The Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP), which hosts a wide range of data products, climate tools and resources, had a busy first year. There were about 40,000 visits to the site from 23,000 unique visitors representing 119 different countries.
The portal was launched in 2022 through a partnership between the University of Hawaiʻi’s Hawaiʻi Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research ʻIke Wai project, Hawaiʻi Data Science Institute, Water Resources Research Center and the East-West Center.
“The need for reliable data and information has never been greater,” said East-West Center Fellow and Change Hawaiʻi researcher Ryan Longman, who worked on the portal’s development team. “Eight of the last nine years have been the hottest in the instrumental record.”
Advisory group formed
To mark HCDP’s one-year anniversary, the team of climate and data scientists met with stakeholders from more than 20 organizations to share the number of opportunities to develop useful data products and to improve functionality of the site. Researchers from the National Science Foundation supported Change Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Mesonet projects focused on gaining guidance and expertise from scientists, resource managers and community members who could most benefit from and help shape the HCDP’s future development.
“We’ve had huge rainfall events in Hawaiʻi; and the record daily rainfall, and the record hourly rainfall have all occurred over the last few years. There are a lot of changes occurring now and many more projected for the future,” Longman said. “If we can find ways to better understand the magnitude and timing of these changes, it can aid us in developing the tools necessary to effectively implement adaptation measures and to build resilience to these changing environmental conditions.”
- Related UH News story: Revolutionary climate data portal critical to future planning, March 3, 2022
In love with the portal
Some tools already in development include, a decision support tool for ranchers, automated custom climate change, climate variability and drought portfolios and potential early warning systems in partnership with the state agencies for risks such as fire, flood and avian malaria.
“We’re absolutely in love with the data portal,” said Hawaiʻi Green Grove Project Coordinator Michael Omohundro who attended the meeting. “My organization is an NGO that tracks Hawaiʻi’s resilience against climate change, and this is a wonderful thing. I’m very honored to be here.”
Other organizations present at the meeting included the Hawaiʻi State Commission on Water Resource Management, the Office of the Governor, the Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Commission, Panaʻewa Resilience and Agricultural Innovation Hub, Kamehameha Schools, National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
