Welcome to the
Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA)

Benefits of JCSDA

Effective environmental prediction requires several elements. One of these is accurate, well-distributed observations of the Earth's environment, for which satellite sensors are the largest source. Numerical models that embody the physical and chemical laws governing the behavior of the Earth's land surface, oceans, and atmosphere are another element, as are powerful computing systems to run these models rapidly to provide timely forecasts.

The science of data assimilation is the mortar that binds these elements into successful prediction systems for weather, oceans, climatology, and ecosystems. The Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) is dedicated to developing and improving the ability to exploit satellite data more effectively in the United States. The JCSDA is a distributed collaborative effort that allows the work required to use the billions of satellite observations available daily to be shared several operational agencies in the United States.

This activity is best accomplished with a coordinated multi-agency basis as the common development work necessary to assimilate these many thousands of millions of satellite observations each day would otherwise be duplicated across the agencies.

JCSDA Vision:

A weather, climate and environmental analysis and prediction community empowered to effectively assimilate increasing amounts of advanced satellite observations from the evolving Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS).

JCSDA Mission:

To accelerate and improve the quantitative use of research and operational satellite data in weather, ocean, climate and environmental analysis and prediction systems. This is a substantial undertaking given the hundred-thousand fold increase in satellite data this decade from nearly fifty new instruments.

JCSDA Goals:

• Reduce from two years to one year the average time for operational implementation of new satellite technology
• Increase uses of current satellite data in NWP models
• Advance the common NWP models and data assimilation infrastructure
• Assess the impacts of data from advanced satellite sensors on weather and climate predictions

JCSDA Satellite Instrument Database

The JCSDA Satellite Instrument Database (PDF, 102KB, 11/1/2007) details current and future satellite instruments and the information that will be made available from these instruments. This list, which will be maintained with regular updates, is intended to help the JCSDA plan the assimilation of future environmental data streams.

Comments regarding this list should be addressed to Ken Carey.

JCSDA Plans 2009 Summer Colloquium on Data Assimilation

The NASA/NOAA/DoD Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) is pleased to announce a Summer Colloquium on Data Assimilation in 2009 engaging graduate students and individuals with early postdoctoral appointments in the science of data assimilation for the atmosphere, land, and oceans. Read about the 2009 colloquium here.

6^th Workshop on Satellite Data Assimilation

The Joint Center hosted its 6th Annual Science Workshop at the Holiday Inn at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport on June 10-11. The Workshop was well attended, with more than 80 participants gathering to present, review and discuss progress and plans for Joint Center research and development. As a new initiative this year, the Workshop was scheduled immediately before the annual meeting of the Joint Center Science Steering Committee. This arrangement was intended to give the Committee members the opportunity to attend also the Workshop and review the material presented there, and several SSC members did in fact attend at least parts of the Workshop.

The Workshop was opened by Lars Peter Riishojgaard, JCSDA Director, who gave an overview of the past year's progress along with the current status of various Joint Center activities. Dr. Riishojgaard discussed the general state of numerical weather prediction and satellite data usage in the United States, and he explained that the Joint Center Management Oversight Board and Executive had agreed on a renewed focus on efforts specifically targeting improvements in NWP skill. Before closing the opening session, he asked the Workshop participants to review and evaluate the work of the Center with this particular goal in mind.

The meeting then broke up into separate sessions focusing on radiative transfer, advanced instruments, land surface, ocean surface and air quality/atmospheric constituents, respectively. Over the remainder of the day, a total of more than 40 presentations were given in the breakout sessions, representing both work funded through the competitive Federal Funding Opportunity administered by NOAA on behalf of the Joint Center, and work carried out internally within the Joint Center partners.

The second day of the Workshop started off with group discussions followed by a plenary session at which summaries and recommendations of the five breakout groups were presented by the session co-chairs. These were then discussed both by the subsequent Science Steering Committee meeting (see separate article by Dr. Craig Bishop, SSC Chair) and JCSDA Executive Retreat.

All presentations and session summary notes.

Lars Peter Riishojgaard, JCSDA

The Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation: A Progress Report

JCSDA Director Lars Peter Riishojgaard presented a JCSDA Progress Report on October 24, 2007 at the JCSDA seminar series. In the talk, he noted that the JCSDA plays a key role both in terms of maximizing the impact of some of the advanced instruments launched in recent years and in terms of preparing to assimilate data not yet used in operations. See the presentation here.