Non-profit organizations can assist environmental data rescue and digitzation Dr. Richard Crouthamel, D.Sc. Executive Director – IEDRO International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Under contract to NOAA/NWS/IAO

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization IEDRO is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO)  We locate, rescue and support the digitization of all environmental data, worldwide  We work with governments, charitable foundations, and individuals to find funding for these efforts. http//:IEDRO.ORG

What we have done...  280,000 upper-air observations have been rescued in 6 African countries [Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal and Zambia]  108,000 surface observations have been rescued at two sites in Uruguay and 500,000 surface observations at a private museum in Punta Arenas, Chile  “Open and Unrestricted Exchange of digitized Data” has been accepted by all participating countries

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Our Data Rescue Process Which data to rescue?

Our process...  We work with NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center to identify countries whose data are in critical need of rescue and digitization.

Data Vulnerability…tied to a country’s wealth Our Data Rescue is focused on those countries which are most vulnerable to data loss…

Our data rescue process...  We encourage data “owners”, at a minimum, to keep their perishable data dry and safe until funds are available for it to be placed on a more robust medium and eventually digitized.

Our data rescue process... We have assisted National Meteorological Services to gather, sort and arrange their historic data so that each page of data can be digitally photographed and saved to a CD-ROM.

Our data rescue process... Staff or volunteers assist National Meteorological Services to digitally photograph every observation and load the data images onto CDs.

Our data rescue process... CDs containing the rescued observation images are sent to IEDRO for quality control and then on to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). At NCDC the data are digitized, stored in a comma-delimited file, and added to the NOAA World Data Base with a copy of the newly digitized data returned to the country of origin. Data in a comma - delimited format... CDMP28KE,KE0028,0002.jpg,63671,01,07,1985,1,11,1,1,0,1 70, 15,166, 13,169, 19,169, 28,169, 10,175, 15,178, 15,183, 21,185, 30,190, 28,191, 30,189, 26,184, 31,175, 27,180, 23,180, 14,180, 13,169, 17,167, 16,180, 02,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, CDMP28KE,KE0028,0003.jpg,63671,01,08,1985,1,11,1,1,0,1 80, 10,158, 15,167, 35,162, 44,176, 30,207, 07,246, 07,162, 06,190, 14,172, 11

Our data rescue progress… Astounding Results: Number of Upper-air Observations in the NOAA Data Base This is a chart showing the days for which NCDC had upper-air data in its data base for Lilongwe, Malawi over a 10 year period (in blue) and the additional data provided by our Data Rescue efforts (in red).

Our data rescue progress… More astounding Results: Completeness of Upper-air Observations in the NOAA Data Base This shows one month for which NCDC had upper-air data in its data base for Lilongwe, Malawi. Mandatory and significant levels depicted each day over the 31 day month are represented by the colored squares. The levels for which the NCDC data base had values are depicted in blue; the additional levels of data provided by our Data Rescue efforts are shown in red.

New Projects…  NOAA/NWS is about to announce a new data rescue project for Tanzania to begin in January 2008  Saudi Arabia data rescue possibility to begin in February 2008

New Projects – Saudi Arabia February 2008

New Projects – Saudi Arabia Progress already made.

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Why you need organizations like us…

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Why you need organizations like us…  We are “honest brokers”  We “market” the need for data rescue  We have the ability to raise funds outside of government  We can provide volunteers

Why you need us...Honest Broker  IEDRO, as a non-governmental organization (NGO) and as a certified non-profit organization is viewed by many as an “honest broker”.  We have no “profit” or “political” agenda.  Our search for historic data is not tied to any scientific or political point-of-view.  We cover our costs…if we are lucky…so that data owners need not fear that we have a profit motive behind assisting them with their data rescue and digitization.

Why you need us...Marketing Data Rescue & Digitization are important  Non-scientists do not understand the importance of data rescue and digitization.  It is “boring”...”tedious”...”unglamorous”... not as exciting as a tsunami or hurricane.  Yet, it affects so many areas of human life.  Unfortunately the non-scientists control the funds.

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Why you need us...Marketing  Flood Prevention  Starvation Prevention  Disease Prevention  Safer Construction  Better forecasts  Climate Change/Global Warming

FLOOD PREVENTION *Floods kill more people than all other natural disasters combined *Computer programs provide accurate flood warnings if many years of historical observations are available. *Those data aren’t available in developing countries so …. people drown!

STARVATION PREVENTION *1.8 Billion subsistence farmers use weather history to choose their crops *Rescued data = longer history to base crop selections and planting times. *Farmers plant more appropriately. Their families do not starve.

DISEASE PREVENTION *Research links disease spread to historic weather conditions (disease vectorization) *Health officials using current weather forecasts, determine speed and direction of disease spread *Spraying & inoculation in advance of the disease saves lives!

SAFER CONSTRUCTION *Environmental conditions destroy underdesigned structures *Additional historical data provide more realistic construction specifications *Property and lives are saved.

BETTER FORECASTS More data = better the understanding of severe weather events. Better understanding = more accurate forecasts and warnings.

CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING *What is the direction and speed of climate change? *What are it’s consequences? *How can we best mitigate either the change or discover the adaptation humankind must take?

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Ability to raise funds outside of government  Non-profit foundation grants  Corporate donations (unrelated industries)  Individual donations  Fund raising through EBAY, Internet sites  Donations from fraternal organizations  Lions Clubs  Rotarians  Elks

International Environmental Data Rescue Organization Ability to provide volunteers to:  Write articles for the media  Volunteer to assist NMSs with training  Make presentations on the need for Data Rescue and Digitization  Lobby government representatives  Participate in television and radio programs

Questions?