The report outlines key elements to consider in designing a program to create climate-quality data from satellites. It examines historical attempts to create climate data records, provides advice on steps for generating, re-analyzing, and storing satellite climate data, and discusses the importance of partnering between agencies, academia, and industry. NOAA will use this report-the first in a two-part study-to draft an implementation plan for climate data records.

The system of satellites in place to provide environmental data-data to monitor events such as forest fires and floods; to make weather predictions; and to assess crops, transportation impacts, fisheries, land-use patterns, sea temperature, and soil moisture, among other things- serves a wide and growing array of users. In the coming years as the next generation of operational environmental satellites in put in orbit, the will be a large expansion in data availability. To ensure that these data serve effectively this broad user community, a new vision for the future of operational environmental satellite data utilization is needed. To help develop approaches for handling this potential data overload, NASA, with technical support from NOAA, asked the NRC to conduct an end-to-end review of issues about the utilization of operational environmental satellite data for 2010 and beyond. This report presents the result of that review. It focuses on ensuring the value of environmental satellite data for addressing specific user needs, distribution of such data, and data access and utilization.

Environmental satellites provide data that are used for forecasting the weather, measuring variations in climate over time, and predicting space weather. In planning for the next generation of these satellites, federal agencies originally sought to fulfill weather, climate, and space weather requirements. However, in 2006, federal agencies restructured two key satellite acquisitions. This involved removing key climate and space weather instruments. This report: (1) assessed plans for restoring the capabilities that were removed from the two key satellite acquisitions; and (2) evaluated federal efforts to establish a strategy for the long-term provision of satellite-provided space weather, and climate data. Charts and tables.

In 2000, the nation's next-generation National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program anticipated purchasing six satellites for $6.5 billion, with a first launch in 2008. By November 2005, however, it became apparent that NPOESS would overrun its cost estimates by at least 25 percent. In June 2006, the planned acquisition of six spacecraft was reduced to four, the launch of the first spacecraft was delayed until 2013, and several sensors were canceled or descoped in capability. To examine the impacts of these changes, particularly those associated with climate research, and ways to mitigate those impacts, NASA and NOAA asked the NRC to add this task to its ongoing "decadal survey," Earth Science and Applications from Space. The sponsors and the NRC agreed to address this task separately and to base its analysis on a major workshop. This book presents summaries of discussions at the workshop, which included sessions on the measurements and sensors originally planned for NPOESS and GOES-R; generation of climate data records; mitigation options, including the role of international partners; and cross-cutting issues.

In 2000, the nation's next-generation National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program anticipated purchasing six satellites for $6.5 billion, with a first launch in 2008. By November 2005, however, it became apparent that NPOESS would overrun its cost estimates by at least 25 percent. In June 2006, the planned acquisition of six spacecraft was reduced to four, the launch of the first spacecraft was delayed until 2013, and several sensors were canceled or descoped in capability. Based on information gathered at a June 2007 workshop, "Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft," this book prioritizes capabilities, especially those related to climate research, that were lost or placed at risk following the 2006 changes. This book presents and recommends a prioritized, short-term strategy for recovery of crucial climate capabilities lost in the NPOESS and GOES-R program descopes. However, mitigation of these recent losses is only the first step in establishing a viable long-term climate strategy-one that builds on the lessons learned from the well-intentioned but poorly executed merger of the nation's weather and climate observation systems.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects and manages a wide range of environmental and geospatial data to fulfill its mission requirements-data that stretch from the surface of the sun to the core of the earth, and affect every aspect of society. With limited resources and enormous growth in data volumes, NOAA asked the National Academies for advice on how to archive and provide access to these data. This book offers preliminary principles and guidelines that NOAA and its partners can use to begin planning specific archiving strategies for the data streams they currently collect. For example, the book concludes that the decision to archive environmental or geospatial data should be driven by its current or future value to society, and that funding for environmental and geospatial measurements should include sufficient resources to archive and provide access to the data these efforts generate. The preliminary principles and guidelines proposed in this book will be refined and expanded to cover data access issues in a final book expected to be released in 2007.

To better understand our climate system, it is important that we have climate data records (CDRs)-time series of measurements of sufficient length, consistency, and continuity to determine climate variability and change-that possess the accuracy, longevity, and stability to facilitate credible climate monitoring. In 2004, the National Research Council (NRC) published Climate Data Records from Environmental Satellites to provide the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with initial guidelines on how to develop and implement an effective CDR program. NOAA used this book to draft a plan for a new Scientific Data Stewardship (SDS) program, and then asked NRC to review it. The new program will be responsible for processing, archiving, and distributing observations from satellite and supporting ground-based platforms for monitoring, diagnosing, understanding, predicting, modeling, and assessing climate variation and change. The NRC review outlines several ways in which to improve NOAA's draft plan, most importantly by clarifying advisory mechanisms, providing more detail about how NOAA will coordinate with important partners in generating CDRs, articulating how the program will prioritize its activities, and developing ways to realistically project future costs. However, the draft plan is sound overall and NOAA should immediately begin implementing the SDS program while revising the plan as recommended in the book.

In the 8 years since a contract was awarded, the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environ. Satellite System (NPOESS) -- a tri-agency program managed by NOAA, DoD, and NASA -- has experienced escalating costs, schedule delays, and ineffective interagency mgmt. The launch date for a demo. satellite has been delayed by 5 years and the cost estimate for the program has more than doubled. In Feb. 2010, NPOESS was disbanded, and, instead, the agencies have undertaken separate acquisitions. This report: (1) assessed efforts to establish separate satellite programs; (2) evaluated the status and risks of the NPOESS components still under development; and (3) evaluated the implications of using the demo. satellite's data operationally. Illus.

The Nat. Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is a tri-agency acquisition -- managed by the NOAA, DoD, and NASA -- that has experienced escalating costs, schedule delays, and technical difficulties. These factors led to a June 2006 decision to restructure the program by reducing the number of satellites and sensors, increasing estimated costs to $12.5 billion, and delaying the first two satellites by 3-5 years. This report evaluates progress in restructuring the acquisition, assesses the status of key program components and risks, and assesses NASA¿s, NOAA¿s, and DoD¿s plans for obtaining the data originally planned to be collected by NPOESS sensors, but eliminated by the restructuring. Includes recommend. Tables.

Numerical Methods in Environmental Data Analysis introduces environmental scientists to the numerical methods available to help answer research questions through data analysis. One challenge in data analysis is misrepresentation of datasets that are relevant directly or indirectly to the research. This book illustrates new ways of screening dataset or images for maximum utilization, introducing environmental modeling, numerical methods, and computations techniques in data analysis. Throughout the book, the author includes case studies that provide guidance on how to translate research questions into appropriate models. Individuals working with data sets or images generated from environmental monitoring centers or satellites will find this book to be a concise guide for analyzing and interpreting their data. - Bridges the theoretical underpinnings of modeling to research - Illustrates the computational resolution of environmental issues alongside the use of open-source software - Provides information on the use of analogue versus digital data treatment processes