# Presentation: 471191

## Activities of the National Climatic Data Center:

- WERA-102 Annual MeetingOctober 31-November 2, 2006Reno, Nevada

**Tim Owen**
**Director’s Office**
**NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)**

**Activities of the National Climatic Data Center:**
**Report to WERA-102 Meeting**

## Updates

- NCDC and Partners
- Climate Reference Network (CRN)
- NIDIS

## Buzzwords of Late

***Portal***

**Data Sharing**

**Efficiency**

**Leveraging**

**Coordination**

**Collaboration**

***Information Enterprise***

**System of Systems**

**Interfaces**

***User Communities Engaged***

***Standards***

**Buzzwords of Late**

## Partnerships for Improved Data

- A common complaint (from management and staff, from across the US):  Eliminate NCDC QC Errors As Early As Possible.
- RCCs/NCDC/AASC:  Datzilla for error reports to engage NWS (HQ, regions, and field) to explore changes in both QC practices and the way they do business with us.
- Forward Progress:
- Daily electronic access to the bulk of COOP data by the RCCs
- Common QC at the RCCs and NCDC
- Mechanism for convenient daily communication of RCC QC results to WFOs and easy feedback (xmACIS, etc.)

## USCRN Network September, 2006 

**USCRN Network September, 2006**** **

**79 USCRN stations of      ****	****	****114 planned.**
*Other stations in Canada (1), Alaska (4), Hawaii (2),  and American Samoa (1).**  *

- One set of _**common standards**_
- Cross-agency, national & intl. _**partnerships**_
- Infinite patience; _**persistence**_; finite time.

## Standard (Base) CRN Station

- Sensors: Temp (3), Precip gauge (4), Solar rad;    	Infrared rad, RH, SM/ST, “wetness”, etc.
- 26-ft dia SDFIR, or 9-ft dia double alter.
- CS 1000 datalogger, 34-month data storage.
- GOES DCS communications with ice/snow 	antenna cover; 7-level layered comms.
- 5-minute data reported hourly.
- AC and Solar Power versions.
- Modular, expandable, upgradable.
- Weight: ~976 lbs.
- Cost: ~$57K, calibrated & ready for deployment

## Base CRN Station (Full Configuration)

**Base CRN Station (Full Configuration)**
- (**Cornell University, Ithaca, NY)**

**Datalogger**

**IR**

**Wetness**

**3 Thermometers in Aspirated Radiation Housings**

**Solar Radiation **

**GOES comms**

**SM/ST**

**RH**

**4 Precip Gauges**

## Barrow, Alaska (03/2004)

- _Note to Self:_
- Build the SDFIR skirt above the
- (previous) record snowfall ...

## Fairbanks, Alaska CRN Station

**Fairbanks, Alaska CRN Station**

**SDFIR elevated above mean max Jan snow depth.**

## CRN Lite Specifications

**Temperature:** three (3) aspirated platinum resistance thermometers (≤60oF to ≥300oF).
**Precipitation:** three-transducer, all-wx, weighing bucket precipitation gauge with wetness sensor.
- Double-alter wind fence, stainless steel.
- Newer CS 1000 datalogger, 34 months data storage.
- GOES DCS comms.
- 5-minute data reported hourly; 7-layer comms.
- AC or Solar Power.
- Modular:  expandable, upgradable.
- Data Standards same as Standard CRN Sta.
- Weight: ~650-800 Lbs (solar pwr is heavier).
- Cost: ~28K, calibrated & ready for deployment.

## CRN Lite Configuration

**P gauges **
**in double alter**

**Selected other instruments **
**May be added to this climate**
**monitoring station as specified**

**Data logger & power control**

**One aspirated radiation shield **
**with three PRT’s**

**GOES **

**CRN Lite Configuration**
**(Valleyhead, Northern Alabama)**

**Wetness sensor**

**Notes:**
CRN Lite station consists of the T & P sensors of the CRN base station.  Installed at six locations in Alabama, 1 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, & 2 stations at the NOAA Engineering National Testbed (Sterling, VA.).   Configured for 5-minute redundant T & P measurements;  RH & SM/ST in test.

##     National Integrated Drought Information System
	NIDIS: An integrated, interagency national drought monitoring and forecasting system that provides:

**	****NIDIS:**** ****An integrated, interagency national drought monitoring and forecasting system that provides:**

- An **early warning & forecast system** for drought.
- Drought impact and causation** education.**
- Information for drought **mitigation**.
- An interactive, web-based **drought portal**.
- Improved **observational** capabilities.

