Transcript Document 7279406

Improving Communication and Situational Awareness:
Available tools for NWS operations
DEREK DEROCHE
NOAA / NWS, Weather Forecast Office, Pleasant Hill, Missouri
SUZANNE FORTIN, JULIE ADOLPHSON, ANDY BAILEY
NOAA / NWS, Weather Forecast Office, Pleasant Hill, Missouri
SCOTT BLAIR
NOAA / NWS, Weather Forecast Office, Topeka, Kansas
13th Annual High Plains Conference
North Platte, NE
Review of Multimedia Web Briefings
• A short recorded video
which incorporates
graphics, audio, and text
information
• Enables forecasters to
explain the “why” of the
upcoming situation as
well as forecast concerns,
confidence, uncertainty.
Not only a data provider
but a data interpreter
• Multi-media Weather
Briefing Integrated Work
Team in the process of
national implementation
Review of Emerging Technologies
Pietrycha, A. E., S. F. Blair, T. J. Allison, D. R. Deroche, and R. V. Fritchie, 2009:
Emerging technologies in the field to improve information in support of operations
and research NWA Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology., 2009-EJ2, 124
Live Chase
Cams
Live Chase Cams
Outline and Flow of Information of
a Tech-Savvy Storm Observer
Laptop
GPS
SN GUI
Mobile Obs
Mobile Video
Internet
via
Cell Phone or
Broadband Cards
Research Projects
Field Coordinator
National Weather
Service WFOs
Review of Emerging Technologies
Placefile Possibilities
• CR SA Displays
• Spotter Network
• NWS Warnings
• SPC Watches
• SPC Mesoscale Discussions
• SPC Day 1
Outlook/Probabilities
• MRESS observations
• METAR observations
• Local mesonet observations
• Local Storm Reports (LSR)
• WSR-88D algorithms
• Incorporated GPS location
• NOAA Wx Radio locations
• Amateur Radio Repeaters
• Customized GIS locations
Utilize favorite SA tool to display
pertinent information:
Gibson Ridge Software (GRLevelX),
Google Earth, StormLab, RadarLab
HD, others
Improving Office SA
Office Layout
Typical WFO Layout
• Majority of Weather
Service Employees are
introverts
• Design tends to
hinder communication
Office Layout
Emergency Operations Center Layout
Designed to maximize situational awareness
O
Office Layout
OUN Layout
Office Layout
• Increase
communication
and situational
awareness
• Challenge of
many WFO’s…
Limited Budget
$$$
• Takes a team
effort
Real-time SA Tools
Live TV Streams
• Allows WFO’s to
monitor other
television stations
outside of their
viewing area by
placing a slingbox at
the TV station or EM
office.
• May require outside
internet connection
Traffic/Web cams
• Can supply
real-time
Verification
• Not only found
within
metropolitan
areas
• Check with
Schools, TV
Stations, etc
TV Station Blogs/Live Chat Rooms
• Some TV stations
monitor and post
reports within a live
forum
• Viewers can post
reports as well
• Can be useful for
verification
Post Storm Tools
Social Networking
• Quickly disseminate
information to customers
with little hassle
• Reach newer, potentially
larger audience
• Upload waypoints from
damage survey app
•Utilize geo-locations to
view tweets via maps.
Could be potentially useful
for reports.
Damage Surveys
• Can be used to upload
waypoints of damage indicators
• Automatically creates Google
map with track damage and
descriptors
• Email or auto upload to social
networking sites.
• Mentioned on Motion X
website
http://news.motionx.com/categor
y/motionx-gps/
NSSL Hail/Meso GIS Plots
• Allows WFO’s to overlay hail/rotation plots atop Google Earth Maps
• Can be beneficial in identifying post event verification locations
Weather Mail
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM warning was issued for your area at 613 PM CDT WED JUN 17 2009.
We would appreciate it if you contacted us with any information on severe weather you might
have observed with this storm.
We are interested in the following kinds of weather information:
• Used for verification
1) Hail the size of a dime or larger.
•2) Sends
email
to or that are estimated to have exceeded 60 MPH.
Winds that out
causean
any kind
of damage,
3) Tornadoes and/or funnel clouds.
spotters
in database within
Please
be as descriptive as possible, and keep the following in mind if you are replying...
polygon
For All Events: Reference location of observed severe weather to cities, and road names.
For Hail: Include size of hail stones (estimated or measured), and time it occurred.
For Wind: Include speed (if known) or describe damage done, and time it occurred. As an
example include diameter of any limbs blown from trees, and any details on other objects that where damaged.
For Tornado/Funnel Cloud: Include description of where it was observed, if any damage was done, and
time it occurred.
You can follow the following link to a web-page hosted by the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy
which can give you information on the SEVERE THUNDERSTORM warning, and where the storm was.
http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/GIS/apps/rview/warnings_cat.phtml?year=2009&wfo=EAX&eventid=188&phenomena=S
V&significance=W
• Received ~700 responses
during 2009 svr wx season
• Possibilities with new
technology…ie include call
back number and spotter
Reponse:
hello
and thanxreporting
for email
network
via smart
here on the town square in kingston winds were approx 60 mph. i have a 30 foot top blown off of a 60 foot black locust
phones
tree
in my front yard. there was also extreme ponding from 1 1/4 inch of rain falling in minutes..
thankl you/ dennis yoakum
Integrated Warning Team
Integrated Warning Team
• Who makes up the
team?
- EM community
- Broadcast Media
- NWS
• Thinking of themselves
as something larger than
their organization?
Outgrowth of one slide from Dale Morris (2006) which built upon Integrated
Warning System concept of Doswell, Moller, and Brooks, WAF 1999
Integrated Warning Team
Takeaways
• Conducted a 3 day workshop focusing on:
The Integrated Warning Team concept (Day 1)
Relationships…Relationships…Relationships!!
• What social scientists can tell us (Day 2)
WAS*IS group spoke on findings from post event surveys,
communications research, other communities’ best practices
• Formulating a strategy for moving forward (Day 3)
Relationships…Relationships…Relationships!!
• Cost ~$8500 for invited speaker travel and lunch meals
Takeaways
• There was universal buy in with the IWT concept
Attendees
• The majority of the public get their information
directly from the media, Sirens were a close 2nd
• 6 TV stations and 2 Radio Stations were
represented
• 20 NWS Meteorologists from 5 WFOs and
CRH
• 60 EMs from in and out of the KC Metro
• 5 Social Scientists
What does this mean:
We’ve got to do anything we can to support the
media during severe weather
We really need to push towards a uniform siren
policy for warnings
Integrated Warning Team
Internal Communication Goals
• Get 90% IWT members using NWSChat during svr wx comms within
12 months
- Develop local NWS Chat admin group to help NWS
• Keep Communications going
- State Broadcaster Meetings
- Conduct “regionalized” mini-IWT workshops
- State and substate EM meetings
• Create KC MEMC “task force” to manage goals
(co-chaired by media, em, and nws representatives)
External Communication Goals
• Work to get all 4 KC TV stations using unified svr wx “bug” colors (then expand
out…St Joe, Kirksville)
• Investigate and work towards a unified siren policy
• Seek out local university social scientists to get their assistance conducing local
research on public response
• Work for wider distribution through hwy msg boards
• Work to limit tornado warning length to 30 minutes when possible
Traffic Management Systems
• KC Scout working towards
“Weather Integration for Traffic
Management”
• Future plans to integrate
warnings/weather messages on
message boards
Live Video Feeds