UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

1. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS THE ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGY Mr. Samuel P. Williamson Federal Coordinator for Meteorology

2. Overview • OFCM Background • Global Earth Observing Systems • Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference • Potential UAS Applications • Summary / Next Steps

3. OFCM Background Historical Perspective OFCM Public Law 87-843 (1963) • Accountable to Congress and OMB • Coordinate agency budgets • Report budgets and activities in annual Federal Plan 1963 DOC Administrative Order 1964 OFCM formed in Jan 1964 1979 GAO Study Revitalizes OFCM

4. OFCM Background Mission To ensure the effective use of federal meteorological resources by leading the systematic coordination of operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research, among the federal agencies • High-level focus on: • Needs and requirements • Issues and problems • Studies, reports, plans, and handbooks • Crosscut reviews, assessments, and analyses

5. Aviation Weather Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services ObservingCapabilities Space Weather Surface Weather Cooperative (Applied) Research Environmental Services Urban Meteorology Homeland Security Air & Water Quality Climate Severe Weather Information Technology and Communications Modeling and Prediction OFCM Background Key Focus Areas / Agency Priorities

6. OFCM Background Examples of Completed Special Studies & Reports • Homeland Security • Atmospheric Modeling of Releases from Weapons of Mass Destruction: Response by Federal Agencies in Support of Homeland Security (Aug 2002) • Federal Research and Development Needs and Priorities for Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Modeling (Sep 2004) • Transportation • National Aviation Weather Program Mid-Course Assessment (Aug 2003) • Weather Information for Surface Transportation: National Needs Assessment Report (Dec 2002) • Urban Meteorology • Meeting Weather Needs in the Urban Community (Jan 2004) • Why Urban Meteorology Now? (Sep 2004)

7. OFCM Background Examples of Ongoing Special Studies & Reports • National space weather program assessment • Multi-functional phased array radar • Data assimilation • National wildland fire weather needs assessment • Interagency strategic research plan for tropical cyclones

8. Program Councils • Program Councils (funded programs/projects): • Can form committees or specialized groups (JAG/WG) to work specific projects, can interact w/academia/private sector • Standing Committees: • Document requirements, programs, and activities to • provide framework for coordination and collaboration. • Perform analysis of agency programs to provide basis • for National leadership to allocate funds to meet requirements Standing Committees OFCM Background Roles / Responsibilities FCMSSR: SET POLICIES AND PRIORITIES Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (FCMSSR) Federal Coordinator for Meteorology • ICMSSR: • - Implements policy decisions • - Makes policy recommendations to FCMSSR • Assess adequacy of federal programs and guides • implementation of new interagency programs Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) National Space Weather Program Council National Aviation Weather Program Council Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs Operational Processing Centers Environmental Information Systems and Communications Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services Working Group for Urban Meteorology Integrated Observing Systems Cooperative Research

9. Independent agencies: Departments of: • Environmental Protection Agency • National Aeronautics and Space Administration • National Science Foundation • National Transportation Safety Board • Nuclear Regulatory Commission • Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Energy • Homeland Security • Science & Technology • FEMA • Coast Guard • Interior • State • Transportation Executive Office of the President: • Office of Management and Budget • Office of Science and Technology Policy OFCM Background OFCM Partners

10. National Research Council (NRC) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) Climate Research Committee (CRC) University Corp. for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) American Geophysical Union (AGU) US Weather Research Program (USWRP) National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) American Meteorological Society (AMS) US Climate Change Science Program (USCCSP) OFCM Background OFCM Affiliations National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR) Subcommittee on Air Quality Research Interagency Working Group on Earth Observations

11. Global Earth Observing Systems • Why Suborbital • Deployable: target regional / local / ephemeral phenomena • Retrievable: payload change-out, repair, augmentation, reuse • Atmosphere-based: combine in-situ and remote-sensing, multi-scale process studies for model validation, satellite cal/val for climate-quality datasets • Why UAS? • Endurance gap between hours-limited aircraft and years-capable spacecraft • Repetitive monitoring / hazardous conditions • Long-range access to remote locations for in-situ observations

