Introduction
WA-01-C1 is a Component of Task WA-01: Integrated Water Information (incl. Floods and
Droughts)
The WA-01 Task Coordinator is Richard Lawford (United States)
The Point of Contact for this Component WA-01-C1 is Richard Lawford
(richard.lawford@morgan.edu)
Related Communities of Practice: Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations Community of
Practice
Expected Achievements by 2015
(expected outcomes by 2015 including main characteristics, and if possible quantification)
1. The Integrated Water-cycle products and services component is promoting the integration
of different types of observations to produce products that will be more reliable because
they build on the strengths of different observational systems. Past experience with the
GPCP (Gloabl Precipitation Climatology Project) products has shown that there is
substantial added value in integrating satellite data which has uniform coverage globally
and which provides data from areas where there are few in-situ networks with precise
regular point measurements that are not affected by cloud or other uncertainties
associated with satellite data. Five variables critical to water management have been
selected including precipitation (which ranked as the most important variable for all
SBAs in a recent GEO User needs survey) and soil moisture (which ranked as the second
most important variable in the same study). Work on integrating surface runoff
measurements and groundwater measurements will also continue from earlier GEO work
plans. Evapotranspiration has been added as a new variable in this work plan.
Integration of products and services also occurs across variables and in water’s case
across SBA’s. Integrated data sets are being developed for the management of the Great
Lakes Basin and for the assessment of water resources on a nation by nation basis. For
this work plan a new level of integration has been added. The GEO Water Cycle
Integrator (WCI) will consider integration across functions (data collection, assimilation,
modeling, visualization, decision support), across SBAs and across scales from
continents to basins and from supercomputers to laptops.
Leads
Japan (University of Tokyo), Germany, Nigeria (NASRDA), USA (NASA, NOAA,
USGS, Morgan State University (Contact: richard.lawford@morgan.edu), Princeton
University), CEOS, ESA, WCRP, WMO.
2. A, Ensure users have access to stable, state-of-the-art, characterized, global precipitation
datasets.
Build upon the GMES In-Situ Component (GISC) and Virtual Constellation for Precipitation
(see IN-01)
In the 2012-2015 GEO Work Plan the primary focus for precipitation is on providing data sets
and associated information for use in other areas of the Work Plan.
1. The CGMS/International Precipitation Working Group (CCGMS/IPWG) began hosting
tables providing basic characteristics and access information for precipitation data sets, focusing
on those that are publicly available, routinely produced, (quasi-)global, and long-term. See
http://www.isac.cnr.it/~ipwg/data/datasets.html.
2. The CGMS/IPWG announced that the next working group meeting will take place 15-19
October 2012, São José dos Campos, Brazil. A training session for hydrometeorology service
staff members is planned.
3. The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) released provisional data sets for the
new Version 2.2 of the monthly Satellite-Gauge precipitation estimates. These data sets now
provide monthly estimates on a 2.5°x2.5° global grid for the period 1979-2010. Final datasets
are in production, and upon release they will return to being extended about two months after the
month of observations. The GPCP is a GEWEX activity.
4. The NOAA/NWS/Climate Prediction Center Morphing (CMORPH) algorithm has been
uniformly reprocessed for the period 1998-present.
5. The NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data products for the TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI), Precipitation Radar (PR), and TMI-PR combined algorithms have
been reprocessed with revised algorithms for 1998-present, moving from Version 6 to Version
7. The TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis and Latent Heating algorithms are pending
on calibrations based on these new Version 7 sensor results.
6. The Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) released Version 6 data sets. The
primary change is significantly improved gauge coverage and accuracy in China. The GPCC is a
GEWEX activity.
7. The joint French/Indian satellite mission Megha-Tropiques was launched 12 October
2011. It is currently in the check-out phase.
8. The joint NASA/NOAA satellite mission NPOESS Preparatory Project was launched 28
October 2011. It is currently in the check-out phase.
9. The joint U.S./Japanese satellite mission Global Precipitation Measurement has announced
an expected launch date for February 2014.
(Point of Contact: George Huffman: george.j.huffman@nasa.gov)
B. Improve global evapotranspiration products for vegetated land surfaces, and also for lakes
and rivers, deserts, urban areas and snow-covered land-areas.
