The Role of Private Weather

Companies

Weather Decision Technologies

“The Premier Weather Content Provider”
Michael Eilts, President
eilts@wdtinc.com

March, 2007
 Overview

• The role of private weather companies in the U.S.

Weather Enterprise.
– Communication of NWS Forecasts, Watches and Warnings
– Adding Value to Weather Data
– Creating Weather Content
– Data Aggregators – Weather Data with other Data
– Turning Data into Information Specific to Business and
Consumer’s Decision Support needs
– Display over the Internet and via other means in the frame of
reference of the consumer
– Increasingly, alerting and display via mobile devices at the
location of the end user and for content different than the NWS
– Providing graphic systems and information for broadcast media
• Use WDT as an Example
 WDT Profile
• Founded in January, 1999, spun out of University of Oklahoma, fully
operational, April, 2000.

• The founders of WDT are all leading scientists from world renowned weather
research organizations in Norman:
• National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
• University of Oklahoma’s Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS)
• Oklahoma Climatological Survey.

• WDT Utilizes This Expertise to Provide Unique Applications, Services and

Systems to our Partners
 The only NEXRAD Level II-based CONUS-wide Radar Mosaics
 Short-term weather prediction (tornado, hail, lightning, precipitation, flooding, etc.)
 Nowcasting (1-4 hour precise forecasts) of precipitation
 Numerical Weather Prediction Systems and Services
 Radar-based Tools and Displays
 United States and Global Lightning Location Networks
 Google Earth and Virtual Earth Mapping

• Business Model:
• Work with and license state-of-the-science technologies from weather research organizations
in Norman and other locations.
• Wholesale these superior weather prediction capabilities to other weather companies and
companies with weather sensitive end users in the U.S.
• Sell “state-of-the-science” systems internationally and domestically
• Provide “Weather Forensics” information to Insurance and Roofing industries
 WDT Partners and Customers
Weather Related Companies: Energy and Water Management:
The Weather Channel Western Farmers Electric Cooperative
WeatherBug National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative
Accuweather Lower Colorado River Authority
Meteorologix Salt River Project (Utility and Water Company)
Weather Central Maricopa Flood Control District
IPS MeteoStar Denver Urban-Area Flood Control District
TOA Systems, Inc. Alabama Power/Southern Companies
Enterprise Electronics Corporation Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Raytheon Over 100 Electric Cooperatives
WeatherTap
WeatherBank State and Emergency Management
Fox Interactive Media Texas Weather Modification Association
Pennsylvania Emergency Management/GIS
Transportation:
Jeppesen International Government Weather Agencies:
Flight Explorer Taiwan Maldives
Weathernews Paraguay Italy
Iridium/True North Global Kenya Korea
Impact Weather Brunei Dubai Airport
Thailand
 Alerting: National Weather Service Watches and Warnings
Snapshot of actual real-time customer display 2/14/06 near St. Louis

Winter Storm
Warning

Flash Flood
Warning

Tornado
Warning
Severe Thunderstorm
Warning
NWS Watches and Warnings in Google Earth/Maps
Used by Large # of Consumers
WDT was the First and is the Leader in Displaying
all Hurricane Center Products in Google/Virtual
Earth
 Adding Value to Weather Data

• Removing Artifacts and Mosaicing Radar Data

• Rain/Ice/Snow Delineation
• Site Specific Forecasts Based-Upon NWS
Models and Zone Forecasts
WDT Radar Mosaic Summary
– WDT Mosaic
• Only mosaic available using
NEXRAD Level II data (128
colors vs. 15 with other
mosaics)
• Precip type (rain, snow,
mix)
• 1 by 1 km resolution
• Every 5 minutes
• High quality Radar QC
• Virtual volumes
– Rapid update always the
latest data
• Spherical interpolation
– Smooth/consistent analysis
• Time/Distance weighting
– Retains all information
 Radar Quality Control
Artifact Removal; Hybrid Scans; Gap Filling; Bright Band
Six steps to radar QC:
ID; Bright Band Removal; Gridding

Mosaic Before Clean-up Mosaic After Clean-up

Ground clutter and anomalous propagation are removed from the
radar data using 27 different parameters and a Neural Network
(WDT now runs a CONUS-wide Level II Mosaic every 2 minutes and a
CONUS + Canada Mosaic every 10 minutes)
WDT Radar Mosaic Example
 Current Conditions – CONUS: 14,000+ Global:
7000+

