Weather and Emergency Management Decision Support

Overview
Weather has a significant impact on society and the economy. Understanding weather is critical to decisions about evacuations, allocation of resources, school and business closures, water resource management and disease contaminant efforts. However, there are currently few decision support systems through which science-based weather information from the National Weather Service is effectively communicated to inform emergency management decisions.

RENCI, in collaboration with NOAA and the National Weather Service, is combining its experience in data management and environmental and disaster research with East Carolina University’s human geography and social science expertise to develop prototypes of an extensible, dynamic system to incorporate weather and climate information into the emergency management decision-making processes. Such a system is envisioned to enable effective communication and to better protect lives and property during both sudden and prolonged weather events. The prototypes will demonstrate how collaborative technologies can facilitate knowledge exchange and situational understanding among weather forecasters and emergency managers at emergency operations centers and in the field.

Project Details +

Overview
Weather has a significant impact on society and the economy. Understanding weather is critical to decisions about evacuations, allocation of resources, school and business closures, water resource management and disease contaminant efforts. However, there are currently few decision support systems through which science-based weather information from the National Weather Service is effectively communicated to inform emergency management decisions.

RENCI, in collaboration with NOAA and the National Weather Service, is combining its experience in data management and environmental and disaster research with East Carolina University’s human geography and social science expertise to develop prototypes of an extensible, dynamic system to incorporate weather and climate information into the emergency management decision-making processes. Such a system is envisioned to enable effective communication and to better protect lives and property during both sudden and prolonged weather events. The prototypes will demonstrate how collaborative technologies can facilitate knowledge exchange and situational understanding among weather forecasters and emergency managers at emergency operations centers and in the field.

Funding
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service

RENCI Project Team
Ken Galluppi, project leader
Jason Coposky
Brian Etherton
Jeff Heard
Ray Idaszak
Jessica Losego
Lisa Stillwell

Collaborators
National Weather Service Office of Science and Technology
NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Service
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
East Carolina University
Granville County, NC, divison of emergency management
UNC Chapel Hill department of computer science

Partners
Institute for the Environment

Links
National Weather Service Taps RENCI to Explore Decision Support Services for Weather Emergencies

Project Details -