Measurements of evapotranspiration (ET) are important for understanding the influence of the
plant canopy on the water vapour content of the atmosphere and for estimating the rate of plant
growth. FLUXNET provides in-situ eddy correlation estimates from flux towers, which tend to
be concentrated in developed countries, while satellites and Land Data Assimilation Systems
(LDAS) provides model estimates of evaportranspiration without strong validation in more
remote areas. In terms of global products the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment
(GEWEX) has launched LANDFLUX to estimate evapotranspiration from models and satellite
data for a grid covering the land areas of the world. Added to these efforts are regional and
national methods for producing evapotranspiration estimates for use in irrigation planning and
water use monitoring.
Two workshops sponsored by the National Aeronautic and Space Agency (NASA) in the past
year, have brought together users and data providers to assess the different user needs and the ET
products. Areas where progress will be made in the 2012-2015 GEO Work Plan include:
1) The need for an archive of flux measurements of ET for satellite valiodation purposes will
be reviewed.
2) A working group will be established to discuss ET data needs, to promote the development
of ET databases, and to propose projects to address ET issues.
3)
The role of ET as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) will be documented.
4) The expansion and continuation of NASA sponosred workshops to transfer remote sensing
based ET apporaches to state and regional water resources and geospatial groups.
Point of Contact: David Toll, david.l.toll@nasa.gov
C. Develop a global soil-moisture product and service for climate and water management
applications.
Soil moisture is a critical variable because it affects the partitioning of rainfall into infiltration
and runoff as well as the partitioning of energy between sensible and latent heat that is
transported into the atmosphere. When water is retained in some soils, it creates a reserve of
water for plant growth thereby promoting plant productivity during the growing season.
Within GEO, the soil moisture focus has been on the development of a global soil moisture
network and a data archive. This effort has been advanced by hosting workshops to promote the
development of a global in-situ soil moisture monitoring network that could provide validation
data for the recently launched Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission and the NASAplanned Soil Moisture Active and Passive for Weather and Water Cycle Processes (SMAP)
mission. Since soil moisture data must be archived to be of use, a global archive has been
organized at the University of Vienna.
ESA launched its SMOS mission on November 2, 2009 to observe soil moisture over the Earth’s
land masses and salinity over the oceans. As well as demonstrating the use of a new radiometer,
the data acquired from this mission will contribute to furthering our knowledge of the role of soil
moisture in the Earth’s water cycle. This global coverage will be supplemented by the planned
launch of SMAP in 2014.
During the period of the 2012-2015 work plan this activity will:
1) Continue to build the global soil moisture network and a data archive at the University of
Vienna,
2) Promote the development and adoption of standard data collection and archiving protocols
for soil moisture data.
3)
Develop projects that will test and show the benefits of SMOS soil moisture data products.
4) Develop projects that will test procedures and data interpretation steps for the use of SMAP
products when they become available.
Contact: Peter van Oevelen, peter.vanoevelen@gewex.org
D. Integrate, in a phased approach, dedicated river gauging networks of existing hydrological
stations into a global runoff observation network. Make the data available through the GEOSS
Common Infrastructure using standardized formats.
Information on surface water is crucial for the management of water resources in basically all
socio-economic and environmental domains. River gauge levels and discharge/runoff are critical
observations for flow forecasting including floods and evaluating the hydrologic impacts of
drought. They are highly relevant for the detection of climate variability and change. Through its
links with the Global Terrestrial Network - Hydrology (GTN-H), the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), and Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), GEO strives to improve
the network of hydrologic measurements and encourage more extensive use of these
data. Efforts in this domain have focused on obtaining data from a core network of 380 major
global runoff stations which monitor continental freshwater fluxes into the world’s oceans. In
addition, satellite data are being used to produce experimental lake level data sets. The continued
establishment of Hydrological Information Systems in regions and large transboundary river
basins through WMO’s flagship programme “World Hydrological Cycle Observing System”
(WHYCOS) contributes to improved forecasting and water management capabilities of
participating countries. Complementary to river flow forecasting, the establishment of regional
Flash Flood Guidance Systems will be further expanded.
