National Weather Service(NWS)National Weather Service(NWS) Marine Weather Portal(MWP)Marine Weather Portal(MWP)

http://forecast.weather.gov/mwphttp://forecast.weather.gov/mwp

What is the “Marine Weather Portal” and why is it What is the “Marine Weather Portal” and why is it needed?needed?

This information is useful to a wide variety of users, including recreational enthusiasts, the shipping industry, emergency managers, and scientists.

“Marine Weather Portal” is a web portal that combines diverse coastal and marine observations and information for the Southeast and Gulf region.

What was the approach?To build on information management capacities developed by coastal ocean observing programs in the region through:

Aggregation of near real-time observations from in-situ platforms, models, and remote sensing

Integration of these with NOAA NWS observations and products

Leveraging of outreach activities within both NOAA NWS and coastal ocean observing systems

Regional integration and information management Regional integration and information management expertise provided an essential foundation for the data expertise provided an essential foundation for the data delivery functions of the Marine Weather Portaldelivery functions of the Marine Weather Portal

The Southeast Atlantic Coastal The Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) developed an (SEACOOS) developed an information management information management subsystem and some of the subsystem and some of the sophisticated processes and sophisticated processes and protocols needed to assemble and protocols needed to assemble and visualize data from various visualize data from various observation sites.observation sites.

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Jeanne25 - 27 September, 2004Merged wind observations and shore radar

The value of Marine Weather Portal to The value of Marine Weather Portal to recreational users:recreational users:

A variety of data and information products can be readily accessed through tabs and windows to obtain near real-time conditions for winds, water temperature, and potential hazards.

Real time information on coastal and offshore conditions promotes safety and sound planning.

8% of boating fatalities in 2004 were caused by hazardous waters.DHS Boating Statistics - 2004

The value of Marine Weather Portal to The value of Marine Weather Portal to emergency managers:emergency managers:

Near real-time Near real-time observations observations provide provide information on information on winds, waves, winds, waves, and water levels.and water levels.

Hazard information Hazard information is readily is readily transferred to the transferred to the general public.general public.

Improved preparation, response, and mitigation could reduce average cost of storm-related disasters by 10%, or $700M per year.Evaluation of Erosion Hazards, Heinz Center, 2000.

The value of Marine Weather Portal to The value of Marine Weather Portal to shipping and commerce:shipping and commerce:

Information on ocean and Information on ocean and meteorological meteorological conditions aid safe conditions aid safe navigation and navigation and promote cost-effective promote cost-effective decisionsdecisions

More than 95% of US More than 95% of US commerce is via ship – commerce is via ship – this contributes > $742 B this contributes > $742 B to US GDP and creates to US GDP and creates >13 M jobs.>13 M jobs.US DOT, 1999.US DOT, 1999.

Data Layers, Mouse Latitude/Longitude trackingData Layers, Mouse Latitude/Longitude tracking

Data LayersData Layers

Data Layers, Weather RadioData Layers, Weather Radio

Descriptions, Weather RadioDescriptions, Weather Radio

TechnologyTechnology

In-situ aggregation In-situ aggregation • Site ASCII, web service ->SQL (Xenia RDB)Site ASCII, web service ->SQL (Xenia RDB)

Mapping EngineMapping Engine• Mapserver, Mapserver,

(Geoserver–Java/J2EE),WMS,graphing-Gnuplot(Geoserver–Java/J2EE),WMS,graphing-Gnuplot Hourly pregeneration of zoom level Hourly pregeneration of zoom level

content – images, imagemaps, platform content – images, imagemaps, platform tablestables• AJAX, (Openlayers, Tilecache)AJAX, (Openlayers, Tilecache)

Redundancy/failover of server Redundancy/failover of server aggregation, content productionaggregation, content production• Virtualization, vmwareVirtualization, vmware

TechnologyTechnology

Separation of data production from Separation of data production from publish/web server user loadpublish/web server user load• High web user load – simple,quick local High web user load – simple,quick local

php/javascript file accessphp/javascript file access• Web services might be used to better Web services might be used to better

standardize initial aggregation/caching, standardize initial aggregation/caching, but too slow for direct/repeated/peak but too slow for direct/repeated/peak public consumptionpublic consumption

Still would like simpler web services Still would like simpler web services functions(get all latest)/schemas(O&M very functions(get all latest)/schemas(O&M very complex) – possibly working regional complex) – possibly working regional conventions(SEACOOS netCDF, ObsKML) conventions(SEACOOS netCDF, ObsKML) which can be mapped into multiple which can be mapped into multiple developing standardsdeveloping standards