1. Tracking Storms with GIS Toni Mastropieri and Jason Pollack EM SC 100S: Section 4 “Know yourself and know your enemy, and victory is guaranteed. Know the terrain and know the weather, and you will have total victory.” - Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, 4th century BC

2.  An atmospheric disturbance involving perturbations of the prevailing pressure and wind fields ◦ Examples include tornadoes, hurricanes, thunder storm, and blizzards  Influences human activity in agriculture, transportation, construction, flood control, and the transmission of electric energy http://www.carrottspc.com/h2o / http://producemagazine.com/2011/06/midwest- flooding-corn-prices-double-farm-fields-devastated/

3.  People have been trying to predict the weather since the dawn of civilization  Lack of knowledge of dangerous storms caused the death toll to be larger than it would be in the present  Modern forecasting came about with an increase in mapping and communications technologies http://lifehacker.com/398153/top-10-modern-life- survival-skills

4. http://www.personal.psu.edu/stw141/blogs/weatherforecasting/ Output Forecast Initialization Observation Analysis http://www.accuweather.com/video/9551451001/north east-extended-regional-we.asp http://www.accuweather.com/us/pa/university- park/16802/city-weather-forecast.asp

5.  Computer intensive models  Examples include: ◦ Google Earth ◦ Hurricane Tracking ◦ Severe Weather Warnings ◦ NASA World Wind http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ http://www.weather.gov/

6.  You can help too!  All volunteer based ◦ Over 6,500 observers in 26 states ◦ The only requirements are enthusiasm and a desire to learn more about weather  How it’s accomplished  Overall Goal http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/ ?n=cocorahs http://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/ViewMap.aspx?state=usa http://rainlog.org/usprn/html/ main/posting-snow.jsp http://www.nasa.gov/mission.pages/shuttle/ behindscenes/hail_monitor.html

7.  Labeled as the worst storm of the 2007 Atlantic season  However, due to advances in meteorology (because of GIS!), Dean’s well-predicted track helped people to prepare for its landfall  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C8IIzFY-oM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C8IIzFY-oM http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/02 /the_new_and_improved_hurricane_1.php http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL042007_Dean.pdf

8.  Meteorology and maps are a natural fit!  Allows forecasters to be able to predict the path of a storm with more accuracy  GIS has made watching the weather a more integral part of everyday life ◦ People can “connect” with the visual proof of the maps ◦ Affects daily activities:  Rushing to go to the market before a huge snowstorm  Evacuations for hurricanes http://ldctstormchaser.blogspot.com/2011/0 2/chicago-blizzard-more.html http://www.lisisoft.com/tools/radar.html

9.  What are some disadvantages that you can think of?  Excessive Reliance ◦ Predicted wrong ◦ How to survive without having constant access to weather predictions ◦ Damaged economy http://geology.com/news/category/north-carolina.shtml www.shutterstock.com 64445158

10.  Storms  History of forecasting  Forecasting  GIS is an important part of weather tracking ◦ Includes normal layers as well as others ◦ You can get involved  GIS advantages and disadvantages

11.  Committee on Observation Earth Satellites. “Weather Forecasting.” The Earth Observation Handbook. European Space Agency, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011..  Franklin, James L. /‌tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Dean. Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center, 2008. PDF file.  Gerrity, Joseph P., et al. “Weather Forecasting and Prediction.” AccessScience. McGraw- Hill, 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2011..  National Weather Service. “Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.” National Weather Service National Forecast Office. National Weather Service, 23 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Oct. 2011..  Newton, Chester W, “Storm.” AccessScience. McGraw-Hill, 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2011..  Vasquez, Tim. Weather Forecasting Red Book. Garland, Texas: Weather Graphics Technologies, 2006. Print.  Walker, Nick. “Weather Proverbs.” The Weather Dude. USA Today, 2006. Web. 5 Oct. 2011..