On June 25 and 26, 2024, the Industry Proving Grounds (IPG) User Engagement Team, under NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), supported data collection for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)-NOAA Climate Risk Reduction Workshop on Hazards and Process in Reston, Virginia. The workshop was held by the ASCE-NOAA Task offsite link to initiate a discussion and develop materials for a publication that will establish a road map for operationalizing climate data into ASCE codes and manuals of practice. ASCE and IPG teams are leveraging NOAA’s climate expertise and resources to equip the civil engineering community with essential information that will allow it to plan and build sustainable infrastructure that is designed to be resilient to climate change and extreme weather.
Day One of the workshop focused on climate risk reduction in building practices, ASCE standards, and ASCE building codes. Technical breakout sessions focused on civil engineers’ data needs including for rainfall, temperature extremes, wind, compound flooding, snow loads, and earth materials. Day Two included panel discussions on programmatic approaches and principles for engagement between ASCE and its government partners. Following this workshop, the ASCE-NOAA Task Force is working to develop a reporting process for ASCE members to inform and empower the IPG’s development of data and information products in support of the Architecture and Engineering Industry’s climate readiness initiatives. NCEI and IPG share a common goal: to strengthen our national infrastructure’s resilience in the face of current and future climate change risks.