I nternational B est Tr ack A rchive for C limate S tewardship

1. Review of 1st Workshop And Current Goals International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship

2. In need of a global best track archive • Used for many industries: • Building codes for coastal zones • Risk assessment • Insurance loss analysis • Climate change research • Needed for locating TCs in satellite data (e.g., HURSAT) • Complete record of pressure and wind needed. • Many basins have more than one source of data • No single one-stop-shop for a global data set existed

3. What areresearchersusing?

4. What is IBTrACS? • International • Many nations and agencies working together • Best Track • Information on tropical cyclones • Enormous impact on life and property worldwide • Archive • One-stop-shop • Climate • Global distribution • Cyclone intensity • Temporal variability • Stewardship • Maintaining data for future generations

5. IBTrACS: Who? • Data providers • At NCDC: • A handful of participants • Around the world: • Users providing feedback

6. IBTrACS Data sources • RSMCs • India, Japan, U.S.A, Reunion • TCWCs • Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, New Zealand • Other Forecast Agencies • China, Hong Kong, JTWC • Compilations (each with a myriad of sources) • Neumann SH data – Compilation of many sources • TD9636 – Compilation from NCDC (last updated 1986) • DS824 – Compilation from NCAR • Upcoming • JAMSTEC – Philippine Atlas digitization • H. Diamond – South Pacific digitization • India’s eAtlas • Others as provided

7. IBTrACS structure Recommendations RSMCs TCWCs Others Data providers Workshop Recommendations IBTrACS Team Feedback Feedback Peer review Create data Publications IBTrACS Data Users Data access

8. When? Oct. 2007 - Inception Dec. 2007 – Original request for data from RSMCs and other agencies Apr. 2008 – AMS Tropical Conf. (Orlando) Jun. 2008 – Permission to distribute data received from providers Jul. 2008 – AGU Western Pacific Geo. (Cairns) Jul. 2008 – Beta release Dec. 2008 – version 1 release Dec. 2008 – AGU Conf. (San Francisco) Jan. 2009 – Annual AMS Meeting (Phoenix) Feb. 2009 – Int. Conf. SH Meteorology (Melbourne) ESRI Users Conf. (Washington DC) Mar. 2009 – Inter-departmental Hurricane Conf (FL) 1st Indian Ocean Tropical Conf. (Oman) July 2009 – version 2 release May 2009 – IBTrACS Workshop (Asheville) Aug. 2009 – Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (Singapore) Nov. 2009 – WMO TCM (Brisbane) Jan. 2010 – Typhoon Committee Meeting (Singapore) Autumn 2010 – version 3 release Nov. 2010 – IWTC – Special Focus Session Semiannual Updates

9. IBTrACS Workshop • First ever international meeting to specifically discuss best track data? • 5-7 May 2009 - Participants worldwide • Topics • Operational Best tracking procedures • Wind-pressure relationships • Wind speed conversions • Global Reanalysis • IBTrACS improvements • Meeting summary in AMS BAMS

10. 1st workshop outcome • Recommendations • To IBTrACS team • To forecast agencies (that make best track data) • To the WMO • Collaboration • Growing collaboration on BT issues amongst participants

11. What has been accomplished?

12. IBTrACS Workshop recommendations • The IBTrACS team should… • Document BT procedures, • Work with agencies • Through a survey • Provide all parameters as provided by original agency in IBTrACS • Distribute official and unofficial datasets of other TC related data • Archive all ancillary data • Get involved with the IWTC

13. IBTrACS Workshop recommendations • Best tracking agencies should … • Report more parameters and use WMO format • Document current and historic BT practices • Standardize definitions of winds and wind conversions • Rescue and archive documents relevant to BT data • “Best track” throughout life cycle (through ET) • Encourage best track data discussions at IWTC Many have worked with IBTrACS on the community survey Accomplished by TCM through recognition of Harper report Held IBTrACS special focus session in La Reunion Held IBTrACS special focus session in La Reunion

14. Proposed actions regarding IBTrACS for WMO • Endorse and/or formally adopt as global archive to aid RSMCs and TCWCs • Recommend improvements and enhancements • Collaborate with IBTrACS on improvements • Standardize and document best tracking procedures • Cooperate on survey of operational procedures

15. What can we hope to accomplish?

16. IBTrACS Workshop Goals • To continue the momentum of international collaboration by bringing together representatives from IBTrACS data providers, IBTrACS users and other TC researchers. • In addition, the workshop aims to address unresolved issues regarding construction, archive and use of best track data.

17. Possible outcome:Maintain importance of BT Data • Need • Much relies on quality of best track data • Approach • Make producers aware of impact of poor BT data on weather and climate • Make users aware of known BT issues and/or limitations

18. Possible outcome:Best track dataset review paper • Need • No assessment of BT data is available • No better authors than the data producers • No better time than the present • Approach • Co-authors from Workshop participants/agencies • Identify and catalog current and historic practices where appropriate • Assess dataset quality and use

20. Possible outcome:BT Committee organization • Need • Formalize the structure of IBTrACS • International direction and feedback on plans • Approach • Enact the BT committee

21. New structure idea WMO- BT Expert Panel RSMCs TCWCs Others Membership Requirements Recommendations Data Results Recommendations • Workshops: • IWTC • IBTrACS • Conferences Feedback WMO-recognized IBTrACS Team Feedback Users Peer review Create data Pubs IBTrACS Data Data access

23. Possible outcome:More concrete recommendations • Need • 1st workshop was initial foray into BT data • Some recommendations have gone unnoticed • Approach • Determine how to enact recommendations. • Make action part of our recommendations.

24. In conclusion… • Participate in discussion • Contemplate the future of best track data • Enjoy the area!