FY 1997

NOAA theme pages link widely distributed environmental data and information on the World Wide Web

Soreide, N.N.

In Eco-Informa '96, Global Networks for Environmental Information, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 4–7 November 1996, 7–12 (1996)

The concept of a theme page for the World Wide Web was pioneered by the TAO project at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) with the creation of Web theme pages focused on the El Niño phenomenon. The El Niño theme page (http:// www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/el-nino/) links widely distributed information and graphical products describing the status and impact of El Niño events by utilizing the World Wide Web technology. Drawing heavily upon existing home pages, both within and outside NOAA, the El Niño theme page is a single, hyperlinked resource that enables any user to browse and interact with the most recent observational data and El Niño forecasts, as well as relevant scientific analyses and historical perspectives, illustrating a vision of how World Wide Web technologies can be used to create a virtual network providing easy access to important environmental products. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is capitalizing on the El Niño theme page development by producing NOAA strategic goal theme pages focused on each of NOAA's strategic goals. The first of the NOAA theme pages will focus on two of NOAA's strategic goals: (1) a climate theme page, including seasonal to interannual climate forecasts and prediction and assessment of decadal to centennial climate change, and (2) a theme page on NOAA's goal to provide short-term warning and forecast products and services that enhance public safety and the economic productivity of the nation. NOAA theme pages are valuable and useful resources for scientists, teachers, students, government administrators, and the general public.