"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981
The advances in weather technology over the past few decades is nothing short of miraculous. A Doppler Radar beam can not only detect individual droplets of rain, but can "see" which direction they are moving! This information can then be translated into rotational detection algorithms predicting where a tornado may be forming.
-- Bill Gates, 1981
The advances in weather technology over the past few decades is nothing short of miraculous. A Doppler Radar beam can not only detect individual droplets of rain, but can "see" which direction they are moving! This information can then be translated into rotational detection algorithms predicting where a tornado may be forming.
And Doppler Radar is 20 years old! Just imagine what we'll see 20 years from now.
While every generation of technology brings new promise and new capabilities, there is one element that will never become obsolete: the human element. What is being reported by real people experiencing the severe weather right now? Meteorologists call this "ground truth" and it is absolutely essential to the public warning process.
Someday, weather prediction technology may be perfected. But until then, we need human eyes and human minds observing, reporting, and contributing to every community's safety.
Regards,
Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
P.S. Those tornado-prediction algorithms I referred to are known as Tornado Vortex Signatures and may be plotted in Weather Defender using the "Storm Attributes" layer.
Also in this update:
Layer Insight
Storm Reports provide "ground truth" during severe weather outbreaks.
Local Storm Reports -- reported by trained storm spotters and disseminated by the National Weather Service -- provide verification for what is actually happening during severe weather outbreaks.
2009 Spotter Training
Weather Spotter training, conducted by the National Weather Service, is underway in most states.
If you have not participated before, or if its been a few years and you would like a refresher, Spotter Training classes are an excellent way to get free training and meet the weather service professionals in your community.
Community Spotlight
Ryan Westlie
Caldwell County, Kentucky
Username: rwestlie
Silver Defender, Level 2
Occupation: Lead Computer Technician, Caldwell County Board of Education
The employees of Caldwell County Schools are responsible for the education and welfare of the kids that attend our district. When severe weather breaks we have to be able to make timely decisions for their safety.
The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.
No comments:
Post a Comment