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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Interactive Weather

There used to be a time, when I was younger, that severe weather, and even the onset of severe weather truly frightened me. In part I blame experiencing the tornadoes that occurred in April 1965 in Ottawa & Kent Counties Michigan which resulted in 5 deaths and 142 injuries.

Knowledge is power, or so they say, and the more I learned about the weather the more I began to enjoy the experience of all it different moods. The ability to be self reliant, not having to be beholding to the local weather forecaster, the weather channel or NOAA radio broadcasts, has proved to be, thus far, a valuable asset. It’s not that I do not pay attention to them; it’s more that in their brief time on tee-vee you only get so much information.

It was not until several tools became available to the public that participation in weather events has made the weather a truly interactive activity. As I searched for these tools I happened upon Digital Atmosphere.

By far, at least for me, the greatest feature in Digital Atmosphere is the ability to call up radar data from several different sites (fig 1) and have that data plotted out on one customized map instead of having to jump from radar site to radar site. In this way we have a broad area view of all the regional radar data available. Enter Amateur radio and the Skywarn network. Up to date information is critical to those serving “in the field” during a severe weather event or any weather event for that matter. Digital Atmosphere gives us Skywarn participants access to that level of information. One of the ways this data is shared is through use of a slow scan, robot, imagary broadcaster that our local Radio club has developed. It broadcasts the various weather related images on a UHF frequency. During weather events this data is streamed to spotters in the field and at home through slow scan tee-vee automatically. At other times, when the system is idle, specific images can be called up, on demand, through a series of DTMF tones from a users radio. Once the image is requested, it is transmitted via SSTV and the audio is demodulated using a computers soundcard (laptops in the field) to render the image on the screen.

fig.1 Radar plot of KLOT, KIWX, KAPX, KGRR, KGRB & KMKX

On a more personal note, the weather information gleaned from Digital Atmosphere is being used in conjunction with another of my weather-affected hobbies, Fly Fishing. It’s well known that the indirect results of air pressure changes have an effect on the fish and success in catching them. Precipitation, winds, and cloud cover (fig.2) are all associated with changes in air pressure, and those things probably more directly affect the environment of the fish than barometric pressure by itself does. What better way to visualize this than DA? I now have my own fishing forecaster!

fig.2: Regional, MI shaded weather plot showing temperature, pressure, wind vectors and station reports

Remember I said knowledge is power? Digital atmosphere provides the user with that knowledge. As the user delves further and deeper into the various levels of the program, more and more is learned about the mystical inner workings of the weather patterns that affect our daily lives. While I cannot claim to be a forecaster, as these patterns emerge nationally (fig. 3) using Digital Atmosphere, I am able, with some degree of accuracy, predict (if I dare use such a word) what the local weather events may be for the next day.

fig.3 National shaded weather plot showing temperature, pressure, wind vectors and station reports

Digital Atmosphere is a powerful program in it’s own right but another underlying factor of a great program is its user community. The user forum provides help to the most capable to the least capable; user scripts are posted to render shaded and colored maps, which truly make the data ingested, come to life. Like the program, the forums are very interactive.

I have given several public & private demonstrations of DA to other weather enthusiasts, emergency operations coordinators and members of the local radio club. All have exclaimed that they never knew such a tool was available. They may not have heard of Digital Atmosphere before…but they know about it now!

For so many the weather is a topic of conversation. They let it rule their lives in some respect. They react to it, complain about it, and even curse it. I used to be one of those who reacted. But now, like I said earlier, thanks to Digital Atmosphere, I interact with it and look forward each day to what Mother Nature offers up.