Invitation and Agenda for SAON Agency Officials Meeting. March 18-19, 2009. Miami, Florida.

Abstract

"Setting the Stage – What are the objectives of the workshop and why should a funding agency participate? The vision of Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) is to facilitate enhanced Arctic long- term observing that will make data and information freely and openly available in a timely fashion to realize Arctic and global value-added services and societal benefits. The need for enhanced observing capabilities has never been greater in the Arctic, where system-wide environmental change is occurring at a greater rate and magnitude than elsewhere on Earth. For example, the scientific community needs observations to support modeling for understanding and projecting change, and resource management and service agencies need observations and scientific findings to support their objectives and priorities. The purpose of this workshop is to provide a forum for an international, inter-agency discussion of the role of the agencies in the development of SAON." /.../