Data assimilation requires interdisciplinary developments based on statistics and applied mathematics, and it is essential to make a productive collaboration between mathematicians and scientists in application fields. Fortunately, I got to know Professor Sakajo a few years ago in Sapporo, and since then we have been exchanging ideas. Recently I moved from Maryland to Kobe, and Professor Sakajo also moved from Sapporo to Kyoto. We now have this geographical advantage, and try to make our collaborations more active and productive. This is the first workshop to have mathematicians from Professor Sakajo's group and scientists in my group get together, exchange ideas and have active discussions.
We are planning the second workshop in Kyoto in March 18-20, with a prestigious invited speaker Professor Brian Hunt from the University of Maryland.
