Environmental Decision Making

An important end use for Earth observational data is to support better informed decisions and policies in the commercial and public sectors. Observations (both real-time and historical) play an important role in reducing the uncertainty inherent in environmental-related decisions. Scientific models provide further value in predicting future states and scenarios, such as those associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions.

This Wednesday afternoon forum elicits contributions in topics such as:

• the economic value of Earth science data in decision settings;
• data requirements for environmental decisions, policies, and IPCC;
• decision making under deep environmental uncertainty;
• collaborative environments for assessing scenarios and consequences of decisions involving multiple stakeholders;
• case studies in environmental decision-making;
• integrated physical-economic models;
• perceptions of long-term climatic uncertainty;
• tools, services, models, and associated standards for data-driven decision support.

Ideas discussed in this Forum can run over into the open meeting sessions on Thursday. If you would like to give a presentation, please enter your name and title of talk (or contact Rob.Raskin@jpl.nasa.gov).

Tentative schedule:

• 1:00-1:30pm Lawrence Friedl, NASA Program Manager "Data Needs for Decision Making"
• 1:30-2:00pm Molly Macauley, Resources for the Future
• 2:00-2:30pm Rob Lempert, Senior Scientist, RAND Corp, "Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty"
• 2:30-3:00pm Pat Gober, ASU Decision Center for a Desert City, "Tools for Decision Making Under Uncertainty"
• BREAK
• 3:30-4:00pm Menas Kafatos, Chapman U., "Business and Economic Opportunities Emerging from Climate Change"
• 4:00-4:15pm Noah Molotch, UCLA/JPL, "Estimation of Snow Water Equivalent Data for Water Resource Planning"
• 4:15-4:30pm Tyler Stevens, GCMD, "CEOS Climate Diagnostics Portal"
• 4:30-4:45pm Stephanie Granger, JPL, "Western States Climate Change Decision Support Center"
• 4:45-5:00pm Rob Raskin, JPL, "Spatial Decision Support Consortium"
• 5:00-5:30pm Open Discussion, Formation of ESIP Economics and Decisions Cluster, Future Activities

Resources of Interest

NOAA Economics Web Site

IPCC