12 March 2009

AMS CCS telcon March 12, 2009

 

Attendees:  Chuck Hakkarinen, Ed O'Lenic, Caitlin Simpson, Ryan Boyles, Bob Cohen, Ken Hubbard

Bob:  Concerns - webinars and plans for climate services will infringe on what is capable from the private sector.  Worried that potential of the private sector will be pushed aside.  Need to know what is out there in the private sector.  Ed - climate info too uncertain?
Ken:  Wx applies to safety issues, life and property.  Climate data is not so obviously useful.  Probability and risk management are new ideas.
Ed:  I don't know what people want from climate information.  Maybe we need to make climate information more useful.
Bob:  need to make info about what the potential is.  That will set the stage for services.
Ken:  Need to tell folks about what is currently available, an inventory.
Chuck:  there are early adopters out there.  Several municipalities are already looking at IPCC results downscaled to regions.  We might want to get early adopters to speak about how they use the information.
Ryan:  NOAA has user conferences on how users use current NOAA data.  That might give some useful guidance on what they might need from climate services.
Caitlin:  States and counties are starting to do assessments of climate change impacts on sectors, and what CC might mean to them.  CA, WA, OR have done some of this.  These are public sector planning documents.  This is mostly climate change.  Are there other things the private sector is doing?  We have funded some consulting firms to do work for cities.
Ed:  Sounds like we should think in terms of discovering what the current status of the use of climate information.  We are facilitators.
Ken:  Engineers, ASHRAE, hydrology community engineers.  Models may be
Bob:  An explanation of the use probabilistic forecasts would be useful.  We could put out some educational information, then follow-up, iteratively,
Ed:  Stream flow and paleo information are being used.
Caitlin:  RISAs can provide some examples.  There a lot of examples.
Ken:  Good examples would be good to show.
Bob:  Insurance companies, utilities already use the information, but don't want to reveal their secrets.
Chuck: Ed:  Adaption may be another good theme.
Ryan:  Coastal and water planners/managers all want local detail about what is likely to happen.  We can't do that yet, so the plans can't be written.
Ed:  We are using FET
Ryan:  Can we call in someone who can show how to create decision support tools?  The agriculture sector may be a good one.  We need an example of what can be done.
Ken:  There is still a lot of potential in traditional data use.   Hard to decide how to use climate change information.
Ryan:  Historical data is widely used.  Folks want to use these for future projection.  Want datasets to drive models.
Ed:  Maybe we can help folks reconcile the fact that the forecast information will always be probabilistic.
Ryan:  Need ways to show the potential of combining traditional use of data with models.  Webinars idea may be too large.  National audience may be too large.
Ryan:  Need to make sure private sector products are highlighted.
Ed:  How about a infomercial from the private sector.
Bob:  That would be useful to the private sector to find out what NOAA plans, so they can think about value-added.
Ed:  What about the private sector side infomercial.
Ryan:  Need to combine NOAA and private sector.
Bob:  Need an educational webinar first.  Current status of current NOAA climate products, what they mean.  Second webinar could involve the private sector more extensively, users and providers.
Ken:  Maybe we need to discuss what we want to get from the webinars. Caitlin:  I liked the idea of having the focus on the West, or the Coasts, too broad would be too much.  Get folks from NOAA, NGOs, RISAs, RCCs.
Ryan:  Can we team up with RISAs, RCCs?
Ken:  RISAs, RCCs
Ryan:  It will be hard to get private providers involved.
Ken:  Companies want to get involved.
Caitlin:  Would it be worth it to check in with NOAA about what might be best, what the sequence might be.
Ed:  I will try to distill what we have talked about and make a proposal, which the group can then iterate on.  I will send out that proposal in a separate email.  It sounds like the regionally-focused, issue-focused approach to webinars may be the most viable.  Also, I believe the climate change is likely to be the major driver behind the NCS.  Perhaps Eileen can add to that comment.