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Credits ESA...

2008-02-14

GlobSnow preparatory User Consultation

The GlobSnow user consultation workshop took place successfully on the 14th of February at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

More than 30 participants were present at the workshop representing different user communities and discussing their respective user requirements for a global snow monitoring service.

The following presentations were given by various remote sensing experts and representatives of WCRP, CliC, ECMWF, EEA and MeteoSwiss:

• Introduction to the DUE program and outline of a possible GlobSnow project (O.Arino/B.Koetz, ESA)
• Experiences with snow mapping in Scandinavia - single and multi-sensor methodology, new algorithms and service development (R.Solberg, NCC)
• Snow monitoring within GSE Polarview (J.Pulliainen, FMI)
• Snow cover products and services offered by the International Snow Services Working Group (H.Rott, Univ. Innsbruck)
• A review of the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere project, GCOS and IGOS Theme on Cryosphere requirements for snow observations, Part 1 and Part 2 (B.Goodison, WCRP/CliC and V.Ryabinin, WMO/WCRP)
• On the use of satellite observations in operational near real time snow analyses (M.Drusch, ECMWF)
• Snow cover products for NWP models and Climatology at MeteoSwiss (G.Seiz, MeteoSwiss)
• EEA requirements for global snow monitoring (M.Erhard, EEA)

The main purpose of the DUE GlobSnow project is to define, implement and validate a snow monitoring information service on a global scale.
The service is intended to support the GCOS implementation plan with systematic satellite-based Earth Observations on the Essential Climate Variable global snow aeral extent and related products.
The GlobSnow project main goal is to support snow monitoring activities of governmental institutions, intergovernmental bodies and scientific groups involved in climate change research.

The Data User Element (DUE) project GlobSnow will be awarded to a consortium of private and public bodies, following an open and competitive tender process. The corresponding invitation to tender is planned for the second quarter of 2008.