Episode 17 - Better Sensing = Better Prediction

Show Notes

Hosts:  Jeff Cunningham and Ryan Harris

Guest: No Guest

Description:  Sensing technology and the environmental observations they take provide the data fuel that powers weather prediction.  More quality observations are needed across land, sea, and air to more accurately predict everything from the weather tomorrow to high-impact events like the track and intensity of Hurricane Ian for instance.  Industry in this area is set to explode as new proprietary sensing technologies are used by companies and with the development of dual-use technology to harness observations from environmental sensors via the Internet of Things (IoT).  LISTEN HERE

References:

• Drone technology leveraged by NOAA to predict Hurricane Ian (Fox News Weather)
• (VIDEO) Riding with the hurricane hunters in Hurricane Ian (CBS News)
• Wave sensors deployed to improve Hurricane Ian forecasts (University of Washington)
• Are global river gauges adequately placed? (Nature)
• Using IoT to help cities react to weather (Forbes)
• New drones could spot wildfires earlier, even help snuff them out (Scientific American)
• Drones Provide Eye-in-the-Sky to Help Fight Fires (USDA)
• Flying, amphibious drones may help us fight wildfires in a warming world (Popular Science)
• Circa January 1961: Lorenz and the Butterfly Effect (American Physical Society)

Hurricane Ian, sensing sensitivities, and data quality

(0:01:47)

The importance of sensing technology and observations for predictions

(0:10:22)

Filling data gaps and new sensing technology to improve hurricane and other forecasts

(0:17:36)

Weather observation applications: water, transportation, agriculture, wildfires, and more

(0:24:51)

Future of sensing: drones, dual-use technology, IoT, the cloud, and more

(0:29:31)