Ken Crawford NWS Office of Science and Technology Special Presentation at a Workshop For

1. COOP Modernization: NOAA’s Environmental Real-time Observation Network in New England, the Southeast and Addressing NIDIS in the West Ken Crawford NWS Office of Science and Technology Special Presentation at a Workshop For A National Phenology Network August 23, 2005

2. Objectives for Today’s Presentation • To share important details about how the NERON system is being designed and implemented • To gain your feedback and constructive suggestions on how best to improve the NERON program and its design

3. First, The Really Good News….

4. Synoptic Plot of Air Temperature from Modernized COOP Sites 8:30 PM EDT on 4/20/05 (Color Fill: Blue = Cold; Red = Warm)

5. Time-Series Plot of Air Temperature from Modernized COOP Sites at Milford, MA (Red) and Middlebury, VT (Blue) — 4/20-21/05

6. And Now, the Most Important Component of NERON…. A Data Ingest, Processing, QA/QC, and Dissemination System

7. ISOS Data Processing System • Key feature of desired data-processing system for NERON: Quality control/quality assure observations with human intervention to: • Provide QC’d observations in real time (latency <5 minutes) • Not let ‘bad data’ go public • Provide QA metrics to monitor contract maintenance • System must be end-to-end to include data ingest, dissemination and archiving • In my opinion, the processing system will prove to be the ‘lynch pin’ that ties NERON with other forms of surface weather data to produce ISOS

8. NERON Data Ingest & Processing System Concept of Operations Data Processing Component Distributed Data Ingest Remote Field Sites Suite of Sensors Mirrored Data Processing Broad User Community Internet * NWS Comms Real-time Data Quality Assurance Communications Device Collection of Missing Data Local Archives *GOES, Cellular Phones and LETS/NLETS Site Metadata Maintenance Metrics

9. What Is Happening Right Now

10. Scope of the COOP/NERON Modernization • Deploy modernized COOP/NERON stations with high quality sensors maintained to accepted professional levels • Acquire observations with a 5-minute time resolution and download all data at hourly or better intervals — with a goal to download data at 5 minute intervals • Develop an integrated network that is expandable and adaptable to meet future observing needs • Provide opportunities for the private sector to develop thousands of value-added applications • Emphasize partnering with the public & private sector Long-Term Legacy Goal: ‘Accurate Data — Reliably Available’

11. A zoomed-in look at the NERON density for Vermont and New Hampshire relative to the spacing grid for NERON sites (20 mile by 20 mile). Sites selected (dots) from the Fall of 2004 in shaded grid cells. Non-shaded cells — the sites are TBD during FY06-07 with sensors added in either FY06-07.

12. Status of COOP Modernization Modernized COOP Sites Operating as of 8/18/2005: • ~100 modernized & 3 beta sites operational in New England • 10 meter winds being added at 23 sites • Prototype ‘Monitoring & Processing System’ underway • Operational home and how to merge with other NOAA systems will be determined by 2007 • Contract maintenance underway in New England • Expansion with partners in the South is underway (GA & AL) • LETS test-bed underway at 4 GA sites by 9/15/05

13. COEA Results(Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis) • Dated 6/30/05 • Many issues addressed: • What is the value of surface observations and what is the requirement for “real-time”? • What parameters should be measured, how dense should the observing network be, and how frequently should parameters be measured and their observations transmitted? • What are the relative costs and benefits of alternative approaches to meeting the surface observation requirement?

14. COEA ResultsSix Alternatives Proposed - Two Listed: #1 — Maintain the current configuration of observation stations and capabilities (i.e., the status quo) #6 — Procure and deploy an automated network to measure air temperature and relative humidity, precipitation amount, a profile of soil moisture/temperature, incoming solar radiation, and wind speed and direction using a system that is expandable, adaptable, and sustainable to meet future observation needs (e.g., incorporation of manual observations of snow fall and snow depth and non-NOAA Mesonets).

15. NERON’s Evolving Partnership with Many Agencies in Georgia

16. Potential NERON sites in GA Based upon >250 operational weather sites owned by many potential partners

17. The 24 x 7 LETS agencies in GA

18. NERON Prototype LETS Communications in GA

19. Future COOP Modernization Activities

20. Selection Example - HCN Relocation • Close-up of area north of an HCN site • Concentric rings around the HCN every 1 mile • Search for ‘suitable areas’ within 4 miles of the HCN site

21. Selection Example - HCN • Potential sites recommended in spacious open areas • Selections are general – anywhere within the field is usable as a quality site

22. Selection Example - HCN • Proposed sites within a grid cell • Shows proximity to nearby HCN and ASOS sites

23. Next in the Queue: • Northern Alabama • After That? • A Move West in Response to NIDIS • Potential Partners - Depends on the Budget • The National Park Service • Probable: NM • Possible: AZ, CO and maybe MT • Focus on the HCN sites in each state Reason: Limited funds, ~25 HCN sites/state, easy way to stretch resources/build political support

24. The COEA, PPBES Submission and Budget Realities • Total funds possibly available to NERON during FY06 and FY07 appears to be <$5 million/year • COEA alternatives are realistic but not affordable • Possible PPBES solutions to be fleshed out before October: • Solution One: ~3000 NERON sites are NOAA-owned (many are expanded HCNs), ~1000 other NERON sites are federally owned (ASOS, CRN, USGS, COE, etc.) and ~4000 sites owned by NERON partners. • Solution Two: ~1500 HCN sites are fully modernized; remaining 1500 NOAA sites are installed with precipitation sensors at 1/9th density (i.e., 60 mi x 60 mi; See Program Development Plan). ~3000 sites are NOAA partners. • Solution Three: Only 1500 NOAA-owned sites are installed and 1500 sites are owned by NOAA partners.

25. Salisbury, NH — Installed and Operational October 2004 (View to North)

26. The EndKenneth.Crawford@noaa.gov