[an NSF Graduated Center] CASA is a multi-sector partnership among academia, industry, and government dedicated to engineering revolutionary weather-sensing networks. These innovative networks will save lives and property by detecting the region of the lower atmosphere currently below conventional radar range - mapping storms, winds, rain, temperature, humidity, and the flow of airborne hazards. CASA, the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, was established in 2003 as a prestigious National Science Foundation Engineering Center with over $40 million in federal, university, industry, and state funding. The Center brings together a multidisciplinary group of engineers, computer scientists, meteorologists, sociologists, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as industry and government partners to conduct fundamental research, develop enabling technology, and deploy prototype engineering systems based on a new paradigm: Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks Since 2010, the work of CASA has been supported by the Jerome M. Paros Fund for Measurement and Environmental Sciences Research. CASA's Challenge Today's weather forecasting and warning systems utilize data from high-power, long-range radars that have limited ability to observe the lower part of the atmosphere because of the Earth's curvature. This means that meteorological conditions in the lower troposphere are under-sampled, leaving us with precious little predicting and detecting capability where most weather forms. The Solution: DCAS Networks CASA will overcome the effects of the Earth's curvature and obstructions such as mountains and buildings by deploying low-cost networks of Doppler radars that operate at short range. Installed on existing rooftops and cell towers just a few miles apart, these small radars will communicate with one another and adjust their sensing modes in response to quickly changing weather and user needs - a dramatic change from current technologies. Up-to-the-second radar information will then be transmitted to the people and organizations that make critical decisions about the weather. CASA's new approach is called DCAS, Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing. Distributed refers to the use of large numbers of small radars, appropriately spaced to overcome the Earth-curvature blockage that limits current approaches. The radars operate collaboratively within a dynamic information technology infrastructure, adapting to changing atmospheric conditions in a manner that meets competing end user needs. CASA has conducted fundamental research in electromagnetic wave atmosphere interaction, new computing and communication infrastructures to support the DCAS paradigm, and lower atmosphere physics to establish the foundation for a new sensing and predicting paradigm. CASA has implemented scalable prototype test beds in Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and most recently, Dallas - Fort Worth, in collaboration with industry and government partners and users of weather data. Recently, CASA researchers have been exploring how other sensors can be used to enhance the capabilities of the network. A multi-scale array of high sensitivity, broadband barometers was installed in the Oklahoma network to sense infrasound signatures of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and other hazards.
Research Areas
CASA is founded on the transforming paradigm of Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks.
DCAS networks are information systems that sample the atmosphere where and when end user needs are greatest. Distributed refers to the use of large numbers of small radars, appropriately spaced to overcome the Earth-curvature blockage that limits current approaches. The radars operate collaboratively within a dynamic information technology infrastructure, adapting to changing atmospheric conditions in a manner that meets competing end user needs. These systems are designed to overcome the fundamental limitations of current methods of observing, understanding, predicting, and responding to atmospheric hazards.
To achieve our vision, our research span the disciplines of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, meteorology, civil engineering, hydrology, and atmospheric science. Research teams work synchronously to create the key components in DCAS networks:
the radars and their beams;
the meteorological algorithms that predict, detect, and track hazards; and
the computer architecture that controls the system in response to changing weather and competing user needs.
We work with users of weather data and study applied social, policy, and behavioral issues associated with deploying the DCAS systems and the use of these systems in hazardous decision support.
---
Research and research-to-operations. Broad research areas to be addressed in the Urban Test Bed project are:
Urban flooding and hydrology sensing, forecast, decision making and impacts
Hydrometeor identification, forecast, decision making and impacts
Low level wind sensing, forecast, decision making and impacts
Network of Networks demonstration
Warn-on-forecast research
We are currently identifying impacts-based, end-to-end projects that could be conducted collaboratively with DFW stakeholders and NWS forecasters. An example project would be to evaluate whether high resolution QPE coupled with urban-scale hydrological models can determine more accurately which roads will flood, and to develop notification strategies for NWS forecasters and emergency managers that impact the driving behavior of the public. Metrics to be evaluated could include: the reduction in flash-flood warning size, reduction in hazardous driving practices, more efficient use of emergency and public works personnel, and associated cost savings. In such a project, the driving public, local EMs, NWS forecasters, and transportation managers would collaborate with academic researchers across all of its disciplines to demonstrate this value.
