Lessons on Research to Operations from NOAA's Climate Data Record Program

NOAA's Climate Data Records Program was established as the method for processing and reprocessing both NOAA satellite data and climate sensors originally developed by NASA and being transitioned to NOAA for long-term sustained operations. The Program initially focused on working with the research community to identify mature research products, with a particular emphasis on the water and energy cycle, and to transition them to sustained operations. Unlike research to operations transitions for instruments or real-time weather operations, the transition of climate products requires sustained involvement of the original investigator and implementing systems engineering processes to ensure sustained production and to minimize long term costs. Other lessons learned and the implications for revisiting the research to operations paradigm will also be discussed.