Space Weather Enterprise ForumSpace Weather Enterprise Forum 2009
"Space Weather and Our Technological Society - Are We Ready for Solar Max?"
Marriott at Metro Center
Washington DC
May 19-20, 2009
MEDIA INFORMATION:
OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGY
Introduction: The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, more briefly known as the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM), is an interdepartmental office established because Congress and the Executive Office of the President recognized the importance of full coordination of federal meteorological activities. The Department of Commerce formed the OFCM in 1964 in response to Public Law 87-843. Samuel P. Williamson is the Federal Coordinator.
NATIONAL SPACE WEATHER PROGRAM (NSWP)
NSWP is an interagency initiative to speed improvement of space weather services. It emerged in 1994 from the efforts of several U.S. government agencies to prepare the country to deal with technological vulnerabilities associated with the space environment. The overarching goal of the NSWP is to achieve an active, synergistic, interagency system to provide timely, accurate, and reliable space weather warnings, observations, specifications, and forecasts. It will build on existing capabilities and establish an aggressive, coordinated process to set national priorities, focus agency efforts, and leverage resources. The Program includes contributions from the user community, operational forecasters, researchers, modelers, and experts in instruments, communications, and data processing and analysis. It is a partnership between academia, industry, and government. The vehicle to implement and manage the Program is the National Space Weather Program Council (NSWPC) within the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology under guidance of the Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (FCMSSR). The Council, which consists of representatives from Federal agencies involved in space weather activities, provides oversight and policy guidance to ensure common needs are met and the interests of each agency are addressed. Under guidance of the NSWPC, the Committee for Space Weather (CSW) is the principal agent for advancing the goals of the program.
DOC
Within DOC, NOAA has the mission of describing and predicting Earth's environment. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center hosts an operational forecast center and research activities. The forecast center, operated jointly with the US Air Force, provides space weather forecasts and warnings to users in government and industry and to the general public.
DOD
The DOD develops operational models of the solar terrestrial system and develops and flight tests new sensors.
- Air Force Weather: The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), Space Weather Operations Center provides basic and specialized support for military communications, surveillance, and warning systems that operate in or through the upper atmosphere or near Earth space. AFWA provides space environmental data, analyses, forecasts, model output, and critical strategic-level products for DoD. For example, the Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) Model provides 24-hour forecast of Ionospheric conditions, upgraded “full physics” (FY10-12 plan), and output used for HF communication and geolocation error analysis.
- The Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Research Laboratory develop models for DOD operational use and develop or support development of sensors to measure the space environment.
NASA
NASA funds space weather-focused and applications driven research programs that aim to explore the connected Sun-Earth system and its effects on life and society. Program elements include: targeted theory, modeling, and data analysis programs; mini-satellite-research experimental projects; and a fleet of satellites that study the Sun, the heliosphere, Earth,and other planetary environments as elements of system. For more information, see http://nasascience.nasa.gov/heliophysics.
NSF
NSF is responsible for maintaining the health of basic research in all areas of solar and solar-terrestrial science. NSF funds the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM) and co-funds, with NASA and DoD, the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), which have complementary capabilities that are focused primarily toward research efforts.
DOI
The USGS participates in an international network of 98 geomagnetic observatories, several of which contribute data in real time to the Air Force and NOAA forecast centers.
DOE
The DOE studies space weather in context of nuclear weapons detection & space weather impacts on electrical energy transmission.
DOT
The FAA is the licensing and regulatory authority for the nascent space tourism industry. The DOT also Fields a GPS based capability to support en route, terminal, and precision approach operations for airports and heliports.