• WDT has 7 day

forecasts for
~42,000 points
in the CONUS
• Internationally
we have 7 day
forecasts for
~12,000 distinct
points.
 Creating Our Own Content

• Precipitation Estimation
• Severe Weather Detection and Prediction
• Radar Echo Nowcasting
• Precipitation Prediction (out to 4 hours)
• WRF Forecasts
• Lightning Detections and Predictions
 Precip Estimates

24 hr Accumulation
• WDT QPE Products
– Rain Water Equivalent
– Snow Depth
– Total Water Equivalent Total Water Equivalent
24 hr accumulation
• Rain + Snow
• Only Level II-based Precip
estimates available in the
weather industry!
• Nationwide
• 1 km Resolution
• Uses Quality controlled Mosaics
and Rain Gauge Information
• Precipitation Accumulation
Snow Depth
– 1hr -5 minute update 24 hr accumulation
– 3hr -1 hr Update
– 6hr -1 hr Update
– 12hr-1 hr Update
– 24hr -1hr Update

Rain Water Equivalent

24 hr accumulation
 Storm Cell and Severe Weather ID &
Tracking
WDT has greatly enhanced the NEXRAD/NSSL SCIT, Hail and Tornado Algorithms,
providing more consistent detections and better storm tracking and predictions
we provide to partners for use on television.

30 Min
Forecast “cone”
Past Positions

TVS

Available in Google Earth this Spring.

 Sample MAPLE Forecast
• 4 Hour
Forecasts of
radar
echoes
updated
every 15
minutes
• Exclusively
licensed
from McGill
• Nationwide
• 1 km
Resolution
• Uses Quality
controlled
Mosaics
• Precipitation
Typed
 Precipitation Nowcasting

• WDT QPF
Products (1, 2, 3,
4 hour nowcasts
of precip)
– Rain Water
Equivalent
– Snow Depth
– Total Water
Equivalent
• Rain + Snow
• Nationwide
• 1 km Resolution
• Uses quality
controlled
Mosaics
• Uses Maple
Nowcasts

4 Hour Precipitation Nowcast over Texas

Example of High-resolution WRF Numerical Model Forecast

Nesting to 5 km provides high resolution

forecast of a squall line over Oklahoma.
Note the strong temperature gradient, intense
precipitation along leading edge of the squall
line, and trailing stratiform wintry precipitation.
 Lightning Predictor

• WDT jointly owns the

United States Precision
Lightning Network
• We run a Proprietary
Lightning Prediction
Algorithm (LPA) which
predicts where and
when lightning will
affect an area in the
the
immediate future
• Forecasting Arrival and
Departure Times

Potential High Frequency Mod Frequency

Combining Weather Data with Other
Data
• Mashups
• GIS
• Google Earth/Maps
• Virtual Earth
Google Earth Mashup
Hurricane, Lightning and Radar in GIS
 Global Satellite and Lightning Data

• WDT is
exclusive
provider of
Global
Lightning
Data
• We have
mosaic’ed
global
satellite
data
Weather Decision Support Systems™

• HydroMet Decision Support System

• Lightning Decision Support System
• Aviation Weather Decision Support
System
 Custom HydroMet Decision Support Systems
Gauge Corrected QPE using Their Local Gauges
Lightning Decision Support System

Click on the asset for more

Lightning Information.
AWDSS Display Showing Gust Front Detection and
Prediction
Alerting to Customers and Consumers

• Alerts via web pages

• Site-Specific Alerts from WDT
generated content
• Site-Specific Alerts from NWS
Watches and Warnings
 Customer Alerting Example

• Alert Bar turns

red when alert
is generated
for your chosen
location(s)

• Clicking on
Alert Bar
provides
zoomed in
display and
weather threat
specifics
 Alerting to Cell Phone Example

WDT Lightning
Detection and
Prediction Warnings
are Sent To Cell Phones
Or Email for locations
chosen by the User…
 Alerting to Cell Phone Example

NWS Watches and

Warnings are Sent To
Cell Phones Or Email
for the Site Specific
Location of the User…
 Summary
• The role of private weather companies in the U.S.
Weather Enterprise.
– Communication of NWS Forecasts, Watches and Warnings
– Adding Value to Weather Data
– Creating Weather Content
– Data Aggregators – Weather Data with other Data
– Turning Data into Information Specific to Business and
Consumer’s Decision Support needs
– Display over the Internet and via other means in the frame of
reference of the consumer
– Increasingly, alerting and display via mobile devices at the
location of the end user and for content different than the NWS
– Providing graphic systems and information for broadcast media