Global Change Information for Informed Decisions

Robert Wolfe, USGCRP

1. Around for ~20 years with reports every 5 years
2. Most recent global change report came out in 2014. Available @ nca2014.globalchange.gov
3. Key Message 5: Take steps to improve collaborative decision processes including developing new decision support tools and building human capacity to bridge science and decision-making.
4. What can ESIP do collectively?
   1. Clusters
   2. Collaborations areas (wiki, email list, etc.)
   3. Testbed
5. What can individual ESIP members do?

David Meyer, NASA

1. Climate Data Initiate (CDI) overview
   1. Climate Action Plan (CAP)
   2. Climate Resilience Toolkit (CRT)
2. NASA’s Role
   1. Manage climate.data.gov
   2. Coordinate with GSA and EOP
   3. Engage communities of resilience
   4. GSA user study
3. Federal Data & Tools for Assessment

    

LuAnn Dahlman, NOAA

1. Climate Resilience Toolkit (CRT) has been available for year.
   1. User numbers continue to increase.
2. Taking Action = Case Studies
3. Multiple Topics
4. Over 200 tools
5. Currently working on 5 key steps, with sub-steps and a decision point to follow
6. Climate change and climate variability are the main reasons for a visit to the CRT site
7. CRT is evolving to:
   1. Help identify indicators that matter for their valued assets
   2. Quantify the point at which damage/disruption occurs.

       

Sarah Zerbonne, USGCRP/ASIWG

1. Adaptation Science Interagency Working Group (ASIWG) formed as a result of the Climate Resilience Task Force.
   1. Formed of science and mission agencies
2. ASIWG focuses on:
   1. Identification of stakeholder research and information needs to inform adaptation decisions.
   2. Document and coordinate Federal adaptation resources
   3. Provision and coordination of adaptation science

       

Jerry Johnston, DOI

1. The role of government in the geospatial ecosystem has changed.  The government is no longer the sole producer of information.
2. Geospatial use is pervasive in the public sector.
3. Challenges to address:
   1. Inability to locate the right data with search results
   2. Past approaches have not allowed for partnership with the NSDI.
4. Strategic Plan is on NSDI website:
   1. Goal 1: Develop capabilities for National Shared Service.
5. Geoplatform.gov – What’s New
   1. Hosted in a commercial cloud service (AWS)
   2. New redesign of website

       

Robert Wolfe, USGCRP

1. US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is coordinated across 13 agencies.
2. Global Change Information System (GCIS) connects global change information with findings.

PANEL DISCUSSION (*no presentation slides*)

• CRT will show median, 10%, and 90% points in the range of projections.  Will be shown only for best and worst case scenario and not labeled as RCPs.
• CRT is only US case studies currently.  Focuses on using data from data.gov.  Will hopefully move to international case studies in the future.
• CRT has 5 tool filters related to desired task or action.
• Potential for ESIP to engage with “Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities.”
• ESIP could also help with displaying model output via web services.  Perhaps a collaborative area within ESIP.
• Distinction between weather-based decisions (ex. turn on AC or paint house) vs. climate-based decisions (ex. do we have enough energy to support AC?).
• ASIWG has mostly focuses on federally focused adaptation to date.  Beginning to explore connections to regional and local groups.
• How does the State Department or COP21 use data to make decisions?  à Potential ESIP educational outreach to these groups.
• What types of training are current civil engineers and city planners receiving to be able to incorporate climate data into their planning?
  • Cost-benefit analyses dictates many decisions for city planners
  • ESIP could engage engineer and planner communities.