From research to operations in the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation

New generations of earth observing satellites to be flown by the US and international partners will deliver unprecedented volumes of measurements related to the state of the surface and the atmosphere. The decision to invest several billion dollars in these systems was made based on the expectation that these new data will lead to improvements in environmental forecast products that in turn will translate into sizeable benefits to the US economy and to the safety of life and property in a wide variety of weather situations. This is a reasonable expectation: Over the last several decades, the US has pioneered many areas of space-based Earth observations, and the societal benefits derived from the new data have been enormous. However, as pointed out by the National Research Council (in the report “Earth Observations from Space: the First 50 years of Scientific Achievements”): “The full benefits of satellite observations of Earth are realized only when the essential infrastructure, such as models, computing facilities, ground networks, and trained personnel, is in place”. The Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation is a key element in this infrastructure with the role of testing out new data and algorithms and preparing for their transition into operational use. The presentation will illustrate this role through a series of examples of JCSDA-led transition activities