Partnerships

This page discusses the partnerships which are the foundation of the NOS Storm Surge Partnership Project.

The NOS Partnership Program | Project Partners | Community Involvement |

The NOS Partnership Program

The NOS Storm Surge Partnership Project is funded through the NOS Partnership Program. The Partnership Program is intended to encourage new, creative, cooperative projects that span program offices within NOS as well as partners outside of NOS. To receive funding through the Partnership Program, a project must involve a partnership among multiple offices and have measurable outputs or outcomes, which can be presented as reports, demonstrations, products, or other deliverables.

Project Partners and Roles

NOAA's Ocean Service (NOS): Many offices within NOS are involved in the Storm Surge Partnership Project.

Coastal Services Center (CSC) is leading the following project activities:

  • providing overall project coordination and management
  • providing meeting and planning services for the user-needs and technical workshops
  • coordinating activities within the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS)
  • developing Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) topographic data development
  • developing a regional GIS framework development
  • coordinating with the NOAA Coastal Storms Program

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) is responsible for:

  • assisting with identification of required enhancements to observations and data used for storm surge and flood modeling and validation and the integration of NOAA and community observational assets
  • leading the installation of additional tide gages

National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is responsible for:

  • providing oversight, data processing and quality checks of topographic and bathymetric LIDAR models
  • developing a vertical datum (Vdatum) application
  • developing a high resolution topographic and bathymetric digital elevation model (DEM) (Remote Sensing Division)
  • generating geoid models from gravimetric and MDT data (Geosciences Research Division)

National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) is developing modeling and mapping tools to assess ecological effects of sea level rise in project area

Office of Coast Survey (OCS) is responsible for:

  • developing the tidal datum model for integration into the vertical datum (VDatum) and digital elevation model (DEM) developed by NGS
  • coordinating with CSC in planning the user needs workshop
  • leading planning for the technical workshop
  • leading the design and execution of a storm surge demonstration project
  • developing and testing storm surge forecast model(s) that integrate data collected throughout the project
  • providing data acquisition standards and post acquisition quality assurance (Hydrographic Surveys Division)

Special Projects (SP) is responsible for:

  • leading the socioeconomic impact assessment component of the project
  • coordinating and tracking team integration accomplishments and experiences
  • leading outreach and education efforts

NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS): Many offices within the NWS are involved in the Storm Surge Partnership Project:

National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is responsible for:

  • participating in the planning and execution of the user needs workshop and the technical workshop
  • developing HYCOM-based dynamic storm surge model as part of the storm surge demonstration (EMC)

Office of Science and Technology (OST) is responsible for:

  • participating in the planning and execution of the user needs workshop
  • participating in the storm surge demonstration project with the SLOSH (Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes) model (Meteorological Development Laboratory)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for:

  • assisting in the planning and execution of the user needs workshop
  • conducting LIDAR data acquisition
  • participating in the planning and execution of the user needs workshop (JALBTCX)

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is:

  • conducting LIDAR data acquisition
  • providing analysis of tides and MDT models

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is providing processing of gravimetric data to develop an improved geoid model

Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) is:

  • providing open access to simultaneous measurements of winds, waves, currents, water density, nutrients, water quality, biological indices, and fish stocks under all conditions
  • providing open access to basic and analyzed data and linked numerical models in real-time and at high speed through a SURA Web portal.

Gulf of Mexico Coastal Observing System (GCOOS) is:

  • assisting with coordination efforts with the IOOS community to develop data and modeling output standards for use in broad-based decision-support tools
  • assisting with the development of a storm surge component for the Gulf of Mexico GIS framework

Additionally, the following organizations will be involved in the planning and execution of the user needs workshop:

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Community Involvement

An important aspect of the Storm Surge Partnership Project involves meeting the needs of the coastal community by enhancing the utility and availability of relevant products and tools.

In order to build a better understanding of the specific needs and requirements of coastal user communities in relation to storm surge forecast models and model outputs, the Storm Surge Partnership Project team will interact directly with the community and use gained feedback to guide the project.

By working with emergency managers, coastal zone managers, planners, decision-makers, and other practitioners who are in the position to use storm surge model outputs and make decisions on evacuation, the project team can better ensure that the products and graphical and data formats developed throughout this project will be widely used and accepted by those who use rely on storm surge tools for management decisions.

NOAA CSC will work to develop end-user educational training on any new storm surge decision support tools produced through this project.

As a first step in determining the needs of the coastal community, on 2005 April 27 and 28, the Storm Surge Partnership Project team conducted a "user-needs workshop" in Panama City, Florida. From the user-needs workshop, the project team was able to learn how coastal managers use storm surge forecasts and inundation maps in making decisions and to determine what additional information or improvements are needed to increase the utility of storm surge tools. The results of the user-needs workshop will be explored during the project technical workshop, where the project team will bring together representatives of the scientific community to determine the technical and scientific limitations and gaps that exist in meeting user needs.

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