The Centre for Environmental Data Archival (CEDA) provides the infrastructure to deliver a range of computer-based data management and research services for NCEO and wider NERC environmental science, including those related to 'big data' initiatives. The main NCEO-funded activites include: 1. The NERC Earth Observation Data Centre (NEODC) which is the NERC designated data,centre for earth observation science, responsible for the active curation and dissemination of relevant NERC environmental data holdings. 2. The academic component of the facility for Climate and Environmental Monitoring from Space (CEMS-A), providing data access and research services on behalf of NCEO. Both NEODC and CEMS exploit the JASMIN super computing environment located at CEDA/STFC.

Data assimilation activities: 1. Provide NCEO and the NERC community with accessible core models equipped for data assimilation which can be used for Earth System Science investigations and Observing System Simulation Experiments. 2. Interrogate UK Earth System components and derive data-consistent global state and model parameter estimates for initialisation and driving of models. 3. Investigate new techniques that will enable DA to meet the science challenges of tomorrow, including work with the Met Office and other meteorological forecast centres to ensure NCEO DA work has impact and to promote critical mass in key research and development areas.

The NCEO High Impact Weather and Flooding Programme aims to improve our understanding of the physical and dynamic processes governing storms and floods and to develop capability to forecast these phenomena. Storms, floods and droughts have a major impact on everyday life around the world. An improved ability to forecast, quantify and manage meteorological and hydrological risks, as well as water resources, is essential to protect the public, property and infrastructure, and to maintain a sustainable economy. We will improve methods of assimilating data from meteorological satellites and ground based radar into high resolution atmospheric models, to increase skills in forecasting hazardous weather. We are using EO measurements of soil moisture, snow and flooding to develop hydrological models for flood forecasting, working with operational agencies towards and end-to-end integrated forecasting capability. This theme focuses on the synergistic use of remote sensing data for high resolution predictions of hazardous weather, floods and water resources. Our priorities are: a) to develop assimilation techniques to ingest data from high-resolution satellite and ground based measurements into high-resolution atmospheric models; b) to utilise snow and flood extent measurements from a new generation of satellites to improve models of flooding and water resources; c) to prepare the science base in order to exploit forthcoming missions such as GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) and Earthcare.

The essential objectives for NCEO are: 1. Innovative data assimilation for Earth state representation, its model-mediated assessment and interrogation, with significant NWP-related impact. 2. Historical and new observations of Earth System evolution and impact in operational and business services using critical long-term data sets. 3. Model-data evaluation and policy impact for global ESM and component models 4. Provision of instrument, data facilities, key tools and training for use by the wider NERC community with impact from NERC technology applications. The NCEO Corporate team provides strategic and day to day management of NCEO and oversight of strategic projects. The Corporate team consists of the NERC Directorate team concerned with scientific support,training, communications, innovation and impact, outreach and admin, and the NCEO Executive Team which consists of the Director and Divisional Directors to provide strategic direction.

The NCEO Carbon Cycle Programme aims to understand the feedbacks between physical and biological processes involving the carbon cycle, in order to predict changes in carbon fluxes at the Earth's surface. Understanding the role of the carbon cycle in the Earth system is crucial. It is closely coupled to greenhouse gas induced climate change, the water cycle, marine and land productivity and biodiversity. If we can better understand the interaction of physical and biological processes in the carbon cycle and climate, our ability to predict future changes in carbon fluxes and reservoirs will be enhanced. We need to quantify the global carbon budget, in regional detail, by combining space observations of surface processes with the next generation of atmospheric carbon and ground-based measurements. Our research priorities are: a) to combine satellite measurements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere with bio-physical models of the land and ocean, in order to quantify surface fluxes of carbon dioxide and methane, and understand the processes that drive them; b) to improve quantification of the role played by fire in the Earth system; c) to identify the relative weighting of the key processes affecting the carbon balance of the tropics and in so doing provide support for negotiations on the post-Kyoto Protocol reduced deforestation mechanism and the associated benefits for biodiversity; d) to determine the importance of shelf seas with their high biological productivity and hence strong draw down of CO2.