GEOSS Joint Asia-Africa Water
Cycle Symposium

Collaboration Opportunities for theApplication of Earth Observations fromSpace in Water Activities
Martin Medina, Ph.D.
Sr. International Relations Specialist
NOAA Satellite and Information Service
Martin.Medina@noaa.gov

November 25, 2013

Tokyo, Japan

USG Support of Development
Assistance through EarthObservations from Space• 2010 National Space Policy– “The United States hereby renews its pledge ofcooperation in the belief that with strengthened
international collaboration and reinvigorated U.S.
leadership, all nations and peoples—space-faring andspace-benefiting—will find their horizons broadened, theirknowledge enhanced, and their lives greatly improved.”• United States Group on Earth Observations– For…battling drought and disease, emergency managers
making evacuation decisions, farmers making planting
choices…there is a real global need…to provide new
analytical tools, access to timely data and forecasts about
emerging threats that will enable wise choices in an
uncertain world.
– The aim is to provide the right information, in the rightformat, to the right people, at the right time, to make theright decisions.
2NOAA Satellites
Current Satellite Programs– 24/7 Satellite operations and product processing• Geostationary satellites (GOES)• Polar-orbiting satellites (POES)

Future Satellite Programs– Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS, formerlyNPOESS)– GOES-RGOESPOESNPOESS

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Meeting Water Related
Development Needs with RemoteSensing• Meeting the development needs throughimproving:– Access to Earth Observation Data
– Data Dissemination Infrastructure– Number and Scope of Specialized Products– Knowledge of How to Interpret and Assimilate Data/Products intoDecision Making Processes

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NOAA Water Related RemoteSensing Products• Precipitation—short term (flooding) and longterm (water resources)• Snow and ice cover and snow water content• Vegetation Health—an indirect measure of watersurplus / deficit• Soil moisture / surface wetness—the watercontent of the topmost 1 cm or so of soil

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Monitoring El Niño / La Niña

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Impact of El Niño / La Niña on
Precipitation and Vegetation

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Health Vegetation Index8Tropical Cyclone / Storm Tracking

9Rainfall Estimates

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NOAA Solutions to Water
Related Development Needs
Flash Flood Guidance System• NOAA provides satellite rainfall
estimates for a Hydrologic
Research Center -developed
forecasting tool used by incountry weather services toidentify regions of flash floodrisk• Namibia Example:– February/March 2011—heaviest
rainfall in many areas in >120
years of records– Satellite rainfall estimates used
extensively in Namibia
Hydrological Service (NHS)
bulletins

Namibia 24-h rainfall from theHydro-Estimator from 2 February 2011.

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NOAA Solutions to Water
Related Development Needs
Monitoring Drought with Operational Satellites• NOAA uses satellite datato monitor the health ofvegetation (greennessand temperature) every
week for the entire
globe, providing anindication of thecoverage and severity ofdrought conditions.
• This example shows
recent severe droughts
in Russia, East Africa,and Argentina.

NOAA Solutions to Water
Related Development Needs
GEONETCast Dissemination System in
Support of GEO / GEOSS• A satellite-based data andproduct distribution network.
• Low cost, stand alone, off-theshelf reception stations.
• Particularly applicable in areasof poor telecommunications
infrastructure or where there isrisk of damage due todisasters.

GNC Receiving Station NOAA Tropical Rainfall Product• Global system in cooperation
with EUMETSAT and CMA.
CIRA Total Precipitable Water

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National Climatic Data Center

The world's largest active archive of weather data
National and Global Data Sets on Weather,
Climate, Water, and the Environment
From historical observations in the 1700s to thePresent
www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Conclusion
NOAA can contribute with historic and current data /products related to water. The GEONETCast system
can support the data integration, distribution, andaccess in Africa, Asia and Latin America. NOAA
welcomes collaboration and partnerships with users /donors.

Thank you!

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