Ken Haydu - WFO ILN MIC

Overview Software development began with a meeting between the Ohio EMA and WFO ILN in late Identified requirements included more efficient briefing creation at the WFO and real time updates for the EMA as new products are issued. First version of the software was completed during November and December, 2008.

Features – Briefing Type The starting point for every briefing is determining the type of significant weather. Available types are Winter, Hydro, Convective, Generic, and (as needed) Tropical. For ongoing events, previous briefings can be retrieved via the Prior Briefing option.

Features – Available Options Products typically associated with the selected briefing type are displayed here. Images are the primary options, with entire webpages (using inline frames) and YouTube videos also supported. Products can be moved into the briefing either by double-clicking, or by selecting the product and clicking Select Option.

Features – Briefing Slides Products selected for inclusion in the briefing are listed here. Products in this column can be reordered, removed and annotated with a caption. Products containing permanent annotations are highlighted blue; temporary annotations are highlighted red. Slides can be reordered by clicking/dragging up and down as needed.

Features – Slide Manipulation Select Option moves the selected product from “Available Options” to “Briefing Slides”. Remove Slide moves the selected product from “Briefing Slides” back to “Available Options”. Move Slide Up and Move Slide Down are used to reorder the selected product in the “Briefing Slides” column.

Features – Annotation Products in the Briefing Slides column can be selected for annotation. The product is displayed in a separate window, along with text boxes for permanent and temporary annotations. Permanent annotations apply to products in any briefing type with the same name. Graphical annotations on the image are not supported at this time.

Features – Adding Images I Images can be added to the “Available Options” list as needed. Images can be added from the PC or LAN via a browsing interface called by clicking the Locate Image File on PC or LAN button. Images can be added from the Internet by copying or dragging their URL to the New Option URL from Web… text box.

Features – Adding Images II After the image has been located, a plain English name is entered in the New Option Name… text box. Clicking the Add to “Available Options” button will add the name of the new image to that column. The new image can now be included in the briefing as needed.

Features – Briefing Actions I The briefing may be previewed in either Firefox or Internet Explorer by clicking the Make Web Page button. Once the briefing is complete, it can be sent to the public web server by clicking the Send To Web button. Modifications are in progress to send the briefing to web sites using a Configuration Management System (CMS).

Features – Briefing Actions II The briefing can be saved as a static document via Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer by clicking the Make PDF/DOC button. The briefing can be saved for later recall and adjustments by clicking the Save Briefing button.

Usage Tips I This software creates a briefing that can be part of a live presentation (such as a GoToMeeting), but also continues to update the customer after the live segment is complete. With this in mind, it is important to add just the right amount of detail so the briefing is more or less self explanatory, but doesn’t appear dated as the event evolves. A good way to accomplish this is by avoiding the use of specific, dated information in any annotated graphics. Instead, put this kind of information in available text summary slides with wording clearly describing the time period being discussed.

Usage Tips II Since the briefing is all on one scrolling browser window, try to specify the page number of each product as it is discussed when giving live presentations. If the briefing needs to be printed, it will be paginated based on the included page numbers. This occurs whether printing from the browser or the word processor. The efficiency of the software seems to be best realized by saving the initial briefing for an event, then recalling, tweaking and saving that product each time an update is required through to event completion.

Other Sample Images Browser View Word Processor View

Additional Information The software has been used exclusively for state and county briefings since late 2008 at WFO ILN. The software is written entirely in Java to allow use across multiple platforms. Enhancements are added as time permits. ER Collaboration Server software information page. The latest WFO ILN briefing URL. Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to Todd Shobe, WFO ILN ITO.