***Existing Drought Product:***
***NIDIS will Provide Major Improvements****** ***

**What is NIDIS?**

**Notes:**
Source:  U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System:   National Integrated Drought Information System Integration Framework

The importance of a drought early warning system:
• Allows for early drought detection
• Allows for proactive (mitigation) and reactive (emergency) responses
• “triggers” actions within a drought plan
• Provides for impacts on policy/management decisions

Bottom line – provides information for decision support

## NIDIS Operations:  Improved Monitoring

- Drought indicators based on available preliminary data differs greatly from final data in some areas.

## NIDIS Deconstructed

**	**

- The environmental and geospatial data collected by NOAA and its partners ... are an invaluable resource that should be archived and _**made accessible in a form that allows researchers and educators to conduct analyses and generate products**_ ...
- Funding for Earth System measurements should include sufficient resources to archive and _**provide ready and easy access**_ to these data for an extended period of time.
_**Metadata that completely document and describe archived data should be created and preserved to ensure the enhancement of knowledge for scientific and societal benefit. **_

**NIDIS Deconstructed**

## Western Governor’s Association
1996: Recommendation for national preparation for and response to drought. 
2000:  Creation of National Drought Policy Commission.
2003:  Partnership with NOAA to improve drought monitoring and forecasting.
2004:  Formal document published recommending NIDIS.

**1996**: Recommendation for national preparation for and response to drought.
**2000:**  Creation of National Drought Policy Commission.
**2003:**  Partnership with NOAA to improve drought monitoring and forecasting.
**2004:**  Formal document published recommending NIDIS.

**U.S. Congress**
- The 109th Congress introduced H.R. 5136/S. 2751 to improve national drought preparedness, mitigation and response efforts.
**President’s National Science & Technology Council**
- Highlighted drought as one of the grand challenges for disaster reduction in 2005.
- Proposed action:  developing an implementation plan for NIDIS.
**U.S. Group on Earth Observations (US GEO)**
- NIDIS is one of several near term opportunities identified.

**NIDIS Drivers**

## NIDIS NTO Business Plan

**NIDIS NTO Business Plan**

## U.S. Drought Portal

- The USDP will provide county, regional and national **drought-related products** (analysis, forecasts, and research) to a variety of users through a dynamic, Internet-based drought portal.

**U.S. Drought Portal**

**Notes:**

Drought Portal Concept:
Internet portal to provide a drought early warning system from U.S. county to national scale 
Portal will provide seamless and timely access to Integrated Drought observations

Soil Moisture:
Number of soil moisture observation sites is not sufficient.   This is one of the most critical observations for understanding the state of drought throughout the country. 

Description of Improvement
install reference quality soil moisture and temperature sensors at each of the 114 US Climate Reference Network stations across the contiguous 48 states during the period FY 08-12, inclusive. 
What is a Portal?

Sites on the World Wide Web that typically provide personalized capabilities for their visitors. 

## NIDIS Near Term Opportunity Plan

- NIDIS Report was approved September 2006
- Available at the U.S. Group on Earth Observations Website:
- 	http://usgeo.gov/

## Establish, operate, and update U.S. Drought Portal
Number of user accesses and products available
Number of seamless links to drought cooperators
User feedback

Applied Climate Information System (ACIS) Integration
Number of climate stations in ACIS
Number of climate products related to drought
Capability for gridded climate product generation

National Water Information System (NWIS) Integration
Number of streamflow and ground-water stations in NWIS

Integrated Climate Forecasts
Specific product integration to meet user needs

Integrate Remotely Sensed Data with in situ data 
Data in areas not covered by terrestrial network

- Number of user accesses and products available
- Number of seamless links to drought cooperators
- User feedback
_**Applied Climate Information System**_ (ACIS) Integration
- Number of climate stations in ACIS
- Number of climate products related to drought
- Capability for gridded climate product generation
_**National Water Information System**_ (NWIS) Integration
- Number of streamflow and ground-water stations in NWIS
- Integrated _**Climate Forecasts**_
- Specific product integration to meet user needs
- Integrate _**Remotely Sensed Data**_ with *in situ *data
- Data in areas not covered by terrestrial network

**USDP Deliverables**

## USDP ‘Showcase’ Features

**USDP ‘Showcase’ Features**

## Extending NIDIS to GEOSS:  International Opportunities

- North American Drought Monitor
- Similar to US Drought Monitor (USDM)
_**Monthly**_ monitoring (vs. weekly for USDM)
- Partners
- US:  NOAA, USDA, National Drought Mitigation Center
- Canada: Agriculture Agrifood Canada
- Mexico: Nat. Met. Service of Mexico
- Other International Efforts
-  U.S./Chinese Meteorological Agency Joint Working Group
- Collaboration via GCOS, bilaterals, etc. in Costa Rica/Caribbean and various S. American countries

***North American Drought Monitor***

** **
**Upsala Glacier, Argentina**
**1928 (top) vs 2004 (bottom).**** **

|  |                                                            |
| --- | --- |