by Dr Natalie Douglas, University of Surrey and Dr Alison Fowler, University of Reading and NCEO
ISDA2019, the 7th International Symposium for Data Assimilation 2019, was hosted in Kobe, Japan this year from the 21st to the 24th January at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science – home of the K-computer. Attended by over 100 research scientists, the conference boasted a guest list of inspiring speakers and poster presenters from all over the globe. Topics of current relevance invoking enthusiastic discussion included Big Data Assimilation, Uncertainty Quantification, Satellite and Coupled DA, Multi-Scale Processes and DA in Broader Applications to name a few.
“I thoroughly recommend attending ISDA to anyone working in Data Assimilation. This was my first conference abroad, it was hugely informative and extremely well organised. Not only that, I had enormous amounts of fun getting to know and even making good friends with a lot of the key players in my field.” – Dr Natalie Douglas from the University of Surrey, UK.
“The ISDA provided a fascinating overview of the latest developments in Data Assimilation from around the world. It included a diverse range of applications from supernova astrophysics to my more familiar area of meteorology. I found the chance to spend a week with other scientists hugely beneficial to my work. After the symposium I enjoyed an extended visit to RIKEN to continue discussions on the efficient use of high-volume observations in their home-developed rapid-update-forecasting system. The aim of this state-of-the-art system is to provide advanced warnings of the most extreme rainfall events that can evolve in the matter of minutes. Each year in Japan, such events result in a multitude of deaths and wider devastation, and so such a system is sorely needed. Bringing this knowledge back to the UK may prove greatly beneficial as we prepare for the effects of a changing climate.” – Dr Alison Fowler from the University of Reading, UK and NCEO.
