Extended Abstract (96K)7A.1
The NOAA Transition of Research Applications to Climate Services (TRACS) Program
Josh Foster, Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), Washington, DC
In the last five years, momentum in NOAA to establish research to operations and applications transition mechanisms has grown as a result of external recommendations (e.g. National Research Council reports, CCSP Strategic Plan) and internal policy changes. In May 2005, NOAA issued an Administrative Order (NAO) 216-105 for a “Policy on Transition of Research to Applications.” The NOAA Climate Transition Program (NCTP) was launched in 2003, changing its name to TRACS in 2005. The mission of the TRACS Program is to use competitive research grants to transition experimentally mature climate information tools, methods, and processes, including computer related applications (e.g. web interfaces, visualization tools), from research mode into settings where they may be applied in an operational and sustained manner. The primary goal is to generate sustained delivery of useful climate information products and services to local, regional, national, and international decision and policy makers. A secondary goal seeks not only to support implementation of these transitions, but also to learn from partners how to better accomplish technology transition processes for public goods applications and improved risk management. Led primarily from the university and Federal laboratory research communities, TRACS emphasizes engaging with operations, extension, and user communities in “transition partnership projects”. TRACS is designed to accommodate four types of transition project partnerships: 1) Within NOAA units; 2) From external partners to NOAA; 3) From NOAA to external partners; 4) Among external (NOAA) partners (using NOAA funds). Beginning in 2005, TRACS has funded the start of projects involving universities working with a range of partners, including but not limited to, Regional Climate Centers, State Sea Grant, emergency and coastal managers, the Naval Ice Center, and agricultural extension agents. Transition projects have involved a number of decision support tools, including a distributed interactive access and resource interface for fine scale climate data known as WESTMAP, the capability to forecast sea ice in the Arctic on weekly to seasonal timescales, a tool linking east coast seasonal winter storm track forecasts to planning and management of storm surge, and climate forecast decision making tools for farmers. TRACS expects the first transition projects to be completed in 2008 defined as a sustained hand-off of a fully functional climate decision support application to an operational partner.
Supplementary URL: http://www.climate.noaa.gov/cpo_pa/nctp/
Session 7A, Applications in Meteorology, Oceanography, Hydrology and Climatology - Part II
Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM, 206
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