# Presentation: 302161

## NOAA

**Mary Glackin,**
**Deputy Assistant Administrator for**
**Satellite and Information Services**
**NOAA/NESDIS**
**OFCM Strategy Workshop**
**December 3-5, 2001**

**Collection and Distribution of Weather Information-Federal Viewpoint**

## U.S. Federal Government Role

- “Federal responsibility to forecast the weather, issue storm warnings, perform the gauging and forecasting of river conditions,  report temperature and rainfall conditions, distribute meteorological information, and establish and record the climatic conditions of the United States.”
- Organic Act of 1890

**Notes:**
provide warnings of severe weather to protect lives and property; provide atmospheric information and forecasts critical to enhancing the safety, health and economic vitality.”

## Environmental Data and Information are Essential for...

**Environmental Data and Information are Essential for...**

**Severe Weather,**
**Watches, Warnings**

**Agriculture**

**Transportation**

**Climate**

**Commerce**

**Industry**

## Global Environmental Monitoring

*In-Situ* Atmospheric Observations
*In-Situ* Oceanographic Observations
*In-Situ* Terrestrial Observations
- Space Based Observations

## Long Historical Record
Limited to Land Areas – About 30% of Earth Surface
Operational Systems Primarily Provide Support to Weather Prediction
Research Observing Systems Primarily Provide Support to Climate Studies
No Comprehensive System Designed Specifically for Monitoring Climate Change
International Observational Capabilities in Decline
National Trend is Stable and Increasing with Greater Emphasis on Regional and State Observing Systems (e.g., Oklahoma Mesonet)

- Limited to Land Areas – About 30% of Earth Surface
- Operational Systems Primarily Provide Support to Weather Prediction
- Research Observing Systems Primarily Provide Support to Climate Studies
- No Comprehensive System Designed Specifically for Monitoring Climate Change
- International Observational Capabilities in Decline
- National Trend is Stable and Increasing with Greater Emphasis on Regional and State Observing Systems (e.g., Oklahoma Mesonet)

- Atmospheric Observations

## Oceanographic Observations

- Long Historical Record
- Sparse Coverage Particularly in Deep Water Areas
- Observations are Critical to Understanding Ocean Processes, Weather, and Climate
- 1997- Need for Sustained Ocean Observations Recognized; National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Established
- 1998- Congress Requests Plan for Integrated Ocean Observation System
- 2000- NOPP Established Inter-agency Office (NASA, Navy, NOAA, and NSF) to Implement Such a System
- Outlook is Positive (e.g., Argo Floats Program)

## Terrestrial Observations

- Relatively Long Historical Record
- Diverse Array of Environmental Parameters in Support of a Number of Missions
- Glacier, Permafrost, Snow, and Ice Monitoring
- Carbon Flux and Radiation Monitoring
- Streamflow and Surface Water Gauging
- Water Quality Analyses
- Ecological and Fire Monitoring
- Soil Climate Analysis and Paleoclimatology
- Responsibilities in a Number of Federal and State Agencies
- No Comprehensive National Strategy for Terrestrial Observing
- Outlook Looks Stable but is Difficult to Gauge

## Space-Based Observations

- Shorter Historical Record
- Cuts Across the Atmospheric, Oceanographic, and Terrestrial Domains
- Real-time Environmental and Longer-Term Climate Applications
- Polar and Geostationary Platforms Providing
- Continuous Coverage
- Local, Regional, National, and Global Geographic Scales
- Minutes, Hourly, Daily, Seasonal, Annual, and Multi-year temporal scales
- International Growth in the Extent and Use of Satellites for Environmental Monitoring

## State of Global Environmental Monitoring 

**Many Long-term Satellite and *****in situ***** Observing Programs are Underway**
**A Comprehensive Global Monitoring Requirements Process is Required**
**Databases Must be Easily Accessible Within and Beyond the Environmental Community**
**An Effective Process to Transition R & D Space Observations into Operational Systems is Required**

**Notes:**
1- not nearly enough observations.  With the Earth surface predominately covered by oceans, isolated mountain peaks, and glacial environments that are harsh and remote, getting extensive measurements that provide good representation of  the land, oceans  is a large effort, costly and in places unsafe for humans to take measurements. For example the IPCC stated that it is difficult to determine the natural variability of global mean temperature because of the spares spatial coverage of existing data and proxy data is difficult to use to infer temperatures

2- Research and development observation development underway - don’t have a mechanism to move or prioritize the good stuff to operational monitoring programs or the necessary funding

3- Some monitoring requirements aren’t 1) addressed at all, 2) aren’t well articulated or 3) not measured adequately now; some lie in the research arena and some are already done operationally

examples of requirements (aerosols, clouds, CO2 ,  etc.) 

gaps and overlaps in planned or current sensor set

satellite system architecture to include  satellite systems,  operations, processing and archiving)
But there is no plan to achieve this transition, only a few isolated attempts as indicated previously.   
A  coordinated, scientifically based, and fully funded effort must be initiated so that nations can take full advantage of its data collection  systems so a new   future of environmental monitoring can begin. 
This work  has to be forward looking as to include technology advancement that will allow sensors to fly that may not be ready for launch in the near-term such as spaced-based lidar systems, and hyper and ultra -spectral imaging technology.  
Additionally, a review of observing studies underway may help to capture thoughts on other observing systems.

## Accomplishing the Mission 

**Through Partnerships**

**GEOSAT**

**ERS/**
**ENVISAT**

**RADARSAT**

**EOS**

**TOPEX -**
**POSEIDON **

**SEAWIFS**

**Focus on near-real-time**
**access to global data**

**TOMS**

**METOP**

**ADEOS**

**FY-1**

**ALOS**

**METEOSAT **

**INSAT**

**FY-2**

**GMS**

**GEOSTATIONARY**

**POLAR-ORBITING**

## Slide 11

**Notes:**
Domestically, the NWSTG exchanges observational data with agencies that include the US Department of Agriculture, the US Geological Survey, the US Navy, the US Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency

## Integrated Global Observing Strategy

**Integrated Global Observing Strategy**

**An agreement among  the partners for the definition, development and **
**implementation of an IGOS **

## IGOS

- Unites major satellite and surface-based systems for global environmental observations of atmosphere, oceans, land
- Links research, long-term monitoring, and operational programs -- as well as data producers and users -- in strategic planning process
- Helps determine unnecessary duplication and identify gaps
- Provides framework for decisions and resource allocation by funding agencies
- Presents governments with overarching view of current system capabilities and limitations
**Current IGOS Themes:**  Oceans; Integrated Global Carbon Cycle; Atmospheric Chemistry; Global Water Cycle; Coral Reefs (as a sub-theme to a broader Coastal Theme)

**Notes:**
The IGOS Themes process:
agreement by the Partners on a Theme proposal, including leadership and resources
establishment of a expert Theme Team, including data users and providers
consolidation of requirements for observations from all relevant sources
agreement on essential observations, their technical characteristics, and definition of priority areas for future improvements
definition of current and future space-based and in situ observing systems that might support requirements
a commitments process by data providing agencies, including changes to agency plans to eliminate gaps and undesired overlaps
identification of a recommended institutional framework

## Federal Dissemination Policy 

- Full and Open Access to Data
- Prime Examples Include NOAAPort, HRPT Direct Broadcast, EMWIN, and NOAA Weather Wire
- Through AWIPS the NWS has Begun Moving into Making Products Available for the GIS World
- There are GIS-Ready Shapefiles Available for Downloading from the AWIPS Map Database Catalog, located at http://isl715.nws.noaa.gov/mapdata/newcat
- NESDIS’ Satellite Active Archive (SAA) at _[http://](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[las](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[.](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[saa](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[.](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[noaa](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[.](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[gov](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)__[/](http://las.saa.noaa.gov/)_ Allows Users to Obtain Static and Java Web Maps on the Fly

**Notes:**
 AWIPS GIS Shapefiles Include the Following:
 County Warning Areas (CWA) 
 Zone Forecast Areas 
 Coastal and Offshore Marine Zones 
 High Seas Marine Zones 
 However, it should be noted that these are not real-time weather products.

 NESDIS’ SAA has products for such parameters as Sea Surface Temperature and Selected AVHRR and MSU      
 Products.  Again, these are not near real-time data products required by emergency managers, etc.  NESDIS is
 working to begin producing such real-time products in GIS-friendly formats

## Accessibility

- A Number of Initiatives Are Underway at the Federal Level to Have a Fully Integrated Electronic and Spatially Enabled National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)
- Various Communities Are Looking to an Integrated NSDI and Spatially Enabled Data in Order to Better Manage Short-Term Crises and Long-Term Resources
- Weather & Climate Data and Information Should Play a Major Role in the NSDI

**Notes:**
Some NSDI Initiatives include E-Gov, Homeland Security, National Atlas, and the GeoSpatial One-Stop Portal. (e.g., 

Communities Include Emergency Management, Resource Managers, Policy Makers, and the Public at Large and is 

Weather and Climate are Falling Behind Other Areas in Making its Data Spatially Enabled, Available, and Relevant.

This Needs to be done Through Participation with Organizations such as the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC); NOAA is a member of both of these important groups.

## Sample Spatial Environmental Products Covering Afghanistan

**Sample Spatial Environmental Products Covering Afghanistan**

**METEOSAT-5 data: **
**Visible, infrared,water vapor **
**bands. Data resolution is 5 km**

## Way Forward

*In-Situ* and Satellite Weather & Climate Data and Information Need to Become More Integrated into the NSDI
- The Need for Current Metadata Related to *In-Situ* and Satellite Weather & Climate Data and Information is Critical
- New Ways of Dissemination Need to be Implemented.
- A Goal Should be for Real-time Weather Information to be Better Integrated into the Overall NSDI
- The Examples From Afghanistan Represent the Great Potential of Spatially Enabled Products for the Dissemination of Weather and Climate Information

## Transitions Underway

**Soundings – evolution from NOAA Sounding suite **
**and NASA AIRS to CRIS - Crosstrack Infrared Sounder**
**	****	****Imagery  and Ocean color evolution from **
**	****	****NOAA AVHRR and NASA MODIS  to**
**	****	****VIIRS -Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite **
**Ozone and Aerosols – evolution from TOMS **
**to OMPS -Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite **
**	****	****	**
**	****	****	****Altimetry - The value of altimetry for sea level and ****	****	****	****	****ocean circulation data has been proven.   Because  of ****	****	****	****	****this, efforts to migrate the French/U.S. Jason altimetry mission to operational status are underway.  NOAA and EUMETSAT are poised to join NASA and CNES in development and operation of Jason-2.**

**Transitions Underway**

## Conclusions

**  ****Work Towards Organizing a Common Set of International **
**    ****Environmental Monitoring Requirements**
**  ****Work to Make Real-Time Weather and Climate Data More **
**    ****Accessible to Communities Outside of the Environmental **
**    ****Community by Being More Integrated with the National**
**    ****Spatial Data Infrastructure**
**  ****Identify Current or Planned Sensors to Measure Key parameters **
**    ****and Encourage the Transition of Existing, Critical Research **
**    ****Systems to Operational Status**

**Conclusions**

## Slide 20

**Notes:**
Composite of In-Situ and Satellite Observations Done at the University of Wisconsin SSEC