In the 2012-2015 time frame GEO will focus on:
1) developing a proposal to seek upgrades to the hydrometric network and to promote the
development of integrated data products.
2) undertaking technical activities related to the calibration and rating curves for select rivers
and storage volume changes for large lakes and reservoirs primarily through WMO’s Global
Runoff Data Centre (GRDC).
3)
advancing the use of Water ML2 in the exchange of hydrometeric data.
4) advancing standardization of metadata catalogues in hydrology to improve access to
hydrological data and information.
5) further promoting the sharing of hydrological data and information.
6) developing of a country-by-country inventory of stream flow measurement status and data
transfer issues.
7) developing a proto-type data base of surface water storage that will simulate the data that
could be provided by a satellite measuring water levels.
8) continuing the planning and implementation of regional and basin-wide projects under
WHYCOS.
9) expanding the establishment of Flash Flood Guidance Systems with additional systems in
SE Europe and SE Asia.
10) in the framework of the Quality Management Programme in Hydrology, providing
Manuals and Guidance materials on forecasting of floods and hydrological droughts.
11) continuing to provide guidance, technical services and capacity building through the
WMO-GWP Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM) developing a data base of
surface water storage that will simulate the data that could be provided by a satellite measuring
water levels.
Contact: Wolfgang Grabs, wgrabs@wmo.int
E. Establish a Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN) for a periodic assessment of
global groundwater resources, using information from existing national, regional and global
networks and to develop a plan for an integrated regional groundwater product:
As surface water supplies diminish in volume or become more contaminated, people in many
parts of the world increasingly rely on groundwater for their water supply. Groundwater data are
essential for assessing changes in groundwater resources and evaluating the vulnerability and
sustainability of strategic aquifers. Experts from the GEO Geohazards community and the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Hydrology
Programme (IHP) and WMO support GEO Water Cycle efforts in this area.
Currently, scientists use three complementary approaches to estimate the state of groundwater
resources, including terrestrial site-specific groundwater monitoring, satellite remote-sensing
systems (e.g., the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE), and hydrological
models. Given the stage of development of these last two approaches; GEO is giving some
priority to use of existing data, information gaps in the availability of in-situ groundwater
data. Groundwater is monitored in many parts of the world but these measurements are rarely
standardized or made available across jurisdictions.
The International Groundwater Resource Assessment Centre (IGRAC) and its partners are
establishing a sustainable Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN). The GGMN
makes use of existing monitoring networks and of regional hydrogeological knowledge to
estimate the change of groundwater resources periodically. Neither a new separate ‘global’
monitoring network is created nor is any existing network redesigned. Instead, the GGMN
benefits from the aggregation of information from established networks worldwide in order to
represent a regional change relevant for the global assessment. Technical development of the
online application and a needed software update are due to be finished in February 2012.
To fill this gap, over the 2012-2015 time frame:
1)
Through the International Groundwater Resource Assessment Centre (IGRAC) and its
partners GEO will establish a sustainable Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN).
This activity will involve setting up a network of regional and national groundwater experts,
choosing adequate groundwater variables to be reported, and choosing derived variables or
indicators to describe the state of groundwater resources and trends.
2) Seek opportunties to merge in-situ groundwater data with other data types such as GRACE
satellite data sets.
Contact: Neno Kukuric: Neno.Kukuric@un-igrac.org; Lena Heinrich: lena.heinrich@unigrac.org
F. Deliver integrated data sets from the Great Lakes basin providing information on extent of ice
cover, surface and groundwater levels, and bacteria conditions at beaches. Develop tools to
ensure access and interoperability to serve the needs of theme-based user communities.
A Great Lakes testbed, established in 2009, has been working on registering the metadata for
existing data sets on ice cover, surface and groundwater levels, and bacteria conditions at
beaches in both the U.S. and Canada. Great Lakes Observation System (GLOS) has set up a web
page, http://glos.us/metadata/srv/en/main.home to access these and future metadata
catalogues. Future integrated data sets proposed are streamflow data in the Great Lakes basin,
climate and hydroclimate data in the basin, Lake Ontario nutrient data, and other water quality
parameters. In addition to GLOS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Environment Canada, US Geological Survey, Natural Resources Canada, US Army Corps of
Engineers. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environmental Protection Agency, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, and the Great Lakes Commission are partners in the testbed, providing in-kind
resources.
