Ken Crawford, Program Director COOP Modernization and Integrated Surface Observing Systems NWS Office of Science and Technology July 27, 2004 Building a National Mesonet via COOP Modernization: The First Steps?

Vision Statement Enable a healthy public, planet, and economy through an integrated, comprehensive, and sustained Earth observation system. Image courtesy of Tom Karl, NCDC

Linking Earth Observations to Societal Benefits Image courtesy of Tom Karl, NCDC

1. Laboratory calibration 2. Routine maintenance and in-field comparisons 3. Systems approach to automated and manual quality assurance x 7 monitoring Four Key Components of a Healthy Network

Sensors and Loggers Data Ingest Database data/metadata, sensors, QA flags Automated QA Product Generation Monitoring Technology Components Used in the Oklahoma Mesonet

An Integrated Surface Observing System for the U.S.A. (ISOS)

Scope of the COOP Modernization… Many modernized COOP stations with high quality sensors and standards maintained at accepted professional levels An integrated network termed the National Cooperative Mesonet that is expandable and adaptable to meet future observing needs Rigorous quality assurance of network data in real time (min) through an operations monitoring facility Opportunities for the private sector to develop thousands of value-added applications Emphasis will be on partnering with the public & private sector New Legacy: Accurate Data Reliably Available

The Key Ingredient: High Standards… WMO/NWS standards for site and sensor operations are design criteria that must not be compromised As a result, NOAAs Integrated Surface Observing System should serve as a model environmental- monitoring network for the international community

The First New Ingredient: LETS/NLETS… The Oklahoma Mesonet was built around two-way telecommunications provided by OLETS The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications System The result is a 10+ year archive that is >99.5% complete with more than 3 billion observations >98% of this data are available in real time All states have a LETS to support public safety NLETS in Phoenix is considered to be a high bandwidth telecommunications network that is vastly underutilized Already, LETS agencies in NJ, VT, NH and ME have indicated a strong willingness to partner (+ 10 other states) NOAA/NWS were featured-speakers at the National LETS Meeting in June all 50 states represented

The Second New Ingredient: Gubernatorial Support for COOP Modernization The Western Governors Association recently adopted a plan for aNational Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) that calls for: NOAA to lead and coordinate the implementation of NIDIS. The modernized Cooperative Observer Network to be the core of NIDIS. NLETS/LETS to be used to the maximum extent possible. The support of all 50 Governors cannot be far behind! Emerging LETS opportunity offers a telecommunications solution for the National Mesonet with the potential to save millions of dollars/year Growth of the COOP/LETS partnership should foster a system that could easily include micronetworks in every urban corridor whose data would improve air quality monitoring and dispersion modeling

Two kinds of data ingest: Retail COOP and OK Mesonet Approach - Direct communication with and the monitoring of sites - Primary responsibility for data collection Wholesale FSL/MADIS Approach - Receive files sent by primary data collector Ingest

In the Modernized COOP…

Five Strong Pillars… Users were involved from Day One. Products were developed in direct partnership with users. Strong partnerships existed with mission agencies and with research elements. Information was accessible in real time. Education of users and potential users was an important element of the program. A Climate Services Vision: NRC, 2001 The blue-ribbon NRC panel believed the Oklahoma Mesonets success was built upon five pillars:

The Easy Part & The Hard Part… Easy The technology because it is not Rocket Science Hard Sustained political will over many years to make the National Mesonet happen

Questions?