Puerto Rico Weather Radar Network
The Puerto Rico weather radar network in connection with CASA's strategic plans, seeks to advance fundamental electromagnetic knowledge of the atmosphere and to provide societal benefits by improving the observation, detection and prediction of weather and climate phenomena in tropical environment and variable terrain. The network is composed of two different X-band weather radar networks in development/operation: namely CASA Student-Led OTG (Off-the-Grid) Radar Network and MRI Tropinet Radar Network. Both radar networks will operate in a collaborative and adaptive manner based on end users needs. An interdisciplinary team of students and faculty members from the CASA core partners and from areas such as electrical, computer and civil engineering, computer and social sciences and meteorology, works in the development of these networks. Development and operation of the weather radar networks is funded by the NSF Engineering Research Center CASA (for OTG radar network) and the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program (for Tropinet radar network).
Facilities & Resources
Unmanned Systems Dense networks of X-band radars, such as those pioneered by CASA, can be used to support airborne vehicles, such as drones and air taxis, that are beginning to operate in the lowest parts of the atmosphere. Not only can CASA radar networks provide high-resolution weather information to keep operations safe and cost-effective, but they can also monitor the presence and path of such vehicles (hard targets) and support air traffic management and threat surveillance. DFW Urban Test Bed CASA and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) have embarked on a five-year, $10 million project to create the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Urban Demonstration Network. This project is centered on the deployment of a network of 8 dual-pol, X-band radars to demonstrate improved hazardous weather forecasts, warnings and response in a densely populated urban environment. These radars provide weather hazard information at spatial and temporal scales that are relevant to urban decision-making and human response. Radar Network. We plan to operate an 8-node, multi-Doppler, dual-polarimetric, X-band radar network covering 12 out of the 16 counties in the Metroplex, and the majority of the 6.5 million people in the region. Lowest beam coverage is planned at an average 270 m AGL (ranging from 100 - 500 m) with 100 m gate spacing. The first four CASA radars were moved from Oklahoma to Texas and have been refurbished. Four additional radars have been supplied by CASA's university and industry partners. Radars have been installed at the University of Texas at Arlington, University of North Texas, the Justice Center at Midlothian, the Addison Service Center, the Johnson County Emergency Operations Center in Cleburne, Mesquite Airport and at a City of Fort Worth owned site. Network of Network Sensors. CASA will take advantage of existing sensors, such as WSR-88D, TDWR and rain gages for creating new products and for validation purposes. In addition, as a result of the network, we expect additional private, federal, state and academic organizations to integrate additional sensors into the test bed. These include a set of wideband high dynamic range barometers built by Paroscientific, Inc. for sensing both nearby and distant infrasound signals, wind profilers, doppler lidars and other sensors as well. We expect this project to serve as a prototype for a national-scale "network-of-networks" that enables a future in which a multitude of users and data providers exchange observational data across a common infrastructure. IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure for data mining, radar control, and data dissemination is housed at NWS Southern Region Headquarters (SRH). SRH has provided a T3 line into the Fort Worth Dallas Weather Forecast Office to ensure data flow, assist with integrating CASA data into AWIPS2, and create web-based interfaces that would allow research in on-demand forecasts/nowcasts, and experimental product display. In addition, the University of Oklahoma has provided supercomputer time to run assimilation and numerical weather prediction algorithms. Products. CASA offers a suite of high-resolution products to DFW stakeholders, the National Weather Service, for research and to demonstrate that value of the data to stakeholder groups. These products include real-time detections of severe wind events, hail, and tornados; accurate rainfall estimates; and forecasts ranging from 10 minutes to 3 hours. CASA radar data is available to registered participants through the CASA WX website. Current participants include local North Central Texas public safety officials, storm water managers, local airlines and airports, utility companies, and to non-profits such as the Salvation Army. CASA radar data is integrated directly into the AWIPS-2 workstation used by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Fort Worth. This allows for easy, real-time interrogation of the data by NWS meteorologists and issuance of weather watches and warnings. Oklahoma Test Bed CASA's fundamental technology and systems-level research were evaluated in a prototype system-level test bed located in southwestern Oklahoma from 2005 to 2011. CASA operated 4 dual-pol, multi-Doppler radars where high resolution observations, derived products and forecasts were disseminated in real time to off-duty NWS forecasters and on-duty local emergency managers for evaluation and decision making. This proof-of-concept test bed demonstrated networked X-band radar engineering and meteorology (Junyent and Chandrasekar 2009, McLaughlin et al. 2007); user-responsive networked system architecture (Zink et al. 2010; Pepyne et al. 2008; Philips et al. 2008); precipitation estimation (Wang and Chandrasekar 2010); nowcasting, real-time analysis and numerical weather prediction (Brewster et al. 2005; Hu et al. 2006; Brotzge et al. 2010; Brewster