New NOAA-Derived Data Products for the TV Broadcast Market

This Phase II SBIR will execute the research to commercialization process developed in Phase I, when WorldWinds, Inc. developed and implemented a procedure to showcase graphical NOAA products for on-air consumption by the general public. Through collaboration with Baron Services, Inc., of Huntsville, AL, the Phase I project developed a prototypical composite Blended Total Precipitable Water product that was ingested by Baron's OMNI and VIPIR commercial weather display packages. During the three week beta test period, a seven station beta test group was educated on the product’s scientific merit and each station was updated daily as to the product's application. The process developed in Phase I: 1) prototypical product development, 2) education and training, and 3) on-air beta testing, will again be used in Phase II to introduce potential new data products to the television broadcast market. Several new Phase II candidate products have already been identified, including: bTPW Wind Analysis Overlay; Surface Wind Analysis; Merged Radar and Satellite Derived Rainfall Rate and Reflectivity; Drought Indices, Seasonal Forecasts, and Percent of Normal Precipitation; Great Lakes Sea Ice Analysis; Fire, Smoke, and Ash; Forecast Rainfall; Saharan Air Layer Satellite Analysis Schemes; Ocean Currents; Harmful Algae Blooms; and Emergency Response and Recovery.