|
Barometers, thermometers, the occasional hygrometer,
an  anemometer,
and a rain gauge were once all the tools a meteorologist required.
Things have changed. Data and images from remote sensing systems such
as instrumented balloons, radars, and satellites are now part of the
array of tools that weather watchers use; computers to process and
model atmospheric processes and make predictions from the vast array
of data collected by the National network of observers and observation
systems; internal communications systems to bring the data to processing
computers and then send the processed information in the form of forecasts,
maps, and even three-dimensional models back to weather information
users and researchers; and mass media interfaces to bring the weather
to television, radio, and the Internet. Follow the technology tales
of the Weather Service and learn a little about how these systems
evolved, what it was like to observe the weather and obtain weather
information 50 or 100 years ago. The overall concept hasn’t
changed, but the rate at which data is collected and processed, the
quality of the data, and the rates at which critical information can
be transferred to the public and private interests has increased by
quantum leaps over the years. Join the National Weather Service as
it has worked through the years to make us all safer from the whims
of nature.
|