et al. 2010) integrated warning systems and decision making (Philips et al. 2010; Bass et al. 2011; League et al. 2010), and societal vulnerability and public response to weather information (Donner 2007; Trainor 2011). These all came together in an integrated system when on May 24, 2011 an emergency manager using CASA data made life saving decisions as an EF4 tornado with estimated peak winds of 190 mph approached his city (BostonGlobe.com 2011, Philips et al. 2012). Massachusetts Test Bed On the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, CASA maintains a test bed to prototype and test new components, algorithms and systems before they get integrated into other operational test beds. The MA test bed offers the unique capability to co-locate multiple instruments for side by side comparisons with radar observations. Drone Surveillance Testbed Three million drones are expected to be produced in 2017 globally for use in public safety (search and rescue efforts), commercial activity (photography, bridge inspection) and recreational activity (hobbyists, drone racing). Increasingly, drones are also causing disruption at airports and large venues such football games. There have been more than 3,400 reports of near-collisions with aircraft reported since November, 2014. With a new innovation grant from the National Science Foundation, CASA is conducting a proof-of-concept demonstration of a multi-purpose radar system that can be used both for drone and weather surveillance. The aim is to provide early warnings for both severe weather and drone intrusions using a single networked radar system. Two phased array radars, developed in conjunction with the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory and Raytheon, are being used for this activity. Weather Radar Testbed From 2010 to 2013, the on-campus CASA weather radar was operated during severe weather to provide real-time support to campus emergency management officials. The radar filled an important coverage gap between the National Weather Service Albany and Taunton radars, providing local, high resolution weather data for improved decision making during severe weather.
Partner Organizations
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Colorado State University
University of Oklahoma
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
University of Delaware
Abbreviation |
CASA
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
|
Contact Title |
|
Contact E-Mail |
Website |
|
General E-mail |
webmaster@casa.umass.edu
|
Phone |
(413) 577-0594
|
Address |
UMass Amherst, 209 Knowles Engineering Building
151 Holdsworth Way
Amherst
MA
1003
|
[an NSF Graduated Center] CASA is a multi-sector partnership among academia, industry, and government dedicated to engineering revolutionary weather-sensing networks. These innovative networks will save lives and property by detecting the region of the lower atmosphere currently below conventional radar range - mapping storms, winds, rain, temperature, humidity, and the flow of airborne hazards. CASA, the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, was established in 2003 as a prestigious National Science Foundation Engineering Center with over $40 million in federal, university, industry, and state funding. The Center brings together a multidisciplinary group of engineers, computer scientists, meteorologists, sociologists, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as industry and government partners to conduct fundamental research, develop enabling technology, and deploy prototype engineering systems based on a new paradigm: Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks Since 2010, the work of CASA has been supported by the Jerome M. Paros Fund for Measurement and Environmental Sciences Research. CASA's Challenge Today's weather forecasting and warning systems utilize data from high-power, long-range radars that have limited ability to observe the lower part of the atmosphere because of the Earth's curvature. This means that meteorological conditions in the lower troposphere are under-sampled, leaving us with precious little predicting and detecting capability where most weather forms. The Solution: DCAS Networks CASA will overcome the effects of the Earth's curvature and obstructions such as mountains and buildings by deploying low-cost networks of Doppler radars that operate at short range. Installed on existing rooftops and cell towers just a few miles apart, these small radars will communicate with one another and adjust their sensing modes in response to quickly changing weather and user needs - a dramatic change from current technologies. Up-to-the-second radar information will then be transmitted to the people and organizations that make critical decisions about the weather. CASA's new approach is called DCAS, Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing. Distributed refers to the use of large numbers of small radars, appropriately spaced to overcome the Earth-curvature blockage that limits current approaches. The radars operate collaboratively within a dynamic information technology infrastructure, adapting to changing atmospheric conditions in a manner that meets competing end user needs. CASA has conducted fundamental research in electromagnetic wave atmosphere interaction, new computing and communication infrastructures to support the DCAS paradigm, and lower atmosphere physics to establish the foundation for a new sensing and predicting paradigm. CASA has implemented scalable prototype test beds in Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and most recently, Dallas - Fort Worth, in collaboration with industry and government partners and users of weather data. Recently, CASA researchers have been exploring how other sensors can be used to enhance the capabilities of the network. A multi-scale array of high sensitivity, broadband barometers was installed in the Oklahoma network to sense infrasound signatures of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and other hazards.
Abbreviation |
CASA
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
|
Contact Title |
|
Contact E-Mail |
Website |
|
General E-mail |
webmaster@casa.umass.edu
|
Phone |
(413) 577-0594
|
Address |
UMass Amherst, 209 Knowles Engineering Building
151 Holdsworth Way
Amherst
MA
1003
|
Research Areas
CASA is founded on the transforming paradigm of Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks.
DCAS networks are information systems that sample the atmosphere where and when end user needs are greatest. Distributed refers to the use of large numbers of small radars, appropriately spaced to overcome the Earth-curvature blockage that limits current approaches. The radars operate collaboratively within a dynamic information technology infrastructure, adapting to changing atmospheric conditions in a manner that meets competing end user needs. These systems are designed to overcome the fundamental limitations of current methods of observing, understanding, predicting, and responding to atmospheric hazards.
To achieve our vision, our research span the disciplines of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, meteorology, civil engineering, hydrology, and atmospheric science. Research teams work synchronously to create the key components in DCAS networks:
the radars and their beams;
the meteorological algorithms that predict, detect, and track hazards; and
the computer architecture that controls the system in response to changing weather and competing user needs.
We work with users of weather data and study applied social, policy, and behavioral issues associated with deploying the DCAS systems and the use of these systems in hazardous decision support.
---
Research and research-to-operations. Broad research areas to be addressed in the Urban Test Bed project are:
Urban flooding and hydrology sensing, forecast, decision making and impacts
Hydrometeor identification, forecast, decision making and impacts
Low level wind sensing, forecast, decision making and impacts
Network of Networks demonstration
Warn-on-forecast research
We are currently identifying impacts-based, end-to-end projects that could be conducted collaboratively with DFW stakeholders and NWS forecasters. An example project would be to evaluate whether high resolution QPE coupled with urban-scale hydrological models can determine more accurately which roads will flood, and to develop notification strategies for NWS forecasters and emergency managers that impact the driving behavior of the public. Metrics to be evaluated could include: the reduction in flash-flood warning size, reduction in hazardous driving practices, more efficient use of emergency and public works personnel, and associated cost savings. In such a project, the driving public, local EMs, NWS forecasters, and transportation managers would collaborate with academic researchers across all of its disciplines to demonstrate this value.
Puerto Rico Weather Radar Network
The Puerto Rico weather radar network in connection with CASA's strategic plans, seeks to advance fundamental electromagnetic knowledge of the atmosphere and to provide societal benefits by improving the observation, detection and prediction of weather and climate phenomena in tropical environment and variable terrain. The network is composed of two different X-band weather radar networks in development/operation: namely CASA Student-Led OTG (Off-the-Grid) Radar Network and MRI Tropinet Radar Network. Both radar networks will operate in a collaborative and adaptive manner based on end users needs. An interdisciplinary team of students and faculty members from the CASA core partners and from areas such as electrical, computer and civil engineering, computer and social sciences and meteorology, works in the development of these networks. Development and operation of the weather radar networks is funded by the NSF Engineering Research Center CASA (for OTG radar network) and the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program (for Tropinet radar network).
Facilities & Resources
Unmanned Systems Dense networks of X-band radars, such as those pioneered by CASA, can be used to support airborne vehicles, such as drones and air taxis, that are beginning to operate in the lowest parts of the atmosphere. Not only can CASA radar networks provide high-resolution weather information to keep operations safe and cost-effective, but they can also monitor the presence and path of such vehicles (hard targets) and support air traffic management and threat surveillance. DFW Urban Test Bed CASA and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) have embarked on a five-year, $10 million project to create the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Urban Demonstration Network. This project is centered on the deployment of a network of 8 dual-pol, X-band radars to demonstrate improved hazardous weather forecasts, warnings and response in a densely populated urban environment. These radars provide weather hazard information at spatial and temporal scales that are relevant to urban decision-making and human response. Radar Network. We plan to operate an 8-node, multi-Doppler, dual-polarimetric, X-band radar network covering 12 out of the 16 counties in the Metroplex, and the majority of the 6.5 million people in the region. Lowest beam coverage is planned at an average 270 m AGL (ranging from 100 - 500 m) with 100 m gate spacing. The first four CASA radars were moved from Oklahoma to Texas and have been refurbished. Four additional radars have been supplied by CASA's university and industry partners. Radars have been installed at the University of Texas at Arlington, University of North Texas, the Justice Center at Midlothian, the Addison Service Center, the Johnson County Emergency Operations Center in Cleburne, Mesquite Airport and at a City of Fort Worth owned site. Network of Network Sensors. CASA will