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

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

IGrADS https:// weather.afwa.af.mil

Model Choices { https://weather.afwa.af.mil/igrads.html

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

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

Meteograms (from Pole to Equator to Pole)

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

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

Sample Alphanumeric Product

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)

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

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

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

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.”

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

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

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)

Worldwide WIDDS Coverage WIDDS Theater Choices

(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.

WIDDS Observation Configuration Panel

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

Future Interpolation Capability Sea Level Pressure, Surface Plots

Future Interpolation Capability Equivalent potential temperature, MSLP, plots

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

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

GFS Absolute Vorticity

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

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

Questions welcome!