3rd GOES User’s Conference Report on the NESDIS Data User’s Conference Ken Knapp GOES User’s Conference May 2004

3rd GOES User’s Conference Conference background June 11-12, 2003 Goals –Review current products, archives, and data access –Inform about future capabilities, plans, and data sets –Assess user needs and societal benefits –Solicit user opinions Attendance ~ 375 ¼ Commercial¼ Research ¼ NESDIS¼ Other Government

3rd GOES User’s Conference What can NESDIS do to improve? What new products and services should we plan for? What benefits do you derive from the data? What are your most important issues? How can we improve services and data? How can we best provide for customer feedback? How can future technology help? What new data acquisitions should be archived? What else needs to be addressed??

3rd GOES User’s Conference Conference structure ½ day of NESDIS vision ½ day of panel discussions Posters provided information on new/updated NESDIS datasets. 1 day of breakout sessions –to answer the questions Outcome: –Ask 8 questions, get 570 answers –188 recommendations tracked (consolidated from 570)

3rd GOES User’s Conference Recommendation tracking

3rd GOES User’s Conference Top 20 recommendations … Access –Shorten data to user cycle time (11) –Identify data expert/help desk for major data bases or subjects (9) –Maintain human customer interface (13) –Improve web interfaces for easier access (9) –Create different levels of access available for different levels of users (7) –Create online tutorials on how to acquire data (6) –Create web-based trouble ticket system with feedback on problem status and web based satisfaction survey (6) New services Integrate multiple data sources (e.g.. NEXRAD, Satellites, in-situ) so that users can access all data with one entry point (15) –Improve global coordination to increase/enhance global data coverage (9) –Migrate environmental data and products to GIS (6) Web 1 3

3rd GOES User’s Conference Feedback –Continue user workshops (9) –Create data user panels to make recommendations to NESDIS offices (8) –Create newsletters/listservers to keep user community informed (7) –Create online, moderated user forums (7) –Create web based customer survey tied to online ordering system (7) Data –Develop converters between data formats in order to make data available in commonly used formats (8) –Ensure there is accurate metadata to describe data (7) Archive –Ensure overall user community has input into decisions concerning archive data (15) Standards –Develop better linkages between NOAA and Partners (Customers, Data Centers and private sector, academic sector, public, etc.) (8) –Ensure that NESDIS has sufficient budget to perform its mission (6) 2

3rd GOES User’s Conference Recommendation follow-up Recommendations tracked on web. Example from top 3:

3rd GOES User’s Conference FY04 GOAL: 50% of Recommendations with action plans –As of April, at 37%

3rd GOES User’s Conference Next Workshop NOAA Data Users’ Forum: Surface Weather and Climate Observations and Data June Kansas City, MO –Joint with: NOAA Snowfall Network Observations Workshop (SNOW) Speakers from within NOAA, academia, news media, and the private sector are planned, –including John Jones, Deputy Director of the NWS. FOCUS 2 NOAA observing networks provide the bulk of weather data for research and socioeconomic applications: NWS ASOS the ‘Coop’ Network,