(Contact: Gail Faveri)
G. Develop a GEOSS Water Cycle Integrator (WCI) to provide holistic coordination of water
cycle information, including integration of observations, research, modeling, and analysis; crossSBA applications; management systems; and a sustained educational framework
A GEOSS Water Cycle Integrator (WCI), is being developed by building on the experiences of
the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) of WCRP/GEWEX and GEOSS Asian
Water Cycle Initiative (AWCI) data integration activities. Climate change impacts, as reported
by IPCC AR4, showed the need for such a system that can bring together data and model outputs
to assess the causes of these impacts in all parts of the world. The application of a comprehensive
integrated and coordinated data analysis system of the WCI to current and future issues would
ensure benefits are created for society.
Development of the WCI would rely on CEOS leadership in developing integrated satellite
observation of water cycle products and in coordinating linkages with the following areas:
atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, ecosystem, carbon, agriculture, and forestry. A water cycle
science integrator would draw on collaboration between WCRP, CEOS, and the national and
regional numerical weather prediction centers.
GEOSS relies on integrated systems to meet all of the expectations for delivering data
from many different sources for use in its nine Societal Benefit Areas. The requirements include
systems for integrating observation, modeling, and data management systems, a system for
converging observation systems worldwide, and a system for coordinating the nine Societal
Benefit Areas. WCI will be an important step in the process.
The WCI will be an extension of DIAS, which is a complement of Japan’s Earth Observation
and Ocean Exploration system that contributes to national security by addressing global
environmental and energy security issues. This system addresses the challenges of a large
increase in the volume of Earth Observation data by developing a core system for data
integration and analysis that includes the supporting functions of life-cycle data management,
data search, information exploration, scientific analysis, and partial data downloading. The WCI
will build on this system by improving data interoperability, developing a system for identifying
the relationship between data across SBAs by using ontology on technical terms and ideas and
geography, and acquiring database information from various sources by developing a crosssectoral search engine for various databases.
At present, the Asian countries cooperatively integrate data from Earth Observation satellites
and in-situ networks with other types of data, including numerical weather prediction model
outputs, geographical information, and socio-economic data, to generate information for making
sound water resources management decisions. A similar system is being planned for Africa. The
Water Cycle Integrator will support these developments and meet the information needs for
agricultural production, ecosystem conservation, ocean circulation, and fishery resources
management. Furthermore it will provide users in different countries with the tools they need to
access, analyze and integrate many different types of data.
Over the 2012-2015 time frame, the development of the WCI will rely upon:
1)
The development of a proposal for adoption by CEOS,
2) The development of a prototype system under the leadership of the Univerisity of Tokyo
and JAXA
3) The implemntation of the system for a numebr of basins in Africa in conjunction with
IWRM principles.
(Contact: Toshio Koike)
H. Develop end-to-end state of the water-cycle indicators. Provide an operational global data
compendium organized as a set of electronic maps, and representing a definitive, comprehensive,
and up-to-date picture of the state of hydrological systems and affiliated water resources, their
accessibility and use by society.
The growing pressure on the problem of maintaining an adequate assessment capability for the
state of this important strategic resource especially in light of widespread closure of groundbased hydrographic monitoring networks and archives, outdated and incomplete water use
statistics, and lack of global and regional syntheses. This lack of information bears important
implications for identifying regions of the globe where water-related stress is highly variable
and/or growing, where sector-specific inefficiencies can be readily identified, and where suitable
interventions (and investments in) integrated water management could be used to prevent or ease
these crises.
Satellite and other Earth system data streams have the potential to fill some of these gaps;
indeed, in many parts of the world these data and information sets represent the only practical
means to assess water system state. Yet the continuity of in-situ and satellite-based systems
remains a problem, partly due to the evolution over time of sensor specifications, but especially
due to anticipated gaps in the records resulting from delays and cancellations of planned spacebased missions and the continued operation or even expansion of conventional terrestrial
observing systems. The development of a global water resources assessment component of
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is seen as an essential step to ensure
consistent planning and implementation of integrated observational systems with high societal
relevancy.
