U.S government to launch landmark climate data website

The Obama administration has today launched a website aimed at turning climate related data into eye-catching digital presentations that can be mapped using an app.

As part of its effort to make the public see climate change as a tangible, immediate and urgent problem, the data will focus on projected droughts and wildfires and the rise in sea levels.

The President’s counselor, John D. Podesta, is spearheading a strategy to build political support for the government’s climate change agenda, and the concept was suggested by White House science adviser, Dr John P. Holdren (pictured right).

The app, at climate.data.gov, could become a powerful tool, allowing local governments or home and business owners to quickly assess the projected rise in sea levels and the risk of flooding to their properties in the coming years.

The website will initially serve as a clearinghouse for climate science data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Geological Survey, the Defense Department and NASA.

Average users will not be able to access much data immediately but NASA and the NOAA will urge researchers and private companies to create software simulations illustrating the impact of sea level rise.

White House officials hope to emulate the success of desktop and mobile apps and software that were built by private companies using government data. Trulia, Redfin and Zillow use information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to help families make more informed decisions about buying a house.

Robert M. Pestronk, Executive Director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said he hoped the new climate data tools would help municipal officials plan for climate change. “Local health officials are on the front lines of preparing for and addressing the health effects of climate change — from reduced air quality to extreme weather to climate-sensitive infectious disease like West Nile virus and Lyme disease,” he said.

President Obama is making climate change a central issue of his second term, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on regulations that could significantly reduce emissions.

Hundreds of coal-fired power plants will also be closed to help cut one of the main sources of pollution in the U.S.