1. Interactive Forecast Visualization Tools for the U.S. Armed Forces
R. Bruce Telfeyan
Chief, Technology Exploitation Branch
HQ Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)
5 Oct 05

2. Interactive Visualization Tools at AFWA
Interactive Grid Analysis and Display System (IGrADS)
Model-derived forecast visualizations
Operational on AFWA’s website, JAAWIN
Weather Interactive Data Display System (WIDDS)
Worldwide observational data
Space weather data (observed and forecast)
Operational target ~ Dec 2006

3. IGrADS
weather.afwa.af.mil

4. Model Choices {

5. Available Meteorological Models
AFWA MM5 (in phased transition to WRF)
AFWA Diagnostic Cloud Forecast (DCF) Algorithm
AFWA Stochastic Cloud Forecast Model (SCFM)
NCEP GFS
NCEP NAM
US Navy NOGAPS
US Navy COAMPS
UKMO (Middle East Theater)
Air Force Dust Transport Application

6. IGrADS Products and Options
Fifteen visualized product types
Meteograms, skew-Ts, cross sections, forecast charts, cloud forecasts, etc
Up to 45 model parameters for forecast maps
Thirteen alphanumeric products
Thirty-four separate map displays
Ability to select regions, routes, or points within each map domain

7. Meteograms (from Pole to Equator to Pole)

8. Pre-Staged SLP, 1000-500 mb Thickness Chart
Compared with IGrADS tailored chart
Pre-staged visualization
IGrADS-generated visualization
with color-filled parameter

9. Forecast Map Super Typhoon Chaba (valid 25 Aug 04/1200Z), south of Japan
Surface winds (knots) (color-filled)
Sea Level Pressure contours (mb) (black)

10. Sample Alphanumeric Product

11. New IGrADS Capabilities
Convective wind gust potential
Persistent contrail charts
Ceiling/visibility < 1,500 ft and/or 3 miles
Users’ Guide – Help Button
Equivalent potential temperature
Meteogram vertical profiles
Vertical cross sections
Dust forecasts
Forecast maps
Sea Surface Temperatures (Nov 06)

12. Forecast Map and User Defined Meteogram Convective wind gust potential, off the southeast coast

13. Dust Forecast Capabilities
Dust Concentration, surface winds and
temperature
North to South
vertical Cross Section

14. Equivalent Potential Temperature Capability
MM5 with Equivalent Potential Temperature
MM5 with Potential Temperature
Cross sections through Western Pacific, South of Japan ~ 22ºN
(Typhoon Soulik)
Equivalent/Potential Temperature, Winds, RH, Clouds
13 Oct 06/1506Z

15. IGrADS Customer Feedback
Kadena AB, Okinawa: “ … we often use your site for planning missions up to 72 hours out. The forecasts aid greatly in our decision making during the planning and execution phases of our missions (air refueling, air delivery, low level flight, short field landings, and basic point A to point B logistics flights).”
Thule AB, Greenland: “I usually print out a vertical cross-section and include it with the pre-takeoff briefing package. Aircrews rave about the product.”
Captain deployed in Afghanistan: “IGrADS has been the decisive difference we need. I use it extensively … especially the Afghan 5 km window for the model skew-Ts.”

16. Weather Interactive Data Display System (WIDDS)
Background
Customers requested an interactive capability for observational data
Desired a capability much like AWC’s ADDS site, with worldwide coverage
Availability targeted for Dec 2006
Connectivity will be through AFWA’s JAAWIN
Future plans
May ultimately replace IGrADS with more agile, faster product delivery

17. WIDDS Highlights Entirely Java-based interactive observational
Future expansion to display model data
Initially developed to meet field units’ most requested products
Worldwide display of interactive observational data
Metars, synoptics, special obs, buoys, ship reports
AIREPS, PIREPS, MDCRS, ACARS, AMDAR
TAFs
Future: RAOBS, PIBALs, wind profilers
Version 1.0 consists of the capability to display observational surface data including METARS and SPECIs and flight data included in AIREPS and PIREPS.
Space wx visualizations already completed include output of the PRISM and magnetometer data

18. WIDDS Space Weather Displays
Current / future applications include space weather data visualizations
Visualization of Space Weather model data (PRISM/IFM)
Visualize DMSP SSM Data
Visualization of Ionosonde data (future—perhaps early 2007)
Global Assimilation Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) model (future)
SSULI / SSUSI (limb and spectrographic ultraviolet imagers) (future)

19. Worldwide WIDDS Coverage
WIDDS Theater Choices

20. (with cursor over station to view observation trends)
METARs over Eastern US
(with cursor over station to view observation trends)
METARs over Eastern US with cursor over station to view observation text.

21. WIDDS Observation Configuration Panel

22. AIREPS over North America (17 Jan 1900Z to 2200Z)
AIREPS over North America reported from 1900Z to 2200Z.

23. Future Interpolation Capability Sea Level Pressure, Surface Plots

24. Future Interpolation Capability Equivalent potential temperature, MSLP, plots

25. Future Interpolation Capability
Color Fill: Temperature
Orange contours: MSLP
Light Blue contours:
Dew Point

26. Future Model Data Displays GFS 1-degree: MSLP, Winds, Surface Temperature

27. GFS Absolute Vorticity

28. Parameterized Real-time Ionospheric Specification Model (PRISM)
Arctic world view of model output of the FOE Layer
Parameterized Realtime Ionospheric Specification
Arctic world view of the FOE Layer, using the “Fill” contours valid 2030Z to 2130Z.
Showing the frequency at which the reflection will occur at a given height
Tight gradient effects radio more
~200km typically

29. Summary
IGrADS is the DoD’s premier interactive weather forecast visualization tool
Available through AFWA’s JAAWIN website
Wide range of meteorological models
Broad array of products (visualizations and alphanumeric)
Product availability for the entire globe
Continued expansion of capabilities ongoing
WIDDS (Dec 2006) will provide observational data
Worldwide availability, metwatch thresholding, panning, zooming
Space weather forecast and observed products
Future interpolation and model output display capability

30. Questions welcome!