DAARWG Update – Climate Service Strategic Framework

1. DAARWG Update – Climate Service Strategic Framework Scott A. Hausman Acting DirectorNOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)December 10, 2010

2. Overview • Background of the Climate Service • Progress to date • NAPA Recommendations • Proposed Organization • Vision, Mission and Objectives • Core Capabilities and Societal Challenges • Feedback on Strategic Framework • Regional Climate Service Directors • Next Steps • Data Management Challenges

3. Background: February 8thDOC – NOAA Announcement • “…NOAA’s intent to establish a new office called the NOAA Climate Service. This would create a single office for climate science and service bringing together the climate assets and capabilities that are currently dispersed in multiple units across the agency.” • “We are announcing the intent to reorganize existing assets to make NOAA’s Climate Services more responsive to the needs of those who use our services. While additional funds will be needed to increase NOAA’s core climate capabilities going forward to meet growing demands, the proposed reorganization is independent of new resources.” • “The proposed reorganization would retain the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research recognizing the unique importance of a dedicated science and research enterprise with in NOAA.” - Joint press conference with Secretary Gary Locke and Under Secretary Jane Lubchenco http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html

4. Progress Since February • Interagency collaborations • Hired 6 Regional Climate Services Directors (RCSDs) and completed plans for early activities • Completion of National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Study requested by Congress • Development of draft reprogramming package • Development of Vision and Strategic Framework document • Written by NOAA senior climate science and service managers and practitioners from across the line offices • Distributed for public comment

5. NAPA Recommendations • Administration Recommendations • The Administration should strengthen and expand interagency coordination structures tasked with aligning Executive Branch climate resources, and designate a lead agency • A Climate Service in NOAA would be uniquely qualified to serve the public and private sectors as a lead federal agency for climate research and services, and to provide an ongoing accessible, authoritative clearinghouse for all federal science and services related to climate • NOAA Organizational Recommendations • A new Climate Service Line Office is the right organizational design choice • Science and service assets should be combined within one Line Office • NAPA’s overall proposed Line Office structure aligns with the NOAA-DOC proposal • NOAA Implementation Recommendations • Establish transitional leadership focused on implementation and change management • Learn from examples of recent large reorganizations, in particular within the defense and security communities

6. NAPA Proposal

7. Regional Climate Service Directors Doug Kluck Kansas City, Missouri DeWayne Cecil Salt Lake City, Utah Ellen Mecray Bohemia, New York James Partain Anchorage, Alaska David Brown Fort Worth, Texas John Marra Honolulu, Hawaii

8. Climate Service Vision and Mission • Vision • By providing science and services, the Climate Service envisions an informed society capable of anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts. • Mission • Improve understanding and prediction of changes in climate and promote a climate-resilient society by: • Monitoring climate trends, conducting research, and developing models to strengthen our knowledge of the changing climate and its impacts on our physical, economic, and societal systems • Providing authoritative and timely information products and services about climate change, climate variability, and impacts • Informing decision making and management at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels The Climate Service delivers products and services in collaboration with public, private, and academic partners to maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits.

9. Climate Service Objectives • Consistent with Climate objectives from NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (public comment period closed) • Improved understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts • Integrated assessment of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, services, and decisions • Mitigation and adaptation choices supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services • A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions.

10. Federal Response to the nation’s climate challenges * NOAA commits to providing critical assets in science and service to a Federal partnership * Security Forestry Water Partnerships & Collaboration NOAA’s Assets Health Information Delivery and Decision Support NOAA uses its national and regional infrastructure to deliver climate services today Infrastructure Assessments of Climate Change and Impacts NOAA is a leader in national and regional climate impact assessments Over 70% of Federal IPCC AR4 WG1 authors were from NOAA Global Land Management Climate Change Research and Modeling International award winning models of the global climate Oceans Climate Observations and Monitoring NOAA operates over 90 observation and monitoring systems NOAA is mandated to monitor and provide access to climate data and information Energy Other *Representative Organizations & Sectors

11. Federal Regional Climate Service Enterprise Connecting Science, Services and People Regional Climate Science • Regional Integrated Science & Assessments (RISA) • NOAA Labs • Sea Grant • Cooperative Institutes • Applied Research Centers • Data Centers • Other agencies (e.g., National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dept. of Interior, Dept. of Agriculture, National Science Foundation & other USGCRP agencies) • Etc… Regional Climate Services Partnerships • NOAA Regional Climate • Service Programs • Weather Service Regions • Regional Climate Centers • Coastal Services Center • River Forecast Centers • Regional Collaboration Teams • Data Centers • USER ENGAGEMENT • Development, Delivery & Evaluation of Products & Tools • Understanding and Translating User Needs • Informing Program Requirements • Relevant Regional Offices from other agencies (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Interior, • Health and Human Services, • Dept. of Transportation, Dept of Energy, etc.) Government Private Sector Academia NGO’s State and Local Engagement, Education & Service Delivery • Other agencies (e.g., National Science Foundation, Dept. of Education, Health & Human Services, Dept. of Energy, Dept of Interior, Dept of Agriculture) • Dept. of Agriculture Extension • State Climatologists • Federal Protect Area Programs • USGCRP Climate Literacy Partners • Etc… • Weather Forecast Offices • Sea Grant Education & Extension • Marine Sanctuaries, Monuments • & Estuarine Reserves • River Forecast Centers • Data Centers • DOC Commerce Connect (in development) 11