12. The OFCM annually hosts the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC) Provide forum for responsible Federal agencies and user communities to Review Nation's hurricane forecast and warning program Make recommendations on how to improve the program in the future Major objective is to plan and prepare for upcoming hurricane season New procedures, procedural changes, and agreements related to tropical cyclone forecast and warning services Documented for implementation in the National Hurricane Operations Plan 60th IHC will be held in Mobile, Alabama: March 20-24, 2006 Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference

13. Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference Interagency Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclones • Action item from the 58th IHC (2004): • Develop an interagency document, “The Nation’s Tropical Cyclone Forecast And Warning Program:  A Vision And Framework For Improved Operational Capability” • In response to the action item, OFCM formed a joint action group • JAG members met at OFCM in February 2005 and the group conducted a strategic planning session during the 59th IHC • Began developing framework for the tropical cyclone research and development plan • Over the last several weeks, JAG members compiled: • Information from the session conducted at the 59th IHC • Countless other pertinent material • Drafted document, “Interagency Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The Way Ahead” Need to incorporate tropical cyclone UAS requirements into document

14. One of the action items from the 59th IHC was: Develop a strategic plan for Improved Tropical Cyclone Reconnaissance System (ITCRS) (manned, unmanned, space-based…) Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference Storm Reconnaissance - Tropical Cyclones • On Sept. 16, 2005, a partnership between NOAA, NASA Goddard’s Wallops Flight Facility, and the Aerosonde Company led to first successful unmanned aircraft surveillance mission of a tropical storm • Provided detailed observations of near-surface, high-wind hurricane environment, an area often too dangerous for manned aircraft surveillance

15. Potential UAS Applications • NOAA’s Gulfstream IV aircraft and Air Force Reserve Command’s WC-130s fly missions from Honolulu and Anchorage • Targeted upper air observations in advance of significant West Coast winter storms (Based on Data From Winters 1998-2002) • 60-80% of forecasts improved because of targeted observations • 12-hour gain in forecast lead time • RMS forecast errors reduced by 10-20% • Improvement similar to that achieved in last 20 years of advances in numerical modeling and data acquisition Toth et al. (2000) UAS Application?

16. Potential UAS Applications • Purpose of workshop: engage climate / weather modeling communities to assess applicability of UASs in support of their work • Other current / future UAS applications (non-military): • High-altitude imagery • Border patrol • Drug interdiction • Environmental sensing • Media and traffic reporting • Tactical law enforcement • Maritime surveillance • Stratospheric telecommunications airships • Nuclear accident appraisal • Forest and wildlife inspection

17. Potential UAS Applications • Forest and wildlife inspection • NASA tested several APV-3s • Equipped with thermal sensors • U.S. Forest Service plans to use the UASs starting this year to patrol a dozen Western states

18. Summary / Next Steps • Use of UASs by federal agencies will continue to grow • Opportunities for collaboration and leveraging for enhanced environmental data collection • At OFCM: • Continue to work IHC action items • Monitor federal agency UAS activities • In future, may need to form OFCM Airborne Reconnaissance Working Group

19. QUESTIONS?

20. BACKUPS

21. United States Air Force also pursuing UAS tropical cyclone surveillance capability; conducting experiments in two phases: Phase I (September 5 – 13, 2005): Partnering with NASA (Wallops Flight Facility) and Aerosonde Co. Tested sensor accuracy and aircraft endurance, maneuverability, operating ceiling, and multi-aircraft operations Storm Reconnaissance Tropical Cyclones • Phase II (October 7 – November 22): • Flew missions from Guam • Collected meteorological data in tropical cyclone environment • Air Force Weather Agency incorporated data into MM5 • Run model with / without UAS data