NOAA: Promoting Safe and Efficient Commerce and Transportation January 2005 Charlie Challstrom

Presentation Overview Surface Weather within NOAA Current Activities Future Activities & Opportunities Challenges

Surface Weather within NOAA Why 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 NOAA Why 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 Activities Observations-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