www.ec.gc.ca
Earth Observations: foundational
for understanding and predicting
environmental change
ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change
Montreal – 29-31 May 2012
Jim Abraham
Director General – Weather and Environmental Monitoring
Meteorological Service of Canada
Outline
• Context
• Canadian Core Networks
• A few key examples
• Conclusion
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Canadian Context
•
•
•
Large nation:
– sparsely populated
– remote and difficult access to many regions
Maritime nation:
– 3 oceans
– longest coastline in the World – 243,000 km
Polar nation:
– the Arctic is a government priority:
▪ a development challenge for Canada
▪ mapping polar shelf in support of UNCLOS
▪ increased maritime surveillance and arctic
science
– sensitive and rapidly changing environment
•
Large development, stewardship, security
responsibilities
•
Resource-based economy:
– natural capital, transportation, environmental
impact
•
Sustainable growth a challenge:
– observations and knowledge are tools to
sustainable growth
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NorthWest Passage
Monitoring
Monitoring the 9,093,507 SQ KM of
Canada, and its adjacent waters
What we do: Weather Water and Climate
Services
Monitoring
Analysis & Prediction
Research & Technological Development
Service Delivery
Our current networks
• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based
•Mix of 800 staffed and automatic
weather stations;
•850 climate stations;
•Moored and drifting buoys, arctic
ice beacons and automatic
voluntary observing ships.
Our current networks
• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based
•Coverage for over 98% of the
Canadian population;
•Coverage of 28% of the Canadian
land mass.
Our current networks
• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based
•Radiosondes (31)
•Ozonesondes (10)
•Brewer spectrophotometers (9)
•Aircraft Meteorological Data
Relay (AMDAR)
Our current networks
• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based
•Approximately 2900 stations
Our current networks
• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based
• EC reception network - GOES, NOAA, METOP
• Canadian reception – RADARSAT, ENVISAT, others
• Operational data exchange - EUMETSAT, ECMWF, NOAA,
others
ICTs used in the Observation of the
Earth
• WMO Integrated Global Observing
•
•
System (WIGOS): passive and
active terrestrial, airborne, and
spaceborne sensors working in the
visible, IR and microwave bands
WMO Information System (WIS):
collected data is exchanged freely
and in near real-time globally
Products and services for global
and national socio-economic benefit
areas such as:
Weather
Climate
Disasters
Transportation
Health
Water
Agriculture
Energy
Biodiversity
Ecosystems
Resource Management
Recognition of the Importance of
Earth Observation at WRC-12
• ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré
•
commended the delegates on the attention given to
Earth observation radiocommunication
applications, which are crucial for monitoring and
combating climate change and for disaster
prediction.
WRC-12 agreed to Resolution 673 (Rev.WRC-12)
called “The importance of Earth observation
radiocommunication applications”.
Why is Earth Monitoring Important?
• Understanding
natural environment
Hydrometric Monitoring on
West Coast
• Assessing impacts
• Managing risk
in societal benefit
areas:
Over 80% of all
disasters in Canada are
driven by changes in the
environment
Tsunami
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Big Changes in the Arctic!
- Use of remote sensed data to monitor the Earth
- Climate Change
- Challenges and opportunities in the Arctic
Maps showing the evolution of Ice Age Distribution
in the Arctic. Credit: US National Snow and Ice Data
Center (NSIDC)
Map showing the evolution of Ice
Concentration in the Arctic. Credit: NASA Source: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/seaice_conditions_feature.html
Page 14
Example applications - Disasters
High Resolution EM
Key to Managing Risk
Associated with:
• Accidental Release
• Technological
URBAN
Incidents
• Nature Triggered
Extreme Events
AIR
WATERWAYS
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Hurricane “Ophelia”
Another opportunistic SAR
scan capturing wind field
early in the ET process
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Example applications - Health
SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS
FOR CITIZENS – AIR
QUALITY HEALTH INDEX
• Empowers individuals to
decide how they might be at
risk
• Provides health messaging
for Canadians—both general
& at-risk populations—how
to minimize that risk
• High resolution landuse EO
needed to assess emissions
and impacts on air quality
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AIR QUALITY
HEALTH INDEX
Conclusions
• Communications/Broadcasting is not the only critical service in case of
disasters:
– Earth Monitoring is the essential tool for prediction, detection and
response to natural and man-made disasters. The data management
(including quality assurance and archive) of these transmissions is an
additional important challenge
▪ Earth Monitoring data is continuously used to forecast significant
events and thus provide early warnings to identify risks and reduce
impacts on life and property (e.g. floods, severe weather, chemical
releases)
▪ Earth Monitoring data is required before, during and immediately after
a disaster to assess risks and to ensure safe and effective operations
and to aid in planning (e.g. forecasting weather conditions during relief
operations)
▪ Earth Monitoring data analyses provide information to policy and
decision makers on the adoption of longer term mitigation measures
(e.g. modifying building codes to adapt to climate change)
– It is critical to provide and protect necessary spectrum, as well as radio
and telecommunication infrastructure, for obtaining and disseminating
Earth Monitoring data Page 18
www.ec.gc.ca
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