The GlobalWater-E2E(GW-E2E) project capitalizes on the early success of a three-year Pilot
Study on Indicators (PSI), executed on behalf of the World Water Assessment Programme
(WWAP), and representing an early testbed for operational global water resource assessment.
The WWAP-PSI, designed jointly by the CUNY Environmental Crossroads Initiative, the US
Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources, WWAP staff and consultants, and the
WWAP Expert Group on Indicators, is now functional. It capitalizes on new environmental
surveillance capabilities from the Earth system sciences, and represents a unique conjunction of
(i) state-of-the-global-water-system indicator efforts organized under the auspices of the Global
Water System Project (GWSP) plus (ii) data collection and provision efforts coordinated under
the Global Terrestrial Network for Hydrology (GTN-H), involving several U.N. agencies and
affiliates.
Goal: The overall goal of the Global Water-E2E project is to provide an operational global data
compendia based on assimilated water cycle variables and toolsets organized as a set of
electronic maps and representing to the highest degree possible a definitive, comprehensive, and
up-to-date picture of the state of the hydrologic systems and affiliated world water resources,
their accessibility and use by society.
Deliverables: The primary deliverables of the GW-E2Eproject are:
(1) Integrated water cycle data sets, data assimilation schemes, geospatial models, & other tools
to serve needs of theme-based user communities. Extended operational components of the
WWAP-PSIinto the 2012 through 2015 timeframe (mean states, trends in water availability (total
annual renewable water resource; seasonal cross-border and internal TARWR), use, sectoral
efficiencies), geospatial with country-level summaries.
(2) An ongoing consultative process under the umbrella of GEOSS and involving the GW-E2E
developers and contributing constituencies (WWAP, GTN-H, FAO, GWSP, GEWEX, WMOGRDC) to further expand the content and analysis functionality of the original PSI system.
(3) Posting of timely (monthly, annual) report cards assessments on the state of global water
resources.
Point of Contact: Charles J. Vörösmarty, CUNY Environmental CrossRoads Initiative, City
University of New York (United States).
Outputs and Activities
INFRASTRUCTURE
(e.g. observing systems, communication networks, data management, web-site/portals,
interoperability frameworks)
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Short Description
Start Date
End Date
Status
Related Task
Megha-Tropiques precipitation
products
Oct 2011
2015
In Progress
show more...
NASA/ NOAA NPP Satellite water
cycle products
Oct 2011
2015
In Progress
show more...
Access Information for Precipitation
Q1 2012
Data:
Q4 2015
In Progress
show more...
JAXA Water Cycle portal
Q4 2012
In Progress
show more...
Q1 2011
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
(TRMM) data products
Q2 2011
Q4 2012 In Progress show more...
The joint U.S./Japanese satellite mission
Global Precipitation Measurement has
announced an expected launch date for
February 2014.
Q1 2014
Q4 2015 Planned
Hydrometric network upgrades
Q3 2012
Q4 2015 Planned
WMO will continue the planning and
implementation of regional and basin-wide Q1 2012
projects under WHYCOS;
Related Task
show more...
Q4 2015 In Progress
Items registered in the GEOSS Common Infrastructure
(e.g. datasets, systems, portals, services, standards, interoperability arrangements)
INSTITUTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT
Data Sharing
(e.g. documented datasets made available on the basis of full and open access; efforts to develop
flexible national and international policy frameworks to ensure a more open data environment)
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Short Description
Start Date
End Date
Status
Related Task
Access Information for
Precipitation Data:
Q2 2011
Q4 2015
In Progress show more...
The distribution of soil moisture
Q2 2010
Q4 2015
In Progress show more...
data
Canada/ US Great Lakes testbed
interoperable data sets
Q1 2011
Q4 2015
In Progress show more...
Research Data base of Surface
Water Storage
Q3 2012
Q4 2015
Planned
Integrated water cycle data sets
Q1 2012
Q4 2015
In Progress show more...
New CMORPH Data Sets
Q1 2011
Q4 2011
Delivered
show more...
show more...
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Improved calibration and rating curves
Q2 2011 Q4 2012 In Progress show more...
