CONTACT: Patricia Viets FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 763-2560 5/8/95
John Hughes
(704) 271-4475
The world's largest collection of climate data has a new home. The new federal building housing the data will be dedicated on May 15 in Asheville, N.C., the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
The National Climatic Data Center has more than 150 years of weather data on hand. These data range from handwritten observations taken by volunteers in the 19th century to more sophisticated radar, radiosonde, rocketsonde and satellite observations by state-of-the art equipment. Data are recorded in a variety of ways, including paper copies of original records, publications, atlases, computer printouts, microfiche, microfilm, movie loops, photographs, magnetic tape, CD-ROM and other media. Some data are available online over the Internet. The new facility provides proper environmental conditions for all types of records, ensuring they will be maintained for generations to come.
"Climate data are integral to our lives; directly or indirectly they save countless lives and property every day," said Kenneth Hadeen, director of the center. "Engineers and designers use climate data in making capital investments in roads and buildings. These data are also factored into tables that engineers use in construction work. Data such as snow loads and wind loads are absolutely necessary to design buildings and other structures that can withstand the climate."
Climate data play a major role in our economy as well, Hadeen said. "Manufacturers determine the impact of climate on product sales and develop marketing strategies based on the data.
Public utilities use the data to determine levels of energy demand, compute rate adjustments, and research alternative energy sources. The transportation industry uses the data to determine favorable air, sea, and land routes for transport of goods and commodities."
The climate center archives more than 320 million pages of paper records, 2.5 million microfiche records, 403,000 tape cartridges and magnetic tapes, and satellite images dating back to 1960. The center responds to some 143,000 requests each year.
The legal community is a major customer, representing about 30 percent of the center's users. The insurance, engineering and business communities also represent a large segment of users. The largest non-commercial users include scientists from government agencies and foreign customers who rely on NCDC data obtained from many sources.
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Note to Editors, Producers: The National Climatic Data Center will hold an open house immediately after the dedication ceremony for the new federal building. The dedication will take place on Monday, May 15, at 11:00 a.m., at 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, N.C. Media are invited to tour the facility and to conduct interviews with the center's director and staff. To arrange for a tour and/or interview, please call John Hughes at 704-271-4475.