The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) is a collaborative partnership of academic institutions, state and federal resource managers, and private sector companies dedicated to fostering the development and adoption of effective and reliable sensors and sensor platforms for environmental monitoring and long-term stewardship of coastal and ocean resources. ACT goals include: (a) rapidly and effectively transition emerging technologies to operational use; (b) maintain a dialogue among technology users, developers, and providers; (c) identify technology needs and novel tools and approaches to meet those needs; (d) document technology performance and potential; and (e) provide U.S. IOOS with information required for the deployment of reliable and cost-effective networks.