GIS Program

National Center for Atmospheric Research

The GIS program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) fosters interdisciplinary science, spatial data interoperability, and knowledge sharing using GIS.

GIS is both a science and a technology that comprises elements of computer visualization, database management, and spatial analysis of geographically referenced data. GIS stores information as a collection of thematic layers that can be linked together by geography. GIS is used for data integration, spatial analysis, and decision making across many disciplines and industry sectors.

The GIS program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) fosters interdisciplinary science, spatial data interoperability, and knowledge sharing using GIS. Our three focus areas include:

• Integrating natural and social sciences;• Improving usability of weather and climate models; and• Community and capacity building.

Integration Climate and society are coevolving in a manner that may place vulnerable populations at greater risk to weather and climate stresses. Understanding societal risks and vulnerabilities to weather hazards and climate change requires the integration of spatial information from physical and social sciences. We have developed research frameworks and spatial methods for integrating diverse, multidisciplinary datasets, which are both quantitative and qualitative, and exist on different spatial and temporal scales. We apply these methods to explore complex scientific questions where spatial analysis and accurate georeferenced data are critical to understanding the relationships and interactions between society and environment. Active NCAR research areas that rely on GIS include climate impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation, weather, climate and human health, drought and water management, hydrologic modeling, and tropical storms and disaster preparedness.

The model outputs can be downloaded and added to any GIS application, thus allowing for easy integration of climate projections with environmental and socio-economic datasets.

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Integration of atmospheric data with GISprovides usable climate information to decision makers and

supports interdisciplinary research projects.

GIS simulation of a hazardous materialrelease in an urban setting.

Usability Since 2005, the NCAR GIS program has served a large international community of GIS users interested in examining the facets of global climate change. The GIS Climate Change Scenarios portal was the first internet gateway in which users were able to access global climate model data in GIS formats. This data portal provides access to global and downscaled datasets of climate change scenarios generated for the IPCC by the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Users can access global climate change analysis products such as seasonal and annual averages, climate anomalies, and statistically downscaled climate change data for the continental United States. The model outputs can be downloaded and added to any GIS application, thus allowing for easy integration of climate projections with environmental and socio-economic datasets.

The NCAR GIS program released the Climate Inspector in 2014, which allows for the visualization of climate change in space and time through a web application. This interactive web application displays anomaly temperature and precipitation values from the IPCC AR5 runs of the NCAR CCSM4 model. The user interacts with the data by

For more information, contact:Olga WilhelmiNational Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)Research Applications Laboratory (RAL)PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000303-497-8126 303-497-8401 faxolgaw@ucar.edu http://gis.ucar.edu

GISPROGRAMG E O G R A P H I C I N F O R M A T I O N S Y S T E M S

clicking and moving a pin on the map to change location, using a time slider to change time period, and altering the emission trajectory. Map images and data can be downloaded for any selection while graphs with captions help users interpret the information. This interface provides a rich environment from which users can assess what future changes in climate may occur as well as some of the model uncertainty associated with those changes.

Model results from CCSM are dynamically converted to GIS-compatible formats for distribution to the GIS user community via a public website. This application puts detailed climate change information in the hands of decision makers, educators, and researchers.

Education & Capacity Building Our GIS education at the science-society interface focuses on integrating climate science and data with traditional GIS data, and performing spatial analysis to facilitate interdisciplinary research to build capacity for decision-making. We offer workshops, colloquia, and training programs which include:

• Concepts of physical and social sciences of risk and vulnerability to weather hazards and climate change;

• Integration of scientific data and knowledge for risk assessment, mapping, and decision making; and

• Strategies and tools for practical communication of scientific data to non-scientific audiences and decision makers.

Our trainings apply a suite of different GIS applications and tools, from Esri software to open source tools such as Quantum GIS, GRASS GIS, and MultiSpec. Several training modules are available on our website.

On the web GIS program: http://gis.ucar.edu/GIS Climate Change portal: http://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/Climate Inspector: http://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/inspectorBRIGHTE Workshop Series: http://gis .ucar.edu/projects/brighteTwitter: @ncargis

Attendees of IAI-NCAR colloquium,“Knowledge Integration at the Science-Policy Interface” are

working on a Participatory GIS project. Quito, Ecuador 2013.

Community Climate System Model (CCSM) projection of temperature anomaly for 2040-2059 for RCP 8.5. This map can

be downloaded from Climate Inspector.