Fostering a Nationwide Network of Networks: An Update on Prior and Future Steps of the American Meteorological Society

The American Meteorological Society's Nationwide Network of Networks (NNoN) Committee has fostered since 2013 discussions regarding the diverse interests of providers of environmental information. The charge to the NNoN committee follows from the National Research Council (NRC) Committee effort nearly a decade ago to develop a vision and identify practical steps to foster coordination for an integrated, multi-purpose observing system of nationwide observing systems focused on atmospheric conditions from the surface through the planetary boundary layer. The resulting NRC 2009 report “Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up: A Nationwide Network of Networks” provided key recommendations to ensure progress towards integrating the disparate observations available at that time collected from the government, private, and academic sectors as well as the general public. The NNoN is charged specifically to encourage and facilitate operators of observing networks to adopt appropriate standards and best practices. In addition, viable organizational/business models for a future national-scale network integrator organization have been investigated. The progress made to date in these areas will be reviewed.

A critical goal for the Committee has been to lay the groundwork for an expanded Forum devoted to discussing current observing efforts, prospects for taking advantage of new technologies, improving coordination among the diverse efforts throughout the environmental observing enterprise, and meeting the multiple and ever growing needs of the users of environmental information. The goals for the “Forum on Observing the Environment from the Ground Up” sponsored by the AMS and the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology to be held March 8-9 2016 in Washington D.C. will be discussed.