12. Climate Service Core Capabilities Address Societal Challenges

13. Feedback on Strategic Framework • Following is a summary of the main themes of the feedback, without addressing NOAA’s response • Organization • Change the name from NCS • Revisit inclusion of Climate Prediction Center • Consider a core capability around “Predictions and Projections” • Revisit fifth societal challenge • Importance of Federal interagency partnerships, relationship to USGCRP • Focus • Role and importance of basic research and academia • Prioritization: Balance long versus short term, user-driven versus NOAA-driven • Increase focus on and partnership with socio-economic sciences • Importance of private sector engagement • Increase specificity and detail, especially regarding delivery • More focus on downscaling, seasonal prediction, regional & state-level services • Better balance climate “variability” and “change”

14. Next Steps • Finalize Vision and Strategic Framework document • Engage Congress on the reprogramming package • Pending approval, implement the Climate Service

15. Top Data ManagementChallenges Disclaimer: Very NCDC, Data Center Center View

16. AcquisitionFilling & Maintaining the Climate Record • Rescuing Existing Data from Obscurity • Digitizing the data we have; exploiting new technologies to accelerate efforts (OCR, crowd sourcing) • Incentivizing data sharing; working with international community (WMO, IEDRO) to educate on economic benefits • Observing Weather to Climate Accuracy • Increasing the accuracy and resolution to support regional climate trend detection (reference network) • Support to regional weather and climate services • Safeguarding continuity of satellite record • NOAA Programs • Climate Data Modernization Program (CDMP) • US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) • Regional US Historical Climate Network (RUSHCN) • ESRL Observing Systems • Climate Sensors (CERES, TSIS, OMPS-Limb)

17. RUSHCN • 60 RUSHCN stations deployed in Southwest region as of 30 Sep 2010 • 14 more station deployments planned in FY11 to complete region • Surveys in West region to begin with kick-off meeting in February Near Tropic, Utah Kodachrome Basin State Park Fully deployed RUSHCN network to consist of 538 stations in nine U.S. Climate Regions

18. ArchivalPreserving & Stewarding the Climate Record • Preserving NOAA Enterprise Assets • Establishing policies and directives (and organization culture) that support routine, disciplined data management • Develop an agile IT infrastructure that enables transparent data management (GEO-IDE) • Stewarding Data for Reuse • Institutionalize as part of acquisition process (NAO 212-15) • Enterprise metadata solutions (ISO, standard tools) • Critical to machine-to-machine application • NOAA Programs • Comprehensive Large Array Stewardship System (CLASS) • Climate Data Records (CDR) • Global Historical Climate Record (GHCN) • Int’l Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS)

19. Maturity Matrix What methods were used to create the product? What original observations were used in the product? 19 Climate Portal www.climate.gov Digital Signature Where can products easily be found? What methods were used to create the product? How do we ensure authenticity of the product? What original observations were used in the product?

20. Using the Maturity Matrix to Assess Progress • NOAA’s Climate Data Record (CDR) Program is working with scientists on the routine production of climate information • A self assessment by those scientists provides a first measure of how the climate community is doing in meeting criteria for openness, process and transparency • Results show moderate levels of maturity and more work needed in particular on metadata and documentation

21. Access ServicesFree, Open and Transparent Data Availability • Free and Open Access • Eliminate charges for on-line digital data requests • Base largely on portals today… • Improved Metadata for Discoverability • Data Integration to Support On-going National Assessments • On-line reports; transparent access to data sources, processing code and publications • Partnering with other Federal Agencies will be critical • Leveraging best practices from industry and other disciplines • NOAA Programs • NOAA Climate Service Portal (NCSP) • NOAA Climate Model Portal (NCMP) • National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

22. NOAA Climate Services Portal • Climate.gov • Goal: One-stop access for NOAA’s climate information • Multiple audiences so multiple avenues to access information • ClimateWatch Magazine • Data and Services • Understanding Climate • Education • Climate Dashboard www.climate.gov

23. NOAA Climate Model Portal • Follow-on to National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) • User growth phenomenal: 5-7 Million downloads • THREDDS Data Server • Unidata TDS Alpha testsite • Live Access Server (LAS) • Cited as US-GEO and NOAA GEO-IDE pilot to advance • Partnerships: NASA ACCESS and OGC. GO-ESSP • New Java-based modular design being developed • Expands NOMADS to serve climate model data and re-analysis

24. Thank You… Questions?