NOAA's Climate.gov and National Climatic Data Center Websites—New Versions Released in 2012

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) collaborates closely with NOAA Climate.gov partners in the development of the Climate.gov website, and in leveraging this activity with the NCDC website. During late 2012, a new version of Climate.gov was released to the public, which features an entirely new look and feel, additional capabilities, and better integration of services. This release is based on extensive user feedback and a usability survey completed in late 2011. Climate.gov now comprises five distinct sections, each designed to deliver targeted information and services for various stakeholders.

In conjunction with this, NCDC released a new version of its homepage and website in late 2012. The previous website had become very difficult to navigate and was “oversaturated” with datasets and products, and multiple pathways to reach them. The new site features a “flatter/less vertical” structure to allow users to find their required product or service more quickly and with fewer clicks through the site. It also features information about NCDC's research and data stewardship activities. Just as importantly, the new site closely leverages Climate.gov development efforts, so that data access and services for NCDC's climatological data use the same underlying software for both sites.

These efforts will continue to evolve during 2013 and the years to come, with all NOAA climatological datasets and products to be accessible via NOAA's Climate.gov. Likewise, the NCDC website and all of its content will continue to be enhanced in a phased effort, to bring all of its resources into full alignment with the new site structure.