Future WFO Significant Event Operations and Services

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Future WFO Significant Event Operations and
Services

• David L. Andra, Jr.
• WFO Norman, Oklahoma

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Today
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The Future
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• A new WFO
• Concept of Operations?

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Central Premise
Science based services in support of emergency
decision making associated with significant
events is the most important thing we do!
White House photo
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Expected Emphasis

• Significant or High Impact Events
• Severe Weather
• HAZMAT
• Natural Disaster
• Manmade Disaster
• Homeland Security
• A Focus on Impacts!

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Severe convection is a subset of a significant
event based concept of operations.
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SoWhat should we be thinking about?
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(No Transcript)
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The Challenge

• Enable and Communicate
• forecaster expertise

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Enabling Forecaster Expertise

• Improve SA
• Non traditional information
• Gatekeeper or coordinator
• Improve Data Integration
• GIS based workstation
• Better data visualization
• Multi-sensor algorithms

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Improve SA

• Non Traditional Information
• TV
• Webcams
• Electrical Grid Status
• Road Conditions
• More

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Improve SA

• Gatekeeper or Coordinator

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Improve Data Integration

• GIS Based Workstations
• High detail mapping
• Database Integration
• Enhanced Data Exchange

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Improve Data Integration

• Better Data Visualization

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Improve Data Integration

• Multi Sensor Algorithms

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Communicating Forecaster Expertise

• Exploit Digital Media
• The Internet
• Georeference Information and Expertise
• Enable users decision making
• Probabilistic Threat Information
• Smaller scales

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Exploit Digital Media
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Georeference Information and Expertise

• Geographic Information System
• Layered, highly detailed mapping
• Database query
• Standard data formats
• Integrates NWS, customers
• Puts our expertise in their context

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Enable Decision Making
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Probabilistic Threat Information
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Probabilistic Threat Information
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Hail gt 0.75
70-10 Wind gt 60 MPH 30-10 Probability
envelope 45 minutes
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RIDGE
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Georeference Information and Expertise
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Possibilities
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Most Important Initiatives

• Revise Digital Services to include
  georeferenced, probabilistic information at all
  scales.
• Find better ways to integrate new and present
  data sets.

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Most Important Initiatives

• Develop GIS based meteorological workstation with
  new visualization capability.
• Shift field offices operational focus to high
  impact event support and service.

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Reference URLs

• GIS
• www.esri.com
• earth.google.com
• www.gis.ucar.edu
• www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/

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Reference URLs

• Other
• www.wdssii.org
• www.nssl.noaa.gov/rrdd/par/index.shtml
• www.cimms.ou.edu/schuur/dualpol/
• ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_8
  1549.htm (SADS link)
• casa.caps.ou.edu (CASA radars)

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Questions or Comments?