Global Earth Observations A View from the Ivory Tower

1
Global Earth ObservationsA View from the Ivory
Tower

• Charles F. Kennel
• Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• University of California, San Diego
• June 2004

2
Project Atmospheric Brown Cloud
Funding from NSF NOAA UNEP WMO Others
3
ABC Demonstrating the value of integrated
observations

• Scripps-led, multi-year international
  investigation of impacts of aerosols on climate
• In situ observatories, satellites, intensive
  field campaigns with ships, aircraft, working now
  to develop and incorporate UAVs
• Results important to climate, agriculture, water
  cycle, human health
• Leading to long-term program including local
  capacity building and infrastructure to support
  decision-making in South Asia region and beyond.

4
Integrated Ocean Observations

• Oceans are the least-well observed and
  understood part of the Earth system
• They cover more than 70 of the planet, hold
  most of the Earths biological diversity, and
  regulate our climate
• Changes in ocean conditions impact seasonal and
  longer term climate change and variability food
  security water and energy supply and demand and
  virtually all aspects of life on Earth

5
Multi-Sensor NetworksToday

• Remotely sensed and in situ
• Spacecraft, aircraft, ships, moorings, floats,
• Radars, lidars, physical, chemical and
  biological sensors
• Oceans, atmosphere, land, ice
• Global to regional to local

6
Multi-Sensor NetworksTomorrow

• Todays sensors and platforms require substantial
  infrastructure for power and communications
• Eventually, there will be hundreds of millions of
  nano-sensors on cell-phones
• Network will connect to millions of users

7
The InternetAn Evolutionary Tale

• Phase 1 Early Internet (1970s)
• Big servers and small number of clients
• Government funded and controlled
• Phase 2 (late 1980s)
• Distributed international network of
  sophisticated, largely scientific, users
• Phase 3 Internet today
• Hundreds of millions of unsophisticated users
• Peer-to-peer
• No centralized control
• Integration by a few powerful standards

8
Similar path for GEOSS?

• Phase 1 government operated networks between
  major installations
• Phase 2 distributed high-performance research
  network being established now
• Phase 3 work on miniaturization of sensors and
  distributed (Grid) computing evolving to massive
  numbers of individual nodes
• The early involvement of INDUSTRY in partnership
  with academia can have a powerful impact on the
  evolution of GEOSS

9
Dedicated Fiber Infrastructure Future Backbone
for GEOSS Phase 2?
10
Human Architecture Precedes System Architecture

• Architecture Must Evolve
• Phase 1 Government agencies in charge
• E.g., weather satellites, global weather models
• Phase 2 Peer-to-peer connections between large
  sophisticated scientific and technology users
• Regional forecast centers tied to universities
  looking at climate as well as weather
• Phase 3 A broad user base will need information
  products tailored to their needs and presented in
  their language
• Wide network of commercial value-added industries
  providing local forecasts for specific clients
  (frost warnings for citrus growers snow
  forecasts for ski resorts beach conditions, etc.)

11
Evolving Role of the Science Community
Originating science, creating models,
developing observing technologies Designing
observing strategies and systems
Transferring designs, technologies, models, and
tested systems to the public and private
sectors Partnering in the governance and
management of long-term observing and decision
support systems Infusing new objectives and
technologies into on-going systems Linking new
capabilities to new users
Science community can play a key role in the
transition from Phase 2 to Phase 3
12
The Grand Convergence

• The convergence of earth science and information
  technology will lead to continuous awareness of
  earths systems and their interactions with human
  activities.
• We will use continuous awareness to manage our
  resources and environment, and our response to
  disasters
• Continuous awareness will promote integrated
  responses to emerging global environmental
  challenges

13
The Future

• As civilization becomes increasingly global and
  technologically sophisticated, our need for a
  global observing capability will grow.

We are at the threshold of an endeavor that will
span for the entire 21st century and beyond