noaa: promoting safe and efficient commerce and transportation january 2005 charlie challstrom
TRANSCRIPT
NOAA: Promoting Safe and Efficient
Commerce and Transportation
January 2005Charlie Challstrom
Presentation Overview
• Surface Weather within NOAA
• Current Activities
• Future Activities & Opportunities
• Challenges
Surface Weather within NOAAWhy We’re Here
• NOAA is responsible for protecting life and property and promoting safe and efficient commerce and transportation
– Weather contributes to ~1,400,000 weather-related highway crashes and ~7,000 deaths per year
– 17% of all highway fatalities occur during adverse weather
– A 1% reduction in Intersection Crashes Saves 100 Lives and $1.24 Billion/year
Surface Weather within NOAAWhy We’re Here
• Goal:– Identify and implement
activities within NOAA’s mission to reduce the annual loss of life and productivity from surface transportation crashes and delays
Surface Weather within NOAA Why We’re Here
Vision:
• Safe, secure, efficient, and seamless movement of goods and people in the U.S. transportation system.
• Environmentally sound development and use of the U.S. transportation system
Surface Weather within NOAA Why We’re Here
NOAA Surface Weather Program • Established June 2004
Charter: • Provide the Nation with timely weather and
hazard information on a scale that supports improvements to safe and efficient transportation.
• Apply research and development to all surface transportation modes with highways as a priority and for prototype purposes.
Current ActivitiesObservations-Applications-Outreach
MDSS
Training
Clarus
NDFD
Current Activities Partnerships
• US Environmental Information Enterprise– Public-Private-Academic– Continuing to communicate and work with the
Commercial Sector• Interagency Partnerships
– FHWA: Clarus, Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
– OFCM WIST Working Group• Transportation Community
– NOAA membership in Intelligent Transportation Society of America
Future Activities Opportunities for Partnerships
• Integrated Surface Observing System
– Operational assimilation, ingest, and management system for external data
– Add more weather sensors to Geodetic Reference Stations
• Identify infrastructure vulnerability through Height Modernization
• Vehicles as mobile sensors
– Potential uses of Vehicle Infrastructure Integration data: temperature, precipitation, visibility
Future Activities Opportunities for Partnerships
• Getting Information to Travelers– E.g. Linking warnings and advisories to
highway Variable Message Signs via the Emergency Alert System
• Expanding Surface Transportation Weather Research– Public-Private-Academic Collaboration
• Promoting Best Practices– StormReady recognition, Training,
Education
Future Activities Trends
• Digital Services– Users can pull the information
they want when they need it– Easier to integrate with
information and display systems
• Next Generation of Models– Higher frequency and resolution– More ground level information
• Hardware Technology– Radar enhancements for spatial
resolution and type
Challenges
Technical• Integrating & assimilating
data from various networks
• Improving prediction of the surface layer of the atmosphere
• Turning mobile sensor data into meaningful information
Institutional• Public-Private-Academic
dynamics• Bringing the weather and
transportation communities together
• Privacy Issues (particularly mobile sensors)
Conclusion
• NOAA is responsible for protecting life and property and promoting safe and efficient commerce and transportation
• A partnership between weather and transportation communities can save lives and enhance the economy
• More information at: surfaceweather.noaa.gov