KCCI SchoolNet8 Workshop

Daryl Herzmann

Iowa Environmental Mesonet

Iowa State University

The Rundown

CIPCO/IEM/KCCI/NWS partnership

Who is using your data?

IEM Tracker

Our Partnership

IEM

NWS

KCCI -TV

Process Feedback

Custom Data Products

Project Support

Data Services

Improved Products

Operations Support

Iowa Environmental Mesonet 411

What does ‘mesonet’ mean?

‘meso’ - Spatial scale, ‘net’ - network

Why ‘environmental’?

We are interested in air quality, water quality and other non-weather datasets

Abbreviated 'IEM'

More on the IEM

Project of the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University

We are data pigs.

Look to meet the growing data needs of users in the State and elsewhere.

KCCI SchoolNet is one of the many networks that send data to us.

Data Flow

Data Formatting

C 074 Min 02/17/03 ENE 00MPH 000K 460F 007F 084% 30.08" 00.00"D 00.07"M 00.00"R

D 074 Max 02/17/03 ENE 10MPH 050K 460F 021F 100% 30.20" 00.00"D 00.07"M 00.00"R

E 074 12:01 02/17/03 ENE 03MPH 046K 460F 020F 099% 30.09F 00.00"D 00.07"M 00.00"R

Your site produces roughly 6 obs per minute!

SchoolNet8 Data Users

KCCI uses it!

SchoolNet8 Data Users

Storm Prediction Center [SPC]

Norman, Oklahoma

In charge of providing timely forecasts of extreme weather.

Use schoolNet8 data to help identify mesoscale boundaries critical in severe weather forecasting

SchoolNet8 Data Users

River Forecast Center [RFC]

Chanhassen, MN

In charge of analyzing and forecasting river flood conditions. Hydrological data.

Use SchoolNet8 precipitation totals for their water analysis.

The SchoolNet8 network has doubled the hydrological observing sensors in Central Iowa.

SchoolNet8 Data Users

Forecast Systems Laboratory [FSL]

Boulder, Colorado

Data collected under the MADIS project.

Data is used in very detailed and heavily quality controlled surface analysis programs.

This data is then included in some operational weather forecasting models run in D.C.

SchoolNet8 Data Users

National Weather Service [NWS]

Des Moines, IA

Receiving data in three different formats

Use data in hydrological applications, surface analysis, severe weather awareness, winter weather awareness.

Are automatically alerted of 50+ MPH wind gusts and heavy rainfall.

NWS Auto Alerts

Previously, KCCI would have to manually relay observations to the weather service.

Now, the IEM automatically generates warnings that appear on forecaster workstations.

NWS AWIPS alerts

18 June 2003:
Nevada SchoolNet

A good example of how data from your school can make a difference in your community.

RADAR Loop

At 1:34 PM, an alert is generated

=======================

KCCI SchoolNet8 Wind Gust Alert

-------------------------------

Time: 01:34 pm -- 18 June 2003

Site: NEVADA COMMUN

Gust: 58 MPH

At 1:37 PM, the NWS warns

137 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

EASTERN STORY COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

7 MILES WEST OF COLLINS AROUND 150 PM AND

NEAR MAXWELL AROUND 155 PM.

DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MILES AN HOUR ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED

AREA. THE KCCI SCHOOLNET SITE IN NEVADA REPORTED 58 MPH WINDS AT 134

PM.

IEM Tracker

IEM Tracker

System to manage metadata about sites

Most of you have probably gotten the emails from “Iowa Environ Mesonet”

Since the system came online on 25 June 2002, it has generated over 20,000 tickets

Most of these tickets are generated from the automated data tracking system

What are offline alerts?

When ‘online’, your site is streaming observations to the Internet at roughly 6 obs per minute.

A process on the IEM server monitors this feed and once the most recent ob is 30 minutes old, a trouble ticket is generated and site contacts are emailed.

Understanding the Ticket.

---------------------------------

| *** IEM TRACKER REPORT *** |

------------------------------------------------------------

ID : SCOI4

Station Name : COLO ELEM _ COLO

Status Change : [OFFLINE] Site is NOT reporting to the IEM

Trouble Ticket# : 3704

Last Observation : 2003-02-17 23:53:00.00

More about the tickets

Probably 50% of the tickets are network related and out of your hands.

5% of the tickets are responded to with further information

IEM tracker has improved network performance for each of the networks it monitors.

SchoolNet8 Performance

Fewest Tickets

0 BCLUW

1 Ogden

2 Madrid

Highest Online %

99 BCLUW

98 Fort Dodge

97 Oskaloosa

Most Tickets

134 Colo

126 Adel

121 Lamoni

Lowest Online %

74 Clarion

78 Mallard

79 Blank Zoo

Year by year

Year	Sites	Online %

2002	46	85%

2003	53	87%

2004	63	91%

2005(ytd)	66	97%

Keep those clocks set!

Data on the website is given a timestamp of the current IEM system clock and NOT the timestamp on the observation.

The precipitation counters are adversely impacted by drifting clocks.

It makes it a bit more difficult to calculate daily precipitation totals.

Download Data Archive

Data Archives

1 minute data archive exists since 12 Feb 2002, this is available on-line

Since 10 Jul 2002, every observation is archived, but not readily available. I can fill these data requests if you send me an email.

WWW Resources

Circa 2001

Circa 2002

Circa
2003

Today

Which website is which?

Questions?

Daryl Herzmann

3010 Agronomy Hall

Ames, IA 50010

515.294.5978

Cell: 515.451.9249

akrherz@iastate.edu

No Slide Title

Daryl Herzmann

2003-02-07T10:07:23