Leading NOAA The Critical Role of Technology

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Leading NOAA The Critical Role of Technology
Expanding Access to Environmental Information for
Global Users

• VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN
  (Ret.)Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
  Atmosphere NOAA Administrator
• Industry Advisory Council
• September 26, 2007

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Overview

• NOAA Technologys Critical Role
• Earth Observations A Case Study
• Managing IT for NOAAs Future
• NOAA Connecting with Users

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NOAAs Vision A Broad Mandate
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NOAAs MissionA Diverse Organization
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Fulfilling NOAAs MissionFor Users Across the
Nation
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Information TechnologyKeeping a Diverse
Organization Together
Phased Array Radar
NWS Supercomputing System Frost Snow
NOAA Ship RON BROWN
Global Monitoring DivisionSouth Pole
Global Monitoring DivisionSamoa
PICO Buoy
Argo Floats
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Overview

• NOAA Technologys Critical Role
• Earth Observations A Case Study
• Managing IT for NOAAs Future
• NOAA Connecting with Users

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Earth ObservationsAn Example of IT at Work
Water Level Station, MA
Air Gap Sensor, Gerald Desmond Bridge, CA
El Niño
Unmanned Aircraft VehicleManta
DART II Buoy, Thailand
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Earth ObservationsThe Value of Integration

• Developing a Global Earth Observation System of
  Systems(GEOSS)
• International Initiative
• Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
• Improving coordination of observation systems
• Links all platforms in situ, aircraft, and
  satellite networks
• Facilitates exchange of data and information
• Improves decision-makers abilities to address
  pressing policy issues

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Earth ObservationsLinking Products Global Users

• Implementation of GEONetCast
• Open exchange of data and information
• Worldwide information distribution
• Delivers products to global users

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Earth ObservationsArchiving Data Stewardship

• The Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship
  System (CLASS) is NOAAs premier on-line facility
  for the distribution of NOAA and DOD
  meteorological satellite data.

Major satellite systems archive growth 2000 - 2020
NPOESS
GOES-R
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Earth ObservationsEnvironmental Modeling
200 km resolution Current Climate Model

• NOAAs Modeling Capabilities are Broad and
  Expanding
• Example Climate Models
• Goal Increase model resolution and complexity
• Result More computationally expensive to run
• Adding the global carbon cycle makes the model 2x
  as computationally expensive to run
• Adding chemistry to address global air quality
  and climate change makes the model 3x as
  expensive to run

10x more computational power
50 km resolution Short-term Target
4 km resolution Observations
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IssueSeasonal to Decadal Hurricanes Climate

• Will landfalls of more intense hurricanes become
  more common in the future?
• Additional computational resources are needed to
• Understand seasonal hurricane activity using
  models at scales of a few to ten kilometers, but
  in basin-scale or global domains.
• Understand the impacts of present and future
  climate on hurricane activity through seasonal
  and multi-decadal model runs that require 4000X
  more computing
• Transition this understanding into an operational
  predictive capability for seasonal hurricane
  activity up to a decade in advance

Correlation 0.86
Decadal and Seasonal Variability Simulation
Next generation weather/ climate/hurricane model
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IssueHurricane Modeling

• Increase model resolution
• Increasing hurricane model resolution to 1km
  makes it 14,580x more computationally expensive
  to run
• 28 yrs at current budget with Moores Law

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IssueEcosystems Global Ocean Modeling

• Increasingly complex models are required to
  support Ecosystems Based Management New
  Requirement
• Ecosystems Forecasts
• Ocean Forecasting
• Space Weather Forecasts
• Deposition and Runoff
• A global model for regional impacts, with carbon
  and air quality, is 384x (64 x 2 x 3) more
  expensive to run
• Additional processes (glacial melt, ecology,
  nitrogen cycle) require more computing

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Overview

• NOAA Technologys Critical Role
• Earth Observations A Case Study
• Managing IT for NOAAs Future
• NOAA Connecting with Users

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Managing NOAAs ITCore Priorities
Risks
Outcomes
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Managing NOAAs ITSecurity
Weeks
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Managing NOAAs ITContinuity Resiliency
Unknowns
Construction severs underground cables Silver
Spring HQs only internet connection goes down
Hurricane directly hits the DC metro area power
loss with incomplete generator in Silver Spring
HQ. Loss of critical operations centers
Pandemic Flu telework not supported by NOAA
remote access capacity
Working to Eliminate Single Points of Failure in
NOAA Systems
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Managing NOAAs ITMaintaining Critical Skills
Federal IT Workforce
24 Younger than 40 years old
33 Over 50years old
43 Between 40 and 50 years old
NOAA OCIO Workforce
14.4 Younger than 40 years old
59.3 Over 50 years old
26.3 Between 40 and 50 years old
Sources NOAA Human Resources Data
System Information Technology (IT) Workforce
Capability Assessment Survey (2004), CIO
Council Computer World 2006 Salary Survey
IT Management Series has over 2000 employees
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Managing NOAAs ITScalability Capacity
NOAA NESDIS Data Archive Volume ProjectionsMarch
2007(includes backup)
Data volume is outpacing the IT infrastructure to
handle it
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Managing NOAAs ITEnterprise-Wide Solutions

• Increasing Efficiency Through Enterprise-wide
  Solutions
• Critical to identify and implement NOAA-wide
  solutions
• Important to minimize stovepipes

4600 Seats
4600 Seats
63 Systems
1 System
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Managing NOAAs IT Communicating with Users

• New NOAA web presence
• http//www.noaa.gov
• Simplified front page
• Consistency across organization
• Increased resiliency to attacks
• Reaching our clientele with life saving
  information

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Managing NOAAs IT Staying Connected to Users
Provide the right information, in the right
format, at the right time, to the right
people, to make the right decisions.
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Leading NOAA The Critical Role of Technology
Expanding Access to Environmental Information for
Global Users

• VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN
  (Ret.)Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
  Atmosphere NOAA Administrator
• Industry Advisory Council
• September 26, 2007

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Backups
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Earth ObservationsBenefits to Society
Demand
Supply
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What is GEOSS?Global Earth Observation System
of Systems
Comprehensive Coordinated Sustained An end-to-end
system of existing systems (both in-situ and
remote sensing observation platforms)linked with
new systems
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One NOAA/Regional Collaboration

• Improved services for the benefit of NOAAs
  customers
• Increased value and productivity of partnerships
• Improved stakeholder relations and support
• Improved internal communications and efficiency
  across line offices and programs
• A more visible and valued NOAA brand

Success will be measured by NOAAs ability to
advance the work of the agency towards these goals
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How IT keeps a diverse organization together
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