Event

Booz Allen Colloquium: Ajay Mehta, "NOAA's Environmental Satellites"

Friday, April 8, 2011
3:00 p.m.
Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, Rm. 1110
Jess Molina
jmolina2@umd.edu
http://www.ece.umd.edu/colloquium

Booz Allen Hamilton Distinguished Colloquium in Electrical and Computer Engineering

"NOAA's Environmental Satellites"

Ajay Mehta
Deputy Director, Office of Satellite and Product Operations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Abstract:

Satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with satellites operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and foreign partners are an essential part of our society. Data from these satellites comprise 99% of the observations used in numerical weather prediction models and are an indispensable tool allowing NOAA's National Weather Service to accomplish its mission of providing forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. Along with providing critical environmental data, NOAA’s satellites provide other services such as: continually relaying in situ observations from remote transmitters such as river flood gauges; detecting and locating distress signals from anywhere on the globe; and providing situational awareness to emergency managers in the field. Environmental satellites are important to the Nation across all time scales: i) they provide near-real time observations to warn of short-term severe weather; ii) they provide global coverage to support medium-term weather forecasts; and iii) they provide a continuous record to aid long-term climate analysis.

Biography:

Mr. Ajay Mehta is the Deputy Director of NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations.  In this capacity he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of NOAA and USAF environmental satellites and associated data processing and delivery of environmental products to the National Weather Service and other domestic and international users.  The office comprises five divisions located at four sites throughout the country and includes national and international cooperatives programs such as the National Ice Center and the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) program.  Mr. Mehta also serves as the U.S. Representative to the Cospas-Sarsat Council overseeing the international satellite-aided search and rescue program.

Audience: Campus  Clark School  All Students  Graduate  Undergraduate  Faculty  Post-Docs