Water ML 2: WMO, NOAA and
CUAHSI are developing Water ML2 and
preparing the hydrological community
Q1 2011 Q4 2013 In Progress
for its wide spread application as a new
standard for the exchange of
hydrometeric data.
Status report on Hydrometric
Measurements: WMO is developing a
country-by-country inventory of stream Q1 2012 Q4 2013 In Progress
flow measurement status and data
transfer issues.
Integrated Surface Water Data Sets
Q1 2012 Q4 2013 Planned
show more...
Proposal for CEOS Leadership for the
GEOSS Water Cycle Integrator
Q2 2012 Q1 2013 In Progress show more...
The development of a prototype Water
Cycle Integrator system under the
leadership of the University of Tokyo
and JAXA
Q1 2013 Q2 2014 Planned
WMO will advance the use of Water
ML2 in the exchange of hydrometric
Q1 2012 Q4 2014 In Progress
show more...
data.
WMO will further promote the sharing
of hydrological data and information.
Q1 2012 Q4 2015 In Progress
Datasets contributed to the GEOSS Data CORE
Datasets outside the immediate scope of the Component needed for implementation
Capacity Building
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
The CGMS/IPWG meeting on 15-19
October 2012 in São José dos Campos,
Brazil will include a training session for
hydrometeorological services
Q3 2012 Q3 2012 Planned
Related Task
The implementation of the system for a
number of basins in Africa in conjunction Q2 2013 Q4 2014 Planned show more...
with IWRM principles.
Science & Technology
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Launch projects to validate SMOS data
and to show their benefits in decision
Q1 2012 Q4 2013 In Progress show more...
making.
NASA will launch projects using data
sets that simulate SMAP satellite outputs
in order to develop and test the analysis Q1 2012 Q2 2014 In Progress
procedures and data interpretation for
future SMAP data.
Seek opportunities to merge in-situ
groundwater data with other data types Q1 2014 Q4 2015 Planned
such as GRACE satellite data sets.
Development of standardized globally
acceptable water budgets at the
continental and national scales
show more...
Q1 2012 Q4 2012 In Progress show more...
User Engagement
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Implement an ongoing consultative
process under the umbrella of GEOSS
and involving the GW-E2E developers
Q2 2012 Q4 2015 In Progress show more...
and contributing constituencies (WWAP,
GTN-H, FAO, GWSP, GEWEX, WMOGRDC).
Launch a working group to discuss ET
data needs, to promote the development
Q2 2012 Q4 2015 Planned
of ET databases, and to propose projects
to address ET issues.
show more...
Implementation of the Water Cycle
Q2 2012 Q4 2015 In Progress show more...
Integrator system for a number of basins
in Africa in conjunction with Integrated
Water Resources Management (IWRM)
principles.
NASA will continue and expand its
sponsorship of workshops to transfer
remote sensing based ET approaches to Q1 2012 Q4 2013 In Progress
state and regional water resources and
geospatial groups.
Who are the main end users?
Users for water cycle information include people from all societal beneift areas. Primary users
include water managers, government agencies with water management responsibilities, farmers
who operate irrigation systems, foresters who combat forest fires during periods of drought,
planners who must ensure sufficient flows to meet the needs of users, emergency staff who deal
with floods, biologists who consider the need for environmental streamflows and wetland
preservation. health experts concerned about pathogens and contaminants in the water, regulators
who monitor pollutant releases to water bodes, climatologiss looking for signals of climate
change in the hydrological cycle, to name only a few.
Gap Analysis
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Completion of a GEO Water Strategy paper
that will review all aspects of the water
SBA. The document will define gaps and Q1 2012 Q4 2013 Planned
propose solutions in the C1 component as
well as the four other components.
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Documentation of the case for
considering Evapotranspiration as an
Essential Climate Variable (ECV).
Q2 2012
Q4 2012 Planned
Related Task
Assessment of the need for an archive of
ET flux measurements for the validation Q2 2012
of ET estimates from satellite .
Q2 2013 Planned show more...
SOCIETAL BENEFITS
Key Outputs
(e.g. products and services which result from the activities of the Component; outlined in the
form of deliverables with timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Timely (monthly, annual) report card
assessments on the state of global water
Q1 2012 Q4 2015 In Progress show more...
resources will be posted on a web portal
for each country.
