HALO Study Logic

Overview

The challenging ambition of the GMES Ocean, Land and Atmosphere integrated projects (IP) is to deliver by end 2007 a validated pre-operational system across a wide range of scientific disciplines, thus demanding a wide range of scientific and technical skills.

There are strong cross- dependencies between the Atmosphere, Ocean and Land IPs. Key elements of the Land and Ocean IPs will be dependent on the outputs of the Atmosphere IP. The Atmosphere IP will be dependent on outputs of the Land and Ocean IPs. The Land and Ocean atmospheric requirements should be addressed in a uniform way by the Atmosphere IP.

The HALO SSA will prepare the architecture and system integration for the interacting part of all 3 IPs into the GMES framework, and prepare their joint transition to operational status.

HALO will optimise the interactions of these segments of the GMES Backbone by formulating agreed recommendations to the 3 IPs, and to the GMES Steering Group in the areas of:

• Scientific thematic analysis and coordination of observational, modelling and data-assimilation requirements for the interacting parts of the IPs;
• Cross fertilization of scientific thematic leading to an improvement of knowledge, and definition of the overall scientific architecture;
• Identification of shared issues in the areas of data policy implementation, data acquisition, data sharing and data dissemination, leading to proposed candidate solutions; analysis of the candidate solutions, and
• Coordinated transition to operations of the interacting part of the pre-operational systems developed in the 3 IPs.

The work programme for the build-up of the GMES pre-operational capabilities includes:

• Data delivery processes of observation systems
• Interoperability and interconnection of the data processing and delivery systems
• Organisation and system architecture

1. Step: Thematic Analysis

The Land, Ocean and Atmosphere IPs each need to generate or acquire the best possible estimates of interfacial fluxes of momentum, radiation, sensible heat, latent heat and interfacial fluxes of a number of atmospheric constituents including carbon dioxide, water vapour and aerosol. Each IP will begin its work by acquiring the necessary surface flux products (or the science to generate such products) from the best available European sources. It is expected that the best European sources will be involved in one or other of the three IPs discussed here.

In some cases the science exists, and will be implemented operationally in one of the IPs, to improve the products of all three IPs. An example is provided by the modelling and assimilation of remotely-sensed data on aerosol, which will be undertaken in the Atmosphere IP but will be of great importance for all three IPs. A further example for all three IPs is development and validation of improved methods to estimate surface fluxes of carbon dioxide and water vapour. As the GMES project develops, estimation of sources for a variety of other atmospheric constituents will become a priority.

There are important commonalities in the requirements of the three IPs for in-situ data and for space-based data. These requirements pose common issues of data-policy, as well as considerable technical and resource challenges in the management of the wide range of high-volume remotely-sensed data needed for the projects.

The first step of the HALO work is identifying the data needs and data products provided by each of the IPs.

HALO Documents