPRS, or Iridium satellite link to a national center. Latency matters because the same stream drives storm-surge warnings, port entry decisions, and tsunami detection: the IOC sea-level monitoring service ingests hundreds of such stations. The GLOSS Core Network increasingly requires real-time delivery alongside the archived high-frequency record held by PSMSL.