Prototype Water Cycle Integrator
system will be developed to link the
information available on the water cycle Q2 2013 Q4 2014 Planned
to the needs of other Societal Benefit
Areas.
show more...
Key Activities
(e.g. operations or work processes through which resources are mobilized to produce specific
outputs; outlined in the form of milestones including timelines)
Short Description
Start Date End Date Status
Related Task
Establishment of a Global Groundwater
Monitoring Network (GGMN) by the
International Groundwater Resource
Q1 2012 Q4 2013 In Progress
Assessment Centre (IGRAC) and its
partners GEO.
Resources Available for Implementation
Project
Data, systems and services contributed by the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre, Global
Runoff Data Centre, International Groundwater Assessment Centre, International Data Centre
on the Hydrology of Lakes and Reservoirs, and World Glacier Monitoring Service
Data, systems and services contributed by USA (EPA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre,
NOAA NESDIS, USDA)
European FP7 projects GEO-WOW (Water Component), DEWFORA, GLOWASIS, and
CEOP- AEGIS; GMES In-Situ Component (GISC)
CEOS Virtual Constellation for Precipitation
In-kind (human resources)
In-kind support from Japan (JAXA, University of Tokyo) and USA (Morgan University)
Financial
Other
Issues and Gaps
Work on these activities would progress much more rapdily if there was adequate funding for
them and more experts available for carrying them out. Funds have to be raised for each
workshop. Often it is not possible to get the key people to a workshop or meeting because they
are unable to get access to travel funding, etc. There are other problems related to the availability
of suitable expertise. For example. for the development of integrated groundwater data sets it is
difficult to recruit experts willing to undertake the basic research and development work that is
needed to develop methods for integrating different data products. Cross-SBA work also
remains a challenge.
Supporting Documents and Links
Participation
Implementing
Entity
Lead (PoC) United States MSU
Lead
CEOS
JAXA
Lead
CEOS
JAXA
Lead
CEOS
JAXA
Lead
ESA
ESA
European
Lead
EC FP7
Commission
University of
Lead
Japan
Tokyo
Lead
Nigeria
NASRDA
Role
Lead
Member or PO
Spain
CSIC
Lead
United States NASA
Contributor Canada
AAFC
Contact Name
Email Address
Richard Lawford
Osamu Ochiai
Riko Oki
Shizu Yabe
Michael Rast
Massimo
Menenti
richard.lawford@morgan.edu
ochiai.osamu@jaxa.jp
oki.riko@jaxa.jp
yabe.shizu@jaxa.jp
michael.rast@esa.int
Toshio Koike
tkoike@hydra.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Ahmad Halilu
Emilio Garcia
Ladona
Brad Doorn
Allan Howard
halilus@nasrda.gov.ng
M.Menenti@tudelft.nl
emilio@icm.csic.es
bradley.doorn@nasa.gov
allan.howard@agr.gc.ca
Contributor China
European
Contributor
Commission
European
Contributor
Commission
European
Contributor
Commission
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Germany
Contributor Japan
Contributor Netherlands
Contributor Spain
Contributor Spain
IRSA - CAS
Bingfang Wu
wubf@irsa.ac.cn
EC FP7
Jérôme Colin
jerome.colin@lsiit-cnrs.unistra.fr
EC FP7
Dick Schaap
dick@maris.nl
EMSO
Paolo Favalli
paolofa@ingv.it
BfG
DWD
DWD
DWD
HZG
University of
Bonn
University of
Hamburg
JAMSTEC
IRSA - CAS
AEMET
CSIC
Ulrich Looser
Axel Andersson
Andreas Becker
Udo Schneider
Emil Stanev
Michael
Nyenhuis
Michael
Lautenschlager
Akiko Yamada
Li Jia
Fernando Belda
Fernando Perez
looser@bafg.de
axel.andersson@dwd.de
andreas.becker@dwd.de
udo.schneider@dwd.de
emil.stanev@hzg.de
michael.nyenhuis@uni-bonn.de
michael.lautenschlager@zmaw.de
ayamada@jamstec.go.jp
li.jia@wur.nl
fbeldae@aemet.es
fperez@icm.csic.es