The Power of GIS

Advancing Climate Research and Communication

GIS - enabling technology

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The GIS Program at NCAR advances actionable and convergent Earth System science through geographic information science and technology, geospatial analytics, and geovisualization.


Analytical tool to explore changes in climate

Extreme heat is a normal part of life in Houston, TX. The map below shows the average summer maximum temperature.

Public Heat Event Map - July 2

Using Data Clocks to graph the number days each month for each year that a heat advisory (>108 degrees F) will be issued in Houston, Texas.

1.     Wilhelmi, O., J. Boehnert, 2019. “Extreme Heat Events in a Changing Climate” In: GIS For Science (Wright, D, Harder, C. Eds.), Esri Press, Redlands, California.

Calendar heat maps to graph extreme temperature in Houston, TX.


Democratizing climate information

The Climate Change Scenario portal makes climate information easier to access for non-climate specialist.


Exploring future climates with the Climate Inspector

The Climate Inspector allows users to explore temperature and precipitation change in the future based on different emission scenarios.


Communicating complex science through interactive dashboards

Below is an informational Dashboard focusing on the assessment of the impacts of air pollution on public health.

Air Quality Dashboard

Communicating weather hazards through animations

We can integrate realistic landscapes with storm surge output (and other model outputs) to better represent the hazard.

Wilhelmi et al. IJDRR under review


GIS - enabling technology