NOAA WebShop 96, June 26-28, 1996

NOAA Theme Pages for the World Wide Web

Nancy N. Soreide
NOAA / OAR / Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

What is a Theme Page?

A Theme Page is a set of Web Pages focussed on a specific topic, such as El Nino, includng links to widely distributed information relevant to the topic, and provided on the Web by a variety of scientific, government, academic or commercial institutions throughout the world. The Theme Page includes background information which explains the topic, including what it is, why it is important, what impact it has on human lives, why we study it, and how we study it, all in terms which can be clearly understood by a high school student. It links to in-depth information and analyses, including relevant, often realtime, data and forecasts, as well as to historical data and perspectives.

The straightforward explainations of the topic are useful to students, educators and the general public. The in-depth analyses and data links are valuable to more advanced students and to scientific researchers. The Theme Page presents a complete, layered approach to understanding the subject topic, and forms a rich resource with appeal to a very broad audience.

What is the El Nino Theme Page?

The concept of a Theme Page for the World Wide Web was pioneered by the TAO project at NOAA/PMEL with the creation of Web Theme Pages focused on the El Nino phenomenon. The El Nino theme page, at http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/nino-home.html, links widely distributed information and graphical products describing the status and impact of El Nino events by utilizing the World Wide Web technology. Drawing heavily upon existing Home Pages, both within and outside NOAA, the El Nino Theme Page is a single, hyperlinked resource that enables any user to browse and interact with the most recent observational data and El Nino forecasts, as well as relevent scientific analyses and historical perspectives.

What are NOAA Strategic Goal Theme Pages?

The El Nino Theme Page illustrates a vision of how World Wide Web technologies can be used to create a virtual network providing easy access to important environmental products, and NOAA is leveraging on this development by producing NOAA Strategic Goal Theme Pages focused on each of NOAA's strategic goals.

Each NOAA Strategic Goal Theme Page is clearly explains a Strategic Goal and it's significance. It forms a single, hyperlinked resource, linking relevant data, forecasts, scientific analyses and perspectives related to the Goal. Each Strategic Goal Theme Page will be designed, developed and maintained under the guidance of a Theme Web Team, consisting of Theme experts and Web technicians. The Theme experts job would be to identify appropriate theme information and data, suggest an organizational structure for theme page, and review the contents as the home Page evolves. Theme experts are scientists, program managers, and/or potential users.

In 1996, development will focus on (1) a Theme Page on Climate, including seasonal to interannual climate forecasts and prediction and assessment of decadal to centannial climate change, and (2) a Theme Page on NOAA's goal to provide short-term warning and forecast products and services. NOAA Theme Pages are valuable and useful resources for scientists, teachers, students, government administrators, and the general public.

What are some other NOAA Theme Pages?

  • How do NOAA Theme Pages fit into the NOAAServer context?

    • Each Theme page is an entry in the NOAAServer search path, providing important, focused background and context information for a topic. Each Theme Pages links to the NOAAServer for NOAA-wide data searches.
    Nancy Soreide, NOAA/PMEL, nancy.n.soreide@noaa.gov
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