What is Environmental Intelligence?
Simply put, environmental intelligence is the most accurate and timely information available about our planet that enables governments, communities, companies and individuals to make sound decisions – decisions that save lives; protect and grow the economy; strengthen national security; and improve quality of life. Environmental intelligence is a result of a critical supply chain that begins with science and observations – ground sensors, ocean buoys, stream gauges, satellites, etc. – and ends with actionable information that allows decision-makers to better respond and adapt to a changing planet.
Why is Environmental Intelligence So Important?
Whether it”s government officials responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an energy company trying to better manage its resources to meet customer demands during a heat wave or cold blast, or emergency workers responding to a hurricane or earthquake, environmental intelligence is vital to local, national and global decision-making.
But such decisions are made difficult, sometimes impossible, when the U.S. environmental information supply chain is weak or threatened, and essential environmental intelligence isn”t available or easily accessed. When, for example:
- Ocean observations are too sparse to estimate the amount of oil spilled;
- Computing capabilities are insufficient to run sophisticated climate models;
- Earth-observing satellites are operating beyond their expected lifetime and replacements are either not ready or not planned, creating a loss or gap in vital data;
- Data isn”t accessible or formatted in ways that allow easy integration with other datasets for use in models and decision-support tools;
- Some essential data (e.g., long-term global carbon measurements) isn”t available at all;
- Critical information doesn”t reach casino online nl the right people, or when it does, it is not understood;
- Federal environmental information capabilities don”t meet the requirements of a growing and diverse user base, which demands more of an operations and applications focus in addition to traditional science needs; and when
- No long-term national strategy exists to ensure the U.S. has the tools and technologies it needs – today and in the future – to best protect its citizens and grow its economy.
Consider that these decisions are becoming even more critical and complicated as the potential, and in some cases already occurring, consequences of climate change threaten an increase in online pokie game extreme weather and an unprecedented strain on our resources.
Why Do speelautomaten online We Need a National Strategy for Environmental Intelligence?
Given that the environment impacts every sector of the U.S. economy, a national strategy for environmental intelligence is of the utmost importance so that:
- The U.S. – whether the science community, the business sector or the military – has the actionable information necessary to respond and adapt to environmental change;
- Credible environmental data from all sources – government, nongovernmental and private – is incorporated into the environmental information supply chain and leveraged for improved decision-making;
- The U.S. private sector is well positioned to assist the federal government with innovative solutions to improve the environmental information supply chain, and to exploit associated commercial opportunities in the global marketplace;
- The different needs of science research and action-oriented applications are accounted for, and so that new tools and technologies are transitioned from research to operations in a timely manner; and
- Policymakers can better direct federal investment in environmental information and determine the long-term budgetary requirements.
This unique, one-day conference brings together public and private sector leaders to discuss the nation’s growing demand for improved environmental information and strategies by which our civil, defense and commercial programs will meet the nation’s priorities, which range from more accurate weather and climate models, to more robust, accessible and actionable information for emergency response, to a less vulnerable and more energy efficient military.
A diverse community of stakeholders critical to the environmental information supply chain will share their ideas, priorities and potential contributions for creating a cohesive and comprehensive national strategy for environmental information. This conference represents the fifth in the Forum on Earth Observations™ series, the Alliance for Earth Observations” signature event.