Integrated ground-based observing systems : application for climate, meteorology, and civil protection

This volume presents a collection of selected articles based on presentations at the seventh edition of the International Summer School on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ISSAOS), annually organized by the University of L'Aquila, Italy. This seventh edition, held during September 4-7, 2007 in the amazing venue of the medieval Castle of the city of L'Aquila, focused on "Integrated Ground-Based Observing System Applications for Climate, Meteorology, and Civil Protection." The goal of ISSAOS 2007 was to bring together experts and young researchers in ground-based remote sensing to discuss the need for integrated systems and their contribution to a variety of applications, including weather forecast, meteorology, climatology, natural hazard monitoring, and transportation support. Important questions related to weather, climate, etc., cannot be answered without a broad view of the atmospheric processes and their mutual links. Ground-based remote sensing provides useful tools to help understanding these processes by real measurements with known error characteristics. The user needs for ground-based remote sensing observations were reviewed at the first COST 720 workshop, incidentally held in L'Aquila in 2002. Of course, all observing systems have strengths and weakness, but none meet the breakthrough levels of user requirements for all aspects. The solution to these requirements could be best met by a composite of different observing systems.