NOAA DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER NAMED ONE OF THE NATION’S TOP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS Bill Turnbull, deputy chief information officer of the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been named by HPCwire as one of the “Top People to Watch” in 2004. HPCwire is a worldwide trade publication for the high performance computing industry. “Each day NOAA services contribute at least $3 trillion to America’s economy. That’s about 30 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product, and our high performance computing capabilities play a major role in providing those services,” said Carl Staton, NOAA chief information officer (CIO). “As deputy CIO, Bill leads the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Office. He is a real asset to NOAA’s information technology operation, especially his leadership in high performance computing activities.” In the March 22, 2004 edition of HPCwire, Turnbull joins the ranks of seventeen high computing industry professionals and companies. His achievements include being active in the federal information technology research and development program, recently co-chairing the procurement activities of the high end computing revitalization task force and representing NOAA in the development of earlier efforts including information technology for the 21st century, and next generation Internet. “Advancing technology has now given NOAA a tremendous opportunity to re-engineer its high performance computing along functional lines for the first time in the agency’s history,” said Turnbull. “We can now optimize our systems to meet the needs of operational weather and climate forecasting and the needs of research across all NOAA without regard to location.” Turnbull is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Information Resources Management College, National Defense University. He earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Illinois. He has received numerous awards including the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for development of the National Environmental Data Index and the creation and promotion of NOAA’s on-line data services, the Bronze Medal for the NOAA Advanced Research Network, and the NOAA Administrator’s award for his work on improving hurricane advisory dissemination. Turnbull joined NOAA in 1970 as an ensign in the NOAA Commissioned Corps. NOAA information is critical to the nation’s ability to respond to most domestic crises such as those created by weather events or from a hazardous materials release, or indirectly through the effects of weather on the recovery effort for earthquakes, fire, or terrorism. Through HPCC efforts in advanced networking and information management technology, critical data and information are becoming available more quickly from more diverse sources, yet in a more integrated form for use during emergencies. Additionally, NOAA has become a leader in the dissemination of information through the Internet, so as to better perform its mission and to support the timely provision of information to its federal partners and the public. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER NAMED ONE OF THE NATION’S TOP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS Bill Turnbull, deputy chief information officer of the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been named by HPCwire as one of the “Top People to Watch” in 2004. HPCwire is a worldwide trade publication for the high performance computing industry. “Each day NOAA services contribute at least $3 trillion to America’s economy. That’s about 30 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product, and our high performance computing capabilities play a major role in providing those services,” said Carl Staton, NOAA chief information officer (CIO). “As deputy CIO, Bill leads the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Office. He is a real asset to NOAA’s information technology operation, especially his leadership in high performance computing activities.” In the March 22, 2004 edition of HPCwire, Turnbull joins the ranks of seventeen high computing industry professionals and companies. His achievements include being active in the federal information technology research and development program, recently co-chairing the procurement activities of the high end computing revitalization task force and representing NOAA in the development of earlier efforts including information technology for the 21st century, and next generation Internet. “Advancing technology has now given NOAA a tremendous opportunity to re-engineer its high performance computing along functional lines for the first time in the agency’s history,” said Turnbull. “We can now optimize our systems to meet the needs of operational weather and climate forecasting and the needs of research across all NOAA without regard to location.” Turnbull is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Information Resources Management College, National Defense University. He earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Illinois. He has received numerous awards including the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for development of the National Environmental Data Index and the creation and promotion of NOAA’s on-line data services, the Bronze Medal for the NOAA Advanced Research Network, and the NOAA Administrator’s award for his work on improving hurricane advisory dissemination. Turnbull joined NOAA in 1970 as an ensign in the NOAA Commissioned Corps. NOAA information is critical to the nation’s ability to respond to most domestic crises such as those created by weather events or from a hazardous materials release, or indirectly through the effects of weather on the recovery effort for earthquakes, fire, or terrorism. Through HPCC efforts in advanced networking and information management technology, critical data and information are becoming available more quickly from more diverse sources, yet in a more integrated form for use during emergencies. Additionally, NOAA has become a leader in the dissemination of information through the Internet, so as to better perform its mission and to support the timely provision of information to its federal partners and the public. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.
