# Presentation: 215689

## COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WEATHER INFORMATION

**(NOT NECESSARILY *****“THE” ***** ACADEMIC/RESEARCH VIEWPOINT)**
***Eugene M. Rasmusson***
***Research Professor Emeritus***
***University of Maryland***
***College park, MD***

## DATA SOURCES: A HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM

**BEFORE THE INTERNET AGE, PRIMARILY NCDC, NCAR, FAX  MAPS, TELETYPE, ATLASES, REASEARHCE TO RESEARCHER**
**HAS NOW EVOLVED INTO HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM **
**PRIMARY SOURCES: **
**NCDC (REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTERS, STATE CLIMATOLOGISTS), NCAR, NCEP WEB SITE**
**(SEE RECOMMENDATION 1.1, CLIMATE SERVICES REPORT)**
**SECONDARY COLLECTIONS: **
**NCAR**
**RESEARCH  PROGRAM WED SITES (NEW DATA; LINKS WITH RELATED DATA); **
**UNIVERSITY WEB SITES (U. WISCONSIN, U. WASHINGTON, IRI) **
**INDIVIDUAL SCIENTIST WEB SITES**

## WEATHER DATA FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCHEXAMPLE: CLIMATE SYSTEM SCIENCE

**NO GLOBAL CLIMATE OBSERVING SYSTEM; CLIMATE RESEARCH GENERALLY BASED ON DATA TAKEN FOR OTHER PURPOSES.**
**DATA TAKEN IN SUPPORT OF WEATHER PREDICATION THE PRIMARY                      SOURCE**
**THESE OBSERVATION SYSTEMS DO NOT GENERALLY SATISFY THE 10                        CLIMATE MONITORING SYSTEMS PRINCIPLES OF KARL ET AL (NRC, 1992).**
**FURTHERMORE, SATELLITE DATA RECORDS GENERALLY NOT LONG                         ENOUGH FOR MANY CLIMATE APPLICATIONS.**
**TO MAKE THESE DATA SETS USEFUL FOR CLIMATE STUDIES, IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO FURTHER PROCESS THE BASIC OBSERVATIONAL RECORD (ENVIRONMENTAL DATA RECORD) (EDR)  INTO A “CLIMATE DATA RECORD” (CDR) (NPP, NPOESS)**
**THIS IS SOMETIMES DONE BY THE PRIMARILY SOURCE, AND SOMETIMES  BY THE USER. WHO THEN MIGHT PROVIDE IT AS A SECONDARY “IMPROVED” DATA SET, WITHOUT ADEQUATE DOCUMENTATION. **
**“****CERTIFICATION” OF SECONDARY DATA AND DATA PRODUCTS???**

## ACADEMIC RESEARCH: DATA/DATA PRODUCT NEEDS 

**APPLICATIONS (EXAMPLES)**
**TEACHING (FROM LIGHT TABLES TO WORK STATIONS)**
**OBSERVATIONAL/DIAGNOSTIC STUDIES (LOCAL-GLOBAL SCALE)**
**PROCESS STUDIES (CASE STUDIES)**
**MODEL DEVELOPMENT/PREDICTION RESEARCH**
**WIDE SPECTRUM OF DATA/DATA PRODUCT NEEDS**
**NEAR REAL TIME DATA**
**LIMITED VOLUME DATA SETS (CASE STUDIES; PROCESS STUDIES)**
**LARGE VOLUME DATA SETS(CLIMATE VARIABILITY/CHANGE)**
**INFORMATION ON DATA CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY (MEDATATA)           **
**PROCESSING/ANALYSIS SOFTWARE (INCLUDING MODEL ASSIMILATION ) **
**CDRs (FOR CLIMATE RESEARCH)**
**PROVISION IN STANDARD FORMATS, AND A VARIETY OF “MODES  (REANALYSIS)**
**COST CONSIDERATIONS**
**PRODUCER/USER INTERFACE (RECOMMENDATION 1.3, CLIMATE SERVICES REPORT)**

## EVOLUTION OF ACADEMIC USER COMMUNITY

**INITIALLY WEATHER RESEARCH AND BASIC CLIMATOLOGICAL STUDIES (STILL A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE USER COMMUNITY)**
**MANY CURRENT CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE NOT NEATLY CONFINED WITHIN OLD DISCIPLINE BOUNDARIES**
**MULTIDISCIPLINARY OR CROSS DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IS RAPIDLY COMING TO THE FORE (RECOMMENDFATION 3.2, CLIMATE SERVICES REPORT)**
**CLIMATE SCIENCE**
**EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE**
**GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES**
**HUMAN DIMENSIONS (SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS)**
**AT U. OF MARYLAND**
**EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTER (ESSIC)(NASA)**
**JOINT GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (JGCRI) (DOE)**
**INTERDISCIPLINARY USERS NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS, SOURCES, AND QUALITY OF WEATHER DATA**
**LEADS TO GREATER NEED FOR MECHANISMS FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN PRODUCERS AND USERS (RECOMMENDATION 1.3, CLIMATE SERVICES REPORT)**