Earth Science Environmental Decision-Making Pai-Yei Whung, PhD Chief Scientist U.S. Environmental Protection Agency January 5, ESIP Federation Winter Meeting Washington, DC

Decision-Making at EPA Action Development Process (ADP) – the process EPA uses to prepare and release actions that define the technical and operational details of environmental programs

Decision-Making at EPA Decision Types – regulations, policies, voluntary Accountability – measurable metrics to quantify the success of the result Science and Technology - improves decision support tools and delivers data/information systems

Decision-Making Steps Earth observation systems & models Data-to-Information archiving & services Decision support tool development Decision making Assessment of benefits From observations systems To societal benefits

Flooding in the Midwest JUNE RAINFALL FLOWS June 14, 2008 Historic Gage Records in 9 States Source: Josh Foster (Center for Clean Air Policy) TWO 500-YEAR FLOODS IN 15 YEARS (1993 & 2008)

FLOOD FREQUENCY CHANGES 10% increase in flow = 2.5 times chance of failure Source: Derek Booth (Univ. of Washington & Stillwater Science, Inc.)

EPA Source: Joel Scheraga (EPA)

The Decision-Maker’s Voice First Step: engage relevant Users (decision- makers) to learn about what they do and what could help them do it better In Between: check-in with Users on a regular basis throughout the data/tool development process Last Step: feedback from the Users on whether decision-making improved and the anticipated impacts/benefits were realized

The Spectrum of Users Earth observation system scientists and modelers IT/IM experts and service providers Environmental process modelers & researchers Policy makers & environmental managers Public officials, advocacy groups and the public User requirements well known Not aware that observational requirements are even needed

Began in 1997 Diverse stakeholder community – Federal, state, provincial, tribal and local air agencies (120+) – Scientific and health research organizations (15+) – Media and public outreach groups (30+) Education and outreach Substantial growth and data exchange State and Local Air Agencies ObservationsForecasts AIRNowDataManagementCenter Internet Media DecisionMakersandPublic Data Maps and Forecasts About AIRNow

Real-time, hourly maps and data Forecasts (300+ cities) News stories, e.g. wildfires Web cams (air quality) Seasonal air comparisons AIRNow Products

It’s not just a system, it’s a community Annual conference Regional cooperation Daily interaction with stakeholders Support during air quality events AIRNow’s “Human Side” Leveraging state, local, and federal resources by collecting and distributing data back to partners, as well as to media outlets

Lessons from AIRNow…. Community is KEY – 40% technology, 60% people The public wants environmental information, but depends upon the community to interpret it The community provides the context of the data for the public

A vision of GEOSS for Air Quality Decision-Makers Data Needs Ambient Meteorology Emissions Models Satellite Decision Makers Policy maker assessing intercontinental transport AQ manager assessing an exceptional event Public planning activities today and tomorrow Decision-makers depend on common observations and data

THE SPECTRUM OF USERS Earth observation system scientists and modelers IT/IM experts and service providers Environmental process modelers & researchers Policy Makers & Environmental managers Public officials, advocacy groups and the Public User requirements well known Not aware that observational requirements are even needed NOVICE USERS

The “Novice” User science-to-policy analysts, decision- makers, public officials, & the public working/interested in specific issues not GEOSS-experienced looking for any and all observational data relevant to their issues want to easily find it and view it

The “Novice-Friendly” Tool Easy to use Focus on what the user out of the data/tool Components (data/services) need to provide sample data sets for easy viewing geographically

In Summary EPA uses environmental data in its own decision-making process and provides data for other decision-makers. EPA partners with others (GEOSS) in the delivery of observational and other data to the decision-makers. EPA would like to work with “providers” to make environmental data components/ services more user-friendly.