Unmanned Aircraft
To Improve Hurricane Forecasting In Atlantic Ocean Basin
|
NASA's
Global Hawk departs the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia
at 7 a.m., August 26, to study Tropical Storm Erika as part
of the NOAA-led mission Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned
Technology (SHOUT). (photo by Allison Stancil - NASA)
|
TULSA, Okla. Cherokee Nation Technologies is working
alongside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
NASA to advance weather forecasting capabilities. The joint effort
aims to harness the observational power of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS) to form forecast models for the National Hurricane Center.
"This work is a wonderful representation of what we can achieve
when organizations work together," said Steven Bilby, president
of Cherokee Nation's diversified businesses. "Unmanned aircrafts
provide a unique vantage point for weather observations, and these
advancements allow us the opportunity to learn more about severe
weather in uncertain environments without risking the well-being
of a pilot or scientist."
The partnering agencies are directing a series of flights over
the Atlantic Ocean basin with an unmanned aircraft to collect data
on temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction. The
flights build on previous research led by NASA and offer NOAA scientists
the opportunity to test UAS capabilities for use as meteorological
observation tools.
NASA's Unmanned Aircraft System, the Global Hawk, provides a
continuous stream of data from 60,000 feet above the ocean, an altitude
nearly 20,000 feet higher than manned aircrafts. It's also able
to gather weather data continuously for up to 24 hours.
Cherokee Nation Technologies Director of Unmanned Systems John
"JC" Coffey is part of the mission's project management team. Coffey,
a retired naval aviator and Department of Defense acquisition professional,
joined CNT in 2014 to expand and advance the company's capabilities
in unmanned systems.
"CNT provides the NOAA UAS program with a full spectrum of services
in science, technology and operations," said Coffey. "We work diligently
to support program management, systems engineering, data management,
testing and evaluation, and more to ensure this cutting-edge technology
can be utilized in the most challenging environments."
The 2015 inaugural flight departed August 26 from the Wallops
Flight Facility in Virginia headed directly towards Tropical Storm
Erika. The mission produced invaluable information about the storm
and successfully returned on August 27. This is the first time real-time
information has been provided to hurricane forecasters.
"The work we are doing with the Global Hawk is unlike anything
we have been able to achieve in the past," said John Walker, CNT
employee and NOAA project scientist. "We are getting closer to storms
than ever before and are hopeful that our new perspective will allow
us to enhance our ability to predict severe weather and potentially
save lives."
The Global Hawk flights are the preliminary phase of NOAA's
four-year mission, called "Sensing Hazards with Operational
Unmanned Technology," or SHOUT. The SHOUT mission is closely
coordinated with NOAA's ongoing hurricane field program, which also
provides dropsonde, flight level and tail Doppler radar data from
the NOAA P-3 and G-IV manned aircraft for the HWRF operational model.
SHOUT is funded in part by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act
of 2013, passed by Congress in the wake of the devastating Hurricane
Sandy.
For more information about Global Hawk and the SHOUT mission,
go to uas.noaa.gov/shout.
CNT provides a full spectrum of unmanned systems expertise,
IT services and technology solutions, as well as management and
support of programs, projects, professionals and technical staff.
Since 2009, the company has been serving government clients
with time-tested solutions that increase client effectiveness through
the intelligent use of technology. CNT's expertise includes software
and application services, network services and business process
services. The company is headquartered in Tulsa, with a regional
office in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and client locations nationwide.
Wholly owned by the Cherokee Nation, CNT is part of the Cherokee
Nation Businesses family of companies.
|
NASA's
Global Hawk sits in a hangar ready for its next mission with
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Unmanned
Aircraft System program. Cherokee Nation Technologies provides
the NOAA UAS program with services in science, technology
and operations, including program management, systems engineering,
data management, testing and evaluation. (photo by Stephen
Crowell - NASA )
|
For more information, visit www.cherokee-cnt.com.
Cherokee
Nation Technologies
Cherokee Nation Technologies serves commercial and government clients
with time-tested solutions that increase client effectiveness through
the intelligent use of technology. CNT delivers best-value IT solutions
by partnering with its clients to help them achieve their goals.
http://cherokee-cnt.com/Pages/home.aspx
|