News
Panasonic, NOAA sign deal for hi-res weather data
Panasonic Avionics Corporation has announced an agreement to supply its advanced global aircraft weather data to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the National Mesonet Program.
November 10, 2015 By Panasonic Avionics
Panasonic’s proprietary high-resolution atmospheric observations will improve forecasts from the regional and global weather models run by the National Weather Service. Dr. Neil Jacobs, Chief Atmospheric Scientist for Panasonic Weather Solutions, which is part of Panasonic Avionics, “We are very excited to continue our long-term relationship with NOAA to improve the quality of weather forecasting in the United States. The distinct advantages of our aviation-based observational data will enhance NOAA’s mission of protecting life and property.”
TAMDAR data provides observations of wind, temperature, and moisture every five seconds as TAMDAR-equipped aircraft descend and ascend at nearly 300 airports across North America. Each day, these take offs and landings provide upwards of 1500 “vertical profiles” in the vicinity of these airports, greatly supplementing the vertical profiles observed with National Weather Service balloons. TAMDAR also provide about 3500 profiles each day from several hundred additional airports located in East Asia, the Pacific, and Europe.
“The National Weather Service has long recognized the utility of TAMDAR data for analysis and numerical forecast models and I’m pleased about this path forward to incorporate these data in our day-to-day operations,” said Louis Uccellini, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.
“The provision of this unique TAMDAR dataset continues to steer the National Mesonet Program in a direction consistent with the National Academy of Science’s ‘Network of Networks’ vision of a broad range of non-federal data to improve situational awareness at National Weather Service forecast offices and to enhance our high-resolution modeling capabilities,” said Curtis Marshall, Ph.D., National Mesonet Program Manager at the National Weather Service.
The National Mesonet Program is the National Weather Service’s primary program for acquiring meteorological observational data from networks operated by non-federal partners, including the states, academia, and the private sector. Global Science and Technology, Inc. was awarded the most recent umbrella contract, which includes nearly three dozen network partners, including Panasonic’s TAMDAR network.
