# Presentation: 031494

## Future of AIRNOW  Strategic Planning Results 

**Chet Wayland, USEPA**
- _[wayland.richard@epa.gov](mailto:wayland.richard@epa.gov)_
**U.S. EPA’s National Air Quality Conference:**
**Your Forecast to Breathe By**
**February 25, 2004**
**Baltimore, Maryland**

***“******You must be the change you wish to see in the world”***
***                                                                  ******-- Mahatma Gandhi***

## Why a Strategic Plan?

- The AIRNOW program has seen phenomenal growth since its inception in 1997
- The planning & growth to date has been a cooperative venture between EPA, State and Local Agencies
- Together, we have achieved the vision of year-round, national coverage
- Where do we go from here?

**Notes:**
Why did we need a strategic plan?

The program has seen phenomenal growth since 1997 when it began.  This planning and growth has been a cooperative effort between EPA, state, and local agencies.  We have achieved great success. We had a vision of year-round real-time data and forecasting for the United States.  We have achieved that vision... where do we go from here?

What do we need to do to continue to improve upon the program, make it successful, more beneficial to the public and to you in the states and local agencies.

## AIRNOW Growth

| Metric | 1997 | 2003 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Participants | 14 States | 46 States
6 Canadian Provinces
Mexico (3 sites), NPS |
| Agencies | <20 | >100 |
| Monitors | <400 -- Ozone | ~1300 – Ozone
~ 425 PM2.5
~ 40 PM10  |
| Maps | 8  | 50+ for Ozone
50+ for PM2.5  |
| Forecast cities | 35 for ozone | >300 for ozone
>150 for PM2.5 |
| Turn-around time | 2-3  hours | 10 to 45 minutes |
| Update frequency | 4 times per day | Hourly (8am to 10pm)
Some areas 24 hrs/day |
| Operating Schedule | May-Sept | January - December |

**Notes:**
Just a brief reminder on the growth of the program...

## AIRNow Web Stats(*stats only for May-Sept prior to 2001)

**Notes:**
Notice decreases in the summer months in 2003 (very cool, wet summer in the east – no ozone)

Notice the increase in October (Year-round launch, California Forest Fires)

## AIRNow Makes an Impact...

**AIRNow Makes an Impact...**

**Southern California **
**Fires**

**Year-Round**
**Launch**

**Notes:**
The increases in October can be tied to the year-round launch and the southern CA fires.  We received more hits in the 3 days around the Southern CA fires than in some entire months.

This really opened our eyes and those of others as to the power and use of real-time and forecast air quality information to the public and the media.  You can see how many people were really depending on this information during this crisis.  We needed to be better able to handle these type events in the future.

## New Partners, More Benefits

| Metric | 1997 | 2003 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Media/WSP partners | none | USAToday, The Weather Channel, Weather Central, WSI, Meteorologix, AccuWeather, WeatherBank (AP),  AWS, Baron Services, 
Weather.com, CNN, Custom Weather, Lightwarp, Multidata,
Weatherunderground.com,  |
| Federal Partners | EPA | EPA, NOAA-NWS, NASA, NPS |
| Estimated population reached | < 1 million | >100 million |

**Notes:**
Finally, we have new partners that we did not have in 1998, we are reaching more people and providing more benefits, so we needed to step back and think about where we needed to be going for the next 3-5 years.  What was the vision for this program?

## The Vision

***“******AIRNOW is the national resource for  real-time and forecasted  ***
***air quality data and health effects information.”***

***Now, how do we get there?***
***                                 ... ******and stay there!***

**Notes:**
We laid out a new vision for the program and we brought in almost 60 people from across the country (public & private) for 3 days in December to do nothing but think about what we needed to do in the next 3-5 years to reach this vision.  What should our priorities be in several areas of the program to ensure that we achieve our vision in 3-5 years.

## Program Areas

- Operations
- (Co-chairs: Bill Gillespie, MARAMA & Phil Dickerson, EPA)
- Forecasting
- (Co-chairs: Bill Ryan, PSU & Pat Dolwick, EPA)
- Outreach
- (Co-chairs: Kerry Shearer, SAQMD & Debbie Stackhouse, EPA)
- Communication
- (Co-chairs: Jen Carfagno, Weather Channel & Alison Davis, EPA)
- Innovative Approaches
- (Co-chairs: Mike Gilroy, Puget Sound CAA & Dave Conroy, EPA)

**Notes:**
We broke the groups into 5 program areas and gave them the following charge...

## Workgroup Charge

- Help define & direct the future of _your_ AIRNOW program
- Where should EPA/NOAA priorities & resources be focused over the next 5 - 10 years?
- What do we want this program to be in 5 years? In 10 years?

**Notes:**
You all received the full summary as part of your registration package.  After reviewing the full summary report, we looked at the priorities of each subgroup and developed a briefing package for EPA management.  IN that package, we highlighted the immediate priorities and those for the next 2 years, as well as identified additional priorities in years 3-5.

We picked two of the top priorities from each group to develop our initial list and then took those to management.

Here are those priorities...

## Immediate Priorities(Beyond Base Operations)

| Tasks |
| --- |
| Toolkit for Broadcast Meteorologists
(for use in schools, speaking engagements, and on-air) |
| Short Course for AMS and Nat’l Weather Assoc.
(forecast training for meteorologists unable to attend Nat'l workshops) |
| Better emission reduction messages
(identify steps people can take to reduce air pollution) |
| Evaluate effectiveness of AQI outreach and build database of human activity patterns
(determine if people are taking actions to reduce pollution and reduce their exposure to air pollution) |
| Cost Benefit facts 
(what’s in it for me?) |

**Immediate Priorities**(Beyond Base Operations)

## Year 1 Priorities (April ’04 – April ’05)

| Tasks |
| --- |
| Base Operations |
| National AQ Conference |
| National E-Alert System
(build system and disseminate to concerned citizens) |
| Outreach to Public Health Professionals
 (focus on family practice physicians and cardiologists) |
| Web Portal for State/local forecasters |
| Develop Combined AQI map on AIRNOW
(combined ozone and particle AQI map) |
| Evaluate Quick Response Needs
(CA fires, mobile monitors, toxics, ability to get info to the public) |
| AIRNOW DMC and EPA file transfer upgrades |
| AIRNOW web content development
(haze cams, satellite images, news pegs, climatology) |

## Year 2 Priorities (April ’05 – April ’06)

| Tasks |
| --- |
| Base Operations |
| National AQ Conference |
| Complete National E-Alert (expand reporting system) |
| Continue outreach to Health Professionals |
| Complete Web Portal for Forecasters |
| Initiate Quick Response Capability
(system development, remote transmission, communications plan) |
| Evaluate mapping/forecasting options
(particle surrogates – ASOS, NASA satellite tools, mapping software) |
| Begin AIRNOW/AQS Data Exchange
(link AQS and AIRNOW through XML standard) |

## Year 3-5 Priorities (Apr. ’06 – Apr. ’09)

| Tasks |
| --- |
| Base Operations |
| Base Outreach & National AQ Conference |
| Complete Quick Response Initiative |
| Improve forecaster training tools
(specific curriculum for forecasters, web course development) |
| Initiate development of education curricula
(develop university-level curricula, educate weathercasters, reporters, teachers) |
| Develop broader visibility component
(webcam purchase, distribution, management) |
| Data archive and clearinghouse
(expand DMC for meteorology data, climatological AQ data, enhanced forecast tools) |
| NOAA model support
(develop guidance on the use of numerical AQ models for forecasting) |
| Incorporate air toxics into data delivery system |

## Program Budget Plan

**Notes:**
What we asked for was an increase in the FY-04 funding to make up for the drop shown in this chart and then for funding levels in the future that are consistent of this stature that provides such useful health protection information to the public.

## Summary & Questions

***“******I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”***
***-- Bill Cosby******   ***

**Notes:**
Keeping this quote in mind, lets open the floor for questions on the Strategic Planning Workshop, the priorities developed or other issues related to the future of this program.