# Presentation: 073182

## Toward An Enhanced Partnership In Earth ObservationWMO Regional Association III Meeting

- Brigadier General John J. Kelly, Jr., (USAF, Ret.) Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere – NOAA
- U.S. Permanent Representative
- June 1, 2005

## Presentation Outline

- The Global Earth Observation Systems of Systems (GEOSS)
- NOAA Mission and Goals
- NOAA Cooperation in Earth Observation
- Geostationary Satellites
- Telecommunications
- Training and Capacity Building

## Global Earth Observing System of Systems

- A distributed system of systems
- Improves coordination of strategies and observation systems
- Links all platforms: in situ, aircraft, and satellite networks
- Identifies gaps in our global capacity
- Facilitates exchange of data and information
- Improves decision-makers’ abilities to address pressing policy issues

**Notes:**
The premise behind GEOSS is simple – if not necessarily easy to implement.  There are currently thousands, if not millions, of observation points collecting data around the world.  Unfortunately, they operate, for the most part, independently of one another.  

By establishing GEOSS, participants seek to improve coordination of strategies and systems for observations of the Earth - from in situ, aircraft, and satellite networks.  Participants also hope to identify measures to minimize data gaps – all with a view to moving toward a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observation system or systems.

Data exchange is a key element of GEOSS.  Under the Declaration which was agreed on in July 2003, participants will exchange data in a full and open manner with minimum time delay and minimum cost, recognizing relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation.

If successful, by fully networking these systems, we will advance our understanding of the Earth’s environment and improve decision-makers’ abilities to address pressing policy issues. 

## NOAA’s Mission

- To understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation’s economic, social and environmental needs.

## NOAA’s  Strategic Goals

- Mission Goals:
- Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management
- Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond
- Serve society’s needs for weather and water information
- Support the Nation’s commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation
- Provide organizational excellence and mission support (proposed addition)

**Notes:**
Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management
Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond
Serve society’s needs for weather and water information
Support the Nation’s commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation
Provide organizational excellence and mission support (proposed addition)

## Earth Observation Cooperation

- Integrating Earth observation and data systems.
- Offset impacts when the GOES satellites are in rapid scan mode during extreme weather events.
- Improving forecast and research through the availability of sounder data in South America

**Notes:**
The current generation of NOAA GOES satellites, I through N, brought major improvements to the weather forecasting arena.  But, like many things there are gaps in their capabilities.  Finding ways to fill these gaps are the challenges we face today.

As those of you in RA III are acutely aware, when the NOAA GOES satellites go into rapid scan mode during an extreme weather event in North America, the countries of South America lose the imager data from the satellites.  This ongoing problem was only exacerbated during last year’s near record hurricane season.  The loss of imager data is a serious problem and one that we at NOAA are acutely aware.

Another gap in coverage for the current generation of GOES satellites is with the sounder instrument.  The current instruments do not collect data over South America. 

How do we face these challenges?

## GOES-R Imager

- 5 Minute Coverage

**Notes:**
Part of the solution to the challenges described in the previous slide will come with the whole new generation of Geostationary satellites that NOAA is designing, the GOES-R series.

More importantly, when GOES-R goes into rapid scan mode NOAA can provide a full disk image every 15 minutes.  We believe this is a major improvement to the current system and will greatly improve all of our abilities to supply accurate and timely information for our  customers.

The launch of the GOES-R is going to bring major improvements for all of us in the frequency, quality and quantity of the data from NOAA’s geostationary satellites that will lead to equally enhanced improvements to all of the services, forecasts and products that all of us provide.  

However, the earliest that GOES-R could be launched is 2012.  

## Current GOES

**Notes:**
If requested, we would be willing to investigate the possibility of taking a GOES satellite that has fulfilled its life time requirements and making it available to image countries impacted by the loss of imager data.  There are a lot of issues to be addressed before this could take place:

-- First we would like to hear from you on the extent of the problem, and whether or not this would be helpful.

-- We would need to identify an available satellite.  Such selection would be predicated upon a successful launch and deployment of our GOES-N satellite that is now scheduled for launch later this month. 

-- We would need to assure that the data needs of our prime users are being met through our other geostationary satellites, therefore allowing the use of an available satellite.

-- We would need to obtain appropriate approvals of our government.

It would be most helpful if any such contribution we would make could be part of a cooperative framework involving cooperative efforts of other partners in our hemisphere.

In this context, it would be very helpful to hear your views and those of other users at tomorrow’s workshop.

## NOAA’s Data Communication Efforts

- International Satellite Communication System (ISCS) / World Area Forecast System (WAFS)
- NWS Telecommunications Gateway

**Notes:**
The United States is actively involved, along with some of your governments including Argentina and Brazil, in developing the Global Earth Observation System of System (GEOSS). 

NOAA contributes to data communication throughout the region in a number of ways including:
The recently upgraded International Satellite Communication System (ISCS) which serves as the Regional Meteorological Telecommunication Network for RA IV and as a one-way system for the World Area Forecast System (WAFS) in RA III;
The NWS Telecommunications Gateway, part of the WMO Global Telecommunication System (GTS) is also being upgraded.

[Ed Cormier, NWS, will cover the NWS communication systems in greater detail tomorrow]

## Training & Capacity Building

- Satellite Users Workshops
- NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) South America Training Desk
- Virtual Laboratory for Satellite Data Utilization

**Notes:**
  NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service will continue its user conferences to keep its customers informed of current and future activities of its satellite system.  It is looking to increase its participation in joint training efforts as well as explore joint scientific projects.

NWS trains, as part of our contribution to the WMO VCP, 6 fellows each year from South America at NCEP on the operational use and application of numerical model products  – to date 94 fellows from 8 South American countries have been trained 

  VL for Satellite Data Utilization:  Training recently held  and each participant received an electronic notebook, donated by Colorado State University’s NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA). This will allow trainers to train others upon their return.  The notebooks contain all the training materials, application software and data presented in the two-week training event. 

## Continued Cooperation as a Contribution to GEOSS Implementation

**Notes:**
Over the next decade there will be major improvements in the Earth observing arena as new technologies, systems and ways of working come on line.  These are exciting times for those of us that have been involved with some of these systems, in many case, from their very beginning.  

An added and even more exiting dimension to this is GEOSS.  As GEOSS comes on line, data and information from Earth observing systems from around the world will become available to those that need it in their daily taking the pulse of this planet we call home.  This global cooperative effort has the potential to radically change how we see and manage our planet.  It is also an opportunity to strength the partnerships that we have already developed and taken them to even greater heights.

NOAA has long worked with the other countries in the Western Hemisphere and looks forward to building on what we have done in the past and improving it.  Through such a partnership we have an opportunity to work together to improve the services, forecasts and products we produce for our customers.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your comments.