date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:55:41 +0100
from: "Palmer Dave Mr \(LIB\)" <David.Palmer@uea.ac.uk>
subject: RE: FW: Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information 
to: "Phil Jones" <p.jones@uea.ac.uk>, "Mcgarvie Michael Mr \(ACAD\)" <k364@uea.ac.uk>

   Phil,

   Good news re the locations data.  I would recommend putting the data on the website as any
   further requests could simply be referred to the website itself - in this case, we could
   provide the data itself; just from a political point of view, I would rather 'give' the
   data directly than 'refuse' under s.21 and point them to a website.



   Just spoke to Doug Keenan on the phone and he seems a reasonable chap - I explained that I
   had received the below email from you and that the prognosis for his request was positive.
   I hope that this might avoid the appeal situation we have with our other 2 requesters.



   I have an obligation to try to sort the appeals informally but I'm not sure how to bridge
   the gap between us saying the data is on the US websites and the requesters saying that it
   isn't!  I note that Steve McIntyre in his note to me of 12 March talks about the
   identification of the stations for the 1990 study - would the input data files you have for
   the 1990 study cover the west Russian, Chinese and Australian networks he requests?



   It might be worth meeting next week to discuss anything I could say to McIntyre &
   Eschenbach to either (a) satisfy them, or (b) convince them that pursuing an appeal would
   be fruitless (assuming it would be!)



   Cheers, Dave
     ______________________________________________________________________________________

   From: Phil Jones [mailto:p.jones@uea.ac.uk]
   Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 3:15 PM
   To: Palmer Dave Mr (LIB); Mcgarvie Michael Mr (ACAD)
   Subject: Re: FW: Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information Regulations request
   (FOI_07-13 ; EIR_07-03)

      Dave,
         I have found all the input data for the paper from 1990. This includes the
      locations of the sites and the annual temperature values. If I were to get
      someone in CRU to put them on our web site, do you think that would
      keep them quiet, or just spur them into more requests?
         The 1990 paper data isn't that much,  just 6 small files, each of about a half
      an A4 page.
         My earlier email about the other request (the first one) for all our data still
     stands.
      See the same points below. If you feel another meeting may be useful,
      then let me know.
        I had a brief exchange with Alan Kendall of ENV, which I didn't find very useful.
      Cheers
      Phil
       1. CRU's monthly mean surface temperature dataset has been constructed
      principally from data available on the two websites we informed you about in
      early February. Our estimate is that >98% of the CRU data are on these
      sites.
      2. CRU has augmented this dataset with data collected from National
      Met Services (NMSs) in many countries of the world. In gaining access to
      these NMS data, we have signed agreements with many NMSs not to pass
      on the raw station data, but the NMSs concerned are happy for us to use the
      data in our gridding, and these station data are included in our gridded
      products, which are available from the CRU web site.  These NMS
      -supplied data may only form a very small percentage of the database, but
      we have to express their wishes. The World Meteorological Organization has
      a list of all NMSs.
      3. We would like to point out here that CRU is doing a service to the
      climatological community around the world, by making these and many
      other gridded datasets and products available. We are continually being thanked by
      scientists around the world (both personally and through acknowledgements
      within published papers). All these scientists are happy to use these
      gridded products, rather than deal with the raw station data.
      4. The CRU data have periodically been sent to NCDC (for inclusion in
      GHCN) . GHCN include these by having multiple versions of data for many sites.
      5. CRU has made homogeneity adjustments to many station records - see
      the most recent discussion in Brohan et al. (2006). Details of the homogeneity
      adjustments are given in the two publications from 1985 and 1986. These later
      two publications also give the sources of the data we had around those
      dates.
     References
     Brohan, P., Kennedy, J., Harris, I., Tett, S.F.B. and Jones, P.D., 2006: Uncertainty
     estimates in regional and global observed temperature changes: a new dataset from 1850.
     J. Geophys. Res. 111, D12106, doi:10.1029/2005JD006548.
     Jones, P.D., Raper, S.C.B., Santer, B.D., Cherry, B.S.G., Goodess, C.M., Kelly, P.M.,
     Wigley, T.M.L., Bradley, R.S. and Diaz, H.F., 1985:  A Grid Point Surface Air
     Temperature Data Set for the Northern Hemisphere, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Carbon Dioxide
     Research Division, Technical Report TRO22, 251 pp.

     Jones, P.D., Raper, S.C.B., Cherry, B.S.G., Goodess, C.M. and Wigley, T.M.L., 1986:  A
     Grid Point Surface Air Temperature Data Set for the Southern Hemisphere, 1851-1984, U.S.
     Dept. of Energy, Carbon Dioxide Research Division, Technical Report TR027, 73 pp.
     At 19:05 16/03/2007, Palmer Dave Mr \(LIB\) wrote:

     A response from our latest requester.  I will respond on Sunday noting that the use of
     EIR in no way is determinative of the resolution of his request and reinforcing our use
     of EIR - we have no option in the matter under s.39 FOIA, and the intention of the
     requester is irrelevant.

     Cheers, Dave
       ___________________________________________________________________________________

     From: D.J. Keenan [[1]mailto:doug.keenan@informath.org]
     Sent: Thu 15/03/2007 22:32
     To: Palmer Dave Mr (LIB)
     Subject: Re: Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information Regulations request
     (FOI_07-13 ; EIR_07-03)
     Dear Mr. Palmer,

     My request is to be processed under the FOI, not the EIR; this was made clear in my
     application.  I ask your office to formally accept or refuse my FOI request as made.  If
     your office fails in this, I intend file a complaint with the Information Commissioner's
     Office.

     If your office refuses my application on the grounds that the information I requested is
     "environmental information", then I ask that the refusal notice identify which part of
     the definition of "environmental information" (a-f) you believe applies.  This is in
     addition to adhering to your other obligations when issuing a refusal notice for an FOI
     application.

     Sincerely,
     Douglas J. Keenan


          ----- Original Message -----
          From: [2]Palmer Dave Mr (LIB)
          To: [3]doug.keenan@informath.org
          Sent: Thursday, 15 March, 2007 17:13
          Subject: Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information Regulations request
          (FOI_07-13 ; EIR_07-03)
          Mr. Keenan,
          Attached please find a letter acknowledging your request of 12 March 2007. It also
          contains further information regarding the handling of this request.  I will be in
          contact with you further in due course.
          Cheers, Dave Palmer
          <<EIR_Referral_letter_final_070315.doc>>
          ____________________________
          David Palmer
          Information Policy Officer
          University of East Anglia
          Norwich, England
          NR4 7TJ

     Prof. Phil Jones
     Climatic Research Unit        Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090
     School of Environmental Sciences    Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784
     University of East Anglia
     Norwich                          Email    p.jones@uea.ac.uk
     NR4 7TJ
     UK
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

