2011 Key Issues ReviewHarnessing Aerospace Experience for Modern Earth and

Climate Information Systems and Services

Rick OhlemacherEnergy & Environment Subcommittee Co-Chair

8 February 2011

ISSUE: National attention and debate on addressing climate and environmental change requires concrete solutions:

• Solutions need to build upon ongoing research to provide information and services akin to weather forecasting

• Use of aerospace experience, technologies, and systems will help to establish a viable framework for targeted investment

• Investment needs focus for integrating critical space, air, ocean, and land-based monitoring systems for more precise understanding of climate and environmental change

• The current outdated patchwork of monitoring networks is insufficient to meet future need

Enabling Modern Earth and Climate Information Systems and Services

US Corn Yield

Avian Flu Paths

SOLUTION: Apply decades of expertise from military and national security to civilian applications, such as advancing weather, climate, and environmental change information services to the local level of use and benefit:

• The aerospace community has been at the heart of several decades of national investment in weather and environmental monitoring systems

• The result has been vastly improved weather forecasting and increased knowledge about our changing Earth and its climate.

• At the same time, aerospace has delivered advanced technological and systems capabilities for information and command and control applications to military and national security missions. This heritage can be used for civilian need now.

• The AIAA pledges to work with the Administration and Congress to bring aerospace experience to establishing a viable national strategy and roadmap for Earth and climate observations and environmental information systems and services.

Enabling Modern Earth and Climate Information Systems and Services

AIAA Recommendations to Congress1. Work with the aerospace community to target a national investment strategy for Earth Observations and Climate Information

Systems and Services.

2. Call upon the Administration to establish a public-private partnering mechanism for preparation of a national strategic roadmap for an effective Earth and Climate monitoring enterprise to be subsequently used to inform a national plan and related policies and budget allocations.

3. Sustain investments in systems and technical development support that assures accuracy and continuity of climate and Earth observations to enable compliance verification with accepted climate mitigation and adaptation agreements.

4. Sponsor programs that attract and train the systems and discipline experts who can enable advances in technology, data processing, and decision support for environmental information and climate services.

5. Strengthen the Administration’s leadership in international forums that address investment and coordination of monitoring and decision support programs for useful application and accessibility of collected data.

Enabling Modern Earth and Climate Information Systems and Services

INPUTS OUTPUTS DECISIONS IMPLEMENTATION

Observations Analyses / Predictions /

Forecasts

International / National

Processes

Societal Value / Benefits

Surface

Airborne

Seaborne

Space

Observations

Time series analysis

Weather & Climate Models

Regional Impact Analysis

Decision Tools

ContinuityAccuracy

State – TrendsModel Validation & Improvement

Risk / ImpactsScenario Assessment

Policy Implementation

&Management

User uptake Assessment

Reporting

U.S. Space, Technical, and

Science Authorities

NASA

DOC/NOAA

DOI/USGS

DOE

State, Regional, and

Local Authorities

DOS

UNFCCC & Intergovernmental

Authorities

National Policy and Strategy with Public/Private Partnerships

EPA

NSF

DOT/FAA

DHS