Transcript Data Rescue – An Overview

Non-profit organizations can assist
environmental data rescue
and digitzation
Dr. Richard Crouthamel, D.Sc.
Executive Director – IEDRO
International Environmental Data Rescue
Organization
Under contract to NOAA/NWS/IAO
http://IEDRO.ORG
International Environmental Data
Rescue Organization
IEDRO is a non-profit, non-governmental
organization (NGO)
We locate, rescue and support the digitization of
all environmental data, worldwide
We work with governments, charitable
foundations, and individuals to find funding for
these efforts.
http//:IEDRO.ORG
What we have done...

280,000 upper-air observations have been rescued in
6 African countries [Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique,
Niger, Senegal and Zambia]
 108,000 surface observations have been rescued at
two sites in Uruguay and 500,000 surface
observations at a private museum in Punta Arenas,
Chile
 “Open and Unrestricted Exchange of digitized
Data” has been accepted by all participating countries
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Our Data Rescue
Process
Which data to rescue?
Our process...

We work with NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center to identify
countries whose data are in critical need of rescue and
digitization.
Data Vulnerability…tied to a country’s wealth
Our Data Rescue is focused on those countries
which are most vulnerable to data loss…
Our data rescue process...

We encourage data
“owners”, at a minimum, to
keep their perishable data
dry and safe until funds
are available for it to be
placed on a more robust
medium and eventually
digitized.
Our data rescue process...
We have assisted National Meteorological Services to gather,
sort and arrange their historic data so that each page of data
can be digitally photographed and saved to a CD-ROM.
Our data rescue process...
Staff or volunteers assist National Meteorological Services to
digitally photograph every observation and load the data images
onto CDs.
Our data rescue process...
CDs containing the rescued observation images are sent to
IEDRO for quality control and then on to NOAA’s National
Climatic Data Center (NCDC). At NCDC the data are
digitized, stored in a comma-delimited file, and added to the
NOAA World Data Base with a copy of the newly digitized
data returned to the country of origin.
Data in a comma - delimited format...
CDMP28KE,KE0028,0002.jpg,63671,01,07,1985,1,11,1,1,0,1
70, 15,166, 13,169, 19,169, 28,169, 10,175, 15,178, 15,183,
21,185, 30,190, 28,191, 30,189, 26,184, 31,175, 27,180,
23,180, 14,180, 13,169, 17,167, 16,180, 02, , , , , , ,
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
CDMP28KE,KE0028,0003.jpg,63671,01,08,1985,1,11,1,1,0,1
80, 10,158, 15,167, 35,162, 44,176, 30,207, 07,246, 07,162,
06,190, 14,172, 11
Our data rescue progress…
Astounding Results:
Number of Upper-air
Observations in the NOAA
Data Base
This is a chart showing the
days for which NCDC had
upper-air data in its data
base for Lilongwe, Malawi
over a 10 year period (in
blue) and the additional
data provided by our Data
Rescue efforts (in red).
Our data rescue progress…
More astounding Results:
Completeness of Upper-air
Observations in the NOAA
Data Base
This shows one month for
which NCDC had upper-air
data in its data base for
Lilongwe, Malawi. Mandatory
and significant levels depicted
each day over the 31 day
month are represented by the
colored squares. The levels
for which the NCDC data base
had values are depicted in
blue; the additional levels of
data provided by our Data
Rescue efforts are shown in
red.
New Projects…
 NOAA/NWS
is about to announce a
new data rescue project for Tanzania to
begin in January 2008
 Saudi Arabia data rescue possibility to
begin in February 2008
New Projects – Saudi Arabia
February 2008
New Projects – Saudi Arabia
Progress already made.
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Why you need
organizations like us…
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Why you need organizations like us…
 We
are “honest brokers”
 We “market” the need for data rescue
 We have the ability to raise funds outside
of government
 We can provide volunteers
Why you need us...Honest Broker
 IEDRO, as a non-governmental organization (NGO) and as
a certified non-profit organization is viewed by many as an
“honest broker”.
 We have no “profit” or “political” agenda.
 Our search for historic data is not tied to any scientific or
political point-of-view.
 We cover our costs…if we are lucky…so that data owners
need not fear that we have a profit motive behind assisting
them with their data rescue and digitization.
Why you need us...Marketing
Data Rescue & Digitization are important
 Non-scientists do not understand the
importance of data rescue and digitization.
 It is “boring”...”tedious”...”unglamorous”... not as
exciting as a tsunami or hurricane.
 Yet, it affects so many areas of human life.
 Unfortunately the non-scientists control the
funds.
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Why you need us...Marketing
 Flood
Prevention
 Starvation Prevention
 Disease Prevention
 Safer Construction
 Better forecasts
 Climate Change/Global Warming
FLOOD PREVENTION
*Floods kill more people
than all other natural
disasters combined
*Computer programs
provide accurate flood
warnings if many years of
historical observations
are available.
*Those data aren’t available
in developing countries
so …. people drown!
STARVATION PREVENTION
* 1.8 Billion subsistence
farmers use weather
history to choose their
crops
* Rescued data = longer
history to base crop
selections and planting
times.
* Farmers plant more
appropriately.
• Their families do not
starve.
DISEASE PREVENTION
* Research links disease
spread to historic weather
conditions (disease
vectorization)
* Health officials using
current weather forecasts,
determine speed and
direction of disease
spread
* Spraying & inoculation in
advance of the disease
saves lives!
SAFER CONSTRUCTION
*Environmental conditions
destroy underdesigned
structures
*Additional historical data
provide more realistic
construction
specifications
*Property and lives are
saved.
BETTER FORECASTS
More data = better
the understanding of
severe weather
events.
Better understanding
= more accurate
forecasts and
warnings.
CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING
* What is the direction and speed of climate
change?
* What are it’s consequences?
* How can we best mitigate either the change or
discover the adaptation humankind must take?
1941
2004
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Ability to raise funds outside of government
 Non-profit foundation grants
 Corporate donations (unrelated industries)
 Individual donations
 Fund raising through EBAY, Internet sites
 Donations from fraternal organizations
Lions Clubs
Rotarians
Elks
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Ability to provide volunteers to:
 Write articles for the media
 Volunteer to assist NMSs with training
 Make presentations on the need for Data
Rescue and Digitization
 Lobby government representatives
 Participate in television and radio
programs
Questions?

[email protected]