A Configurable Multi-Scale Environmental Modeling System for Live/Virtual/Constructive USAF Mission Support

In an era characterized by technological advancement and evolving defense tactics, the role of weather remains steadfast in shaping operational outcomes. Weather not only influences real-time tactical decisions but also underpins strategic planning, safety considerations, operational efficiency, systems performance modeling, and training exercises. While we possess state-of-the-art systems to observe and forecast weather conditions, there’s a significant gap in our capability to generate custom, physically and temporally consistent synthetic weather scenarios tailored for defense needs. This becomes paramount when considering diverse mission profiles ranging from advanced weapon system simulations to granular mission planning sensitive to weather. A system capable of accurately simulating weather conditions across a range of resolutions and scales tailored to specific requirements of defense applications becomes an invaluable asset in the arsenal of defense tools, ensuring forces are primed for any challenge and equipment is tested under the most rigorous conditions. In the SBIR Phase I effort proposed here, we introduce STORM - the Synthetic Training & Operationally Realistic Meteorology system. This initiative aims to harness historical weather data ranging in scale from global through synoptic to mesoscale, combined with state-of-the-art machine learning (ML)/artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) atmospheric modeling to craft accurate and adaptable synthetic weather datasets across a broad range of domain sizes and across a range of resolutions that extend to the microscale at ~1 m resolutions. We’ll design STORM to be grounded in the synthesis of historical weather data and modern-day computational tools. Through this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I effort, we’ll not only conceptualize STORM but also prototype key components to validate our approach. The system will enable meteorologists to inject desired weather features, ensuring utmost realism and relevance. By the end of the Phase I effort, we will present a blueprint for a synthetic weather system that promises unparalleled accuracy, granularity, and customization, advancing the methods that defense operations are modeled, troops are trained, and strategic decisions are made. Our concept for STORM promises not just an interface for meteorologists but a comprehensive solution to create timely mission-specific, physically consistent, synthetic weather for a range of applications that require data over large geographic domains to those that require ultra- high-resolution microscale weather scenarios. From simulating a specific wind pattern for a drone flight simulation to curating a multi-faceted weather profile for a full-scale military exercise, STORM will have the potential to revolutionize how defense opera6ons integrate weather, offering unparalleled precision and flexibility.