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Aerospace Leaders and Scientists to Discuss Necessity of Data Calibration to More Accurately Monitor Global Climate Change

Posted on: Tuesday, 15 September 2009, 07:57 CDT

RESTON, Va., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aerospace industry leaders and climatologists will meet on September 21 to discuss the need for greater standardization and calibration of sensors and data used to monitor global climate change.

The half-day event, "Climate Change Data Calibration: Finding Order Out of Chaos," will feature panelists from an array of private companies and government agencies, analyzing the current state of climate change data calibration, and making recommendations to improve existing climate monitoring systems. Organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the discussion is free and open to the public, and takes place at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21 in Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Independence Avenue and South Capitol Street, Washington, D.C.

AIAA President David Thompson states: "As mankind continues to grapple with the potential

challenges of global climate change, we must ensure that the data we rely on to monitor that change is extremely accurate and provides us with the clearest possible pictures of changes occurring around us. Discussions such as these are vital to establishing a soundly calibrated data regime so humanity can confidently measure and respond to change in our global environment."

Topics for discussion during the program include:

• How will funding of NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency programs in the future impact enforcement of the proposed "cap-and-trade" system?
• Can the current data be calibrated or would a new system of earth observation tools be necessary?
• Will calibration of climate data resolve modeling uncertainties, and provide more insight into the causes, rate, and effects of climate change?
  

After welcoming remarks by AIAA vice president of public policy Dr. Phil Hattis, attendees will hear from two panels, both moderated by Dr. Hattis. The first panel, examining private sector issues in calibrating climate change data, features: Eric Webster, vice president, government and industry partnerships, ITT Corp.; Jonathan Malay, director, civil space and environment programs, Lockheed Martin Corp.; Dr. Philip Ardanuy, chief scientist, Raytheon Information Solutions; and Ron Birk, director, mission integration civil systems division, Northrop Grumman. The afternoon's second panel, focusing on public sector issues in calibrating climate change data, features: Dr. Molly Macauley, senior fellow and director of academic programs, Resources for the Future; Nancy Colleton, executive director, Alliance for Earth Observations; and Michael Frelich, director, earth science division, science mission directorate, NASA.

Although admission is free and open to the public and media, space is limited. Please RSVP to Ross Bell at 703.264.7517 or rossb@aiaa.org to register. Please indicate any media affiliation for reserved seating. For additional information, please contact Duane Hyland at 703.264.7558 or duaneh@aiaa.org.

AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.

SOURCE American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Source: PR Newswire

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