Back to the Future:
UW’s Space Science Center
Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology
Terry Kelly
Chairman and CEO
Weather Central, LLC
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
1
Terry Kelly
• B.S. Meteorology, UW
Madison 1971
• Department of Meteorology
1973-1975
• SSEC 1973-1977
• TV Meteorologist 1974-1986
(AMS Seal of Approval)
• Founded Weather Central in
1974
• Founded ColorGraphics
Weather Systems in 1979
• AMS Award for Outstanding
Service 1990
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
2
Not Without U.W.!
• Academic appointment 1973
• University/Industry Research Grant:
Develop Applied Program
• IVAM Project Meteorologist
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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What’s an IVAM?
• “Innovative Video Applications in
Meteorology”
• Funded by NOAA 1974-1977
• Verner Suomi, P.I.
• Terry Kelly, Project Meteorologist
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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Ambitious Goals
• Make ground-breaking satellite imagery
available to markets worldwide
• Develop a production system for television
weather:
– 30 FPS, NTSC standards, full color, automatic
updates
• National Distribution of “NowCasting”
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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“NowCasting”
• Detailed, accurate weather for 0 to 12
hours
• Address specific needs of farmers, pilots,
fishermen, agriculture, the public . . .
• Real time updates using McIDAS
• Severe weather alerting
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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“McIDAS”
• Man-Computer Interactive Data Access
system
• Dr. Richard T. Daly, J.T. Young and other
pioneers
• First animated satellite images
• PDP-11 based
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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Kelly’s Role – 1974-1977
• Conceive, develop, document prototype
weather segments for the public and
industry
• Include “futures” such as animation, color
transitions, transparency, text crawls
• 1978: First McIDAS-generated
weathercast: 6PM in Washington, DC
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
8
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
9
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
10
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
11
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
12
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
13
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
14
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
15
1990 Weathercaster’s Presentation
• Video - A brief history of electronic weather
presentation
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
17
Weather Central / UW Partnership:
Into the 21st Century
• Weather Central “SuperMicrocast” 10 KM
overlapping World Grid
• Dr. Greg Tripoli and team: key modeling science
• Weather Central: key developments in severe
weather prediction, worldwide applications
• Next: worldwide model downscaled through 1
KM land use/vegetation and topographic models
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
18
Temperature at 20 kms
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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Temperature at 1 km
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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McIDAS Breakthroughs in
1976-1978
• “AA Command” – allowed “earth navigation” coordinates
using visible reference points
• Mapping and Overlays – first “frame buffer”; also allowed
text and overlays of “Service A” and “604” data
• “WINDCO” – measurement of cloud direction and speed
using “looped” satellite images.
• Archiving and Retrieval on
• “Sounder” Group – (Bill Smith, Paul Menzel, Hank
Revercomb)
– Next Level remote sensing
– “CAT SCANS” of atmosphere
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
UW’s Space Science Center
“Innovative Video Applications in Meteorology”
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2009 WEATHER CENTRAL, LLC
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