SCAT Working Groups

Overview of SCAT Working Group Activities and Outcomes

The SCAT for Tomorrow workshop held in Mobile, AL in January 2017 led to the formation of 3 “Working Groups” to address key issues identified in that workshop.

• Working Group members can self-select which group they wish to participate.
• The first task for each group is to refine and approve the description and goals for the working group.
• Groups can decide how often and the format in which they meet.
• Each group will present a brief out on their progress at Clean Gulf (December 5-7, 2017).
• Clean Gulf Presentations: presentation given by Zach Nixon>>.  and presentation given by Carl Childs>>

Technical Working Group

Lead: Zach Nixon                                                        

Description: This working group will address the technical aspects of maintaining NOAA’s SCAT Data Standard including modifications to the standard, and provide a forum for participating developers of SCAT data management tools to improve their products while ensuring the greatest degree of interoperability among those tools.

Tasks:   

1. Address issues of data interoperability between various SCAT data management systems
2. Continue refinement of the NOAA SCAT Data Standard
3. Develop and share “test data” sets to be used in evaluating the interoperability of SCAT data management systems and “truth” data to be used in drills and exercises.
4. Identify data management issues arising from the incorporation of new methods and technologies in SCAT such as drones, dogs and electronic field data collection.

Policy and Management Working Group

Lead: Michele Jacobi and Carl Childs

Description: This working group will work to develop best practices for SCAT response guidance and develop templates and workflows to facilitate sharing of SCAT data and information products. Activities will need to be well coordinated with Technical working group and Practitioner working group.

Tasks:

1. Draft standard SCAT text for inclusion in data sharing agreements.
2. Work with the Technical Working Group to develop data exchange protocols and workflows for information products.

SCAT Practitioner Working Group

Lead: Carl Childs and John Tarpley

Description: This working group will seek to increase opportunities to test SCAT data management tools and practices during drills and exercises.

Tasks:

1. Find or develop opportunities to drill SCAT data management and operationally test SCAT data management systems (QA/QC, dataflow, exercise data sharing agreement . . . ).
2. Coordinate with the Technical Working Group to validate the sample “test” data and generate “truth” data compatible with the NOAA SCAT Data Standard.
3. Identify operational issues arising from the incorporation of new methods and technologies in SCAT such as drones, dogs and electronic field data collection