FAQ for the 'NOAA' group

[RShankar]

Please post your Q&A for the 'NOAA' group here.

[RShankar]

Question from Dr. Shankar to the 'NOAA' Group: Discuss the social and economic impact of NOAA. You covered specific cases in the class; now take a broader look at the US/Global level and summarize some studies that show NOAA's impact.

[gbstoner1]

Question from Twitter Group to 'NOAA' Group. You had mentioned ESRA had supplied custom software tools for NOAA to use. Was this something NOAA had purchased from ESRA? or did ESRA and NOAA agree to a data exchange program in exchange for the tools? (eg. NOAA would supply ESRA with weather data to populate ESRAs maps in exchange for the tools)

[intC0der]

Question from 'LinkedIn' group to 'NOAA' group: How can small bussines benefit from the use of NOAA apis?

[aasthadave]

Question from 'Netflix' to 'NOAA', what languages does the app esri support?

[Magicperf]

Question from Amazon-Cloud to NOAA: What other sources does NOAA rely on?

[GiBiT]

Question from 'Facebook' to 'NOAA': NOAA seems to measure/record weather, temperature, tides, and even space weather. Is there anything that NOAA does not or can not measure/record?

[Jnesbeth]

Question from 'Github' to 'NOAA': How can the API be used for research methods?

[rnadrich]

Question from PayPal to NOAA: Is it possible to pull multiple different types of weather types (ie. Temperature, winds, and wave height) and use ESRI to create a layered map?

[adrianas92]

Answer from 'NOAA' to 'LinkedIn': The NOAA API's are free and open for the public, therefore is extremely beneficial for small companies since they can provide reliable and free information. It is friendly use and very interactive.

[adrianas92]

Answer from 'NOAA' to 'Netflix': NOAA uses various languages, however the most used ones are HTML and most important java script which is the one that allows interaction and animation.

[adrianas92]

Answer from 'NOAA' to 'GitHub': APIs are highly used for research purposes. In the case of NOAA, its APIs are highly useful for Environmental, Oceanic and Atmospheric research projects. An immense advantage of the NOAA APIs is that these ones are open source and anybody can make use of them. They are very interactive and friendly use. You don't have to be familiar with programming languages or coding, the API's are easy to understand and work with, since it allows you to select the regions, surfaces, places, etc, that you would like to use to create a map.

[adrianas92]

Answer from 'NOAA' to the 'PayPal' Group: You can definitely pull out information such as Temperature, weather, winds, etc and create a map according to the characteristics that you want and here's a link where you can go and create that: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ndfd/ In the previous website you can download the National Digital Database and create maps. Now if you want to create your map using Esri you are able to do so by utilizing the ArcGIS Desktop software which also gathers information from their database and therefore you can create more interactive and fun maps.

[adrianas92]

Question from 'NOAA' to 'Facebook' Group: As of now, there is nothing I can think that NOAA does not have access to. NOAA keeps track of weather, oceans, fisheries, satellites, climate, research, coasts and charting and therefore that encloses pretty much everything we need to know about the Oceans and the Atmosphere. NOAA is intended more to give information to society rather than commericalised their software as opposed to Esri. Bottom line, NOAA has its flaws compared to other software companies however is the world's best when it comes down to information about our nature.

[Bainshinds]

Question from 'Amazon Retail' Group to 'NOAA' Group: What percentage of NOAA's work rely on satellite data.

[KotowichS]

Response from 'NOAA' to 'Amazon Retail': Well the benefit of having the satellites comes from the ability to receive more data. It does not replace the methods used for observing data closer to home, such as boats and planes, but rather collects data from outer space "weather". The satellites monitor deep space solar activity (sun flares and geo-magnetic storms). So NOAA relies 100% on satellites to explore space weather, but does not use it to map earth-based weather.

[KotowichS]

Response from 'NOAA' to Dr. Shankar: On NOAA's website they discuss in more detail how they affect the economy and society. I will sum it up for you here. NOAA is all about weather tracking and forecasting. One of the strongest benefits of NOAA for society is knowledge. Throughout history weather has played a large part in culling society. NOAA calls this the "Value of a Weather Ready Nation". Through NOAA's efforts people have more knowledge of how the weather will look in the future. Prediction provides people with time to prepare for the upcoming devastation. Not only does this protect lives, but it can also help protect from property damage. Living in Florida, we know how important it can be to prepare early for hurricanes and NOAA provides us with a timeline to stock up on food, water, and protect our houses. Florida is also home to a vast array of ocean life. NOAA is able to impact these underwater societies by providing in depth information about climate change, population growth, port congestion, as well as contaminants in the environment. Having this knowledge allows NOAA and its affiliates to discern a course of action preemptively and effectively. NOAA is extremely effective at providing warnings and understanding of the weather around us and the oceans that surround us!

[KotowichS]

Response from 'NOAA' to 'Twitter': The agreement was between NOAA and Esri. Esri created an interactive mapping software. From what I understand, NOAA signed an Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) with Esri. Esri has different types of ELA's depending on the type of company that is applying for it. From the information I have gathered it would seem that NOAA would, in fact, have paid for this license.

[KotowichS]

Response from 'NOAA' to 'Amazon-Cloud': I am not quite sure what you mean by sources, but I will attempt to respond. NOAA is a government agency which means it relies on a budget. NOAA has made a deal with Esri to obtain GIS software. This software allows NOAA to use interactive mapping to more effectively predict changes in the climate. However, NOAA obtains its data on its own using seafaring vessels, airplanes, and satellites.