States contribute data to NOAA GPS-Met demonstration network
GPS continuously operating reference stations (CORS) belonging to the Departments of Transportation in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas are now providing GPS data to the Forecast Systems Laboratory for use in atmospheric research. The near real-time observations from these 60 stations are being used by FSL to evaluate the utility of GPS water vapor observations for improved operational weather forecasting. The incorporation of these sites into the FSL GPS-Met network has almost doubled the number of observations available to NOAA Research and the National Weather Service in one year at virtually no cost to the Federal Government.
Like the federal Department of Transportation before them, state and local government agencies across America are now building GPS CORS networks for the purpose of improving statewide transportation facilities, and to support local and regional planning, surveying and mapping, design, construction, intelligent transportation systems, and emergency (911) response applications. By all accounts, the improvements in engineering accuracy and productivity in the public and private sectors resulting from their use have made GPS CORS one of the best investments in federal and state infrastructure in recent years.
Due to a fortuitous synergy between the requirements for high accuracy GPS positioning and GPS meteorology, these state and local government sites also provide valuable information that is being used by FSL to continuously monitor upper-air moisture under all weather conditions. Without exception, the states are enthusiastic about the ancillary use of these data to provide improved weather forecasts to their citizens with little or no additional expense or impact on their routine operation.
FSL GPS water vapor retrievals from almost 200 sites, including the 60 state DOT sites described here, are now available to operational forecasters, modelers, and researchers every half hour. These data are making substantial contributions to subjective weather forecasting, and they have been shown to reliably improve short-term numerical weather forecasts, especially under active weather conditions when the information is needed most. In addition to their use in weather forecasting, the utility of these data in climate monitoring and satellite sensor calibration is also under investigation.
List of state agencies currently providing GPS data to FSL
| Agency | Stations |
|---|---|
| Alaska DOT | Anchorage, AK |
| Mesa County, CO | Grand Junction, CO |
| Florida DOT | Defuniak Springs, FL Gainsville, FL Jacksonville, FL Palatka, FL Panama City, FL Perry-Foley, FL Tallahasse, FL Defuniak Springs, FL Palatka, FL Panama City, FL Perry-Foley Airport, FL Tallahasse, FL |
| Ohio DOT | Columbus, OH Defiance, OH Freeport Outpost, OH Gustavus Outpost, OH Lebanon, OH Morgon County Garage, OH Pike County Garage, OH Sidney, OH Tiffin, OH Wooster, OH |
| Michigan DOT | Jackson, MI Adrian, MI Saginaw, MI Brighton, MI Grand Rapids, MI Auburn Hills, MI Mount Pleasant, MI Cadillac, MI Gaylord, MI Alpena, MI Kalamazoo, MI L'anse, MI Escanaba, MI Newberry, MI Saginaw, MI Grand Rapids, MI |
| North Carolina DOT | Asheville, NC Castle-Hayne, NC Charlotte, NC Conover, NC Fayetteville, NC High Point, NC Lillington, NC Raleigh, NC Washington, NC |
| Texas DOT | Amarillo, TX Arlington, TX Austin, TX Beaumont, TX Corpus Christi, TX El Paso, TX Houston, TX Laredo, TX Lubbock, TX Odessa, TX Pharr, TX |
Contact information
Name: Seth I Gutman
Tel: 303-497-7031
gutman@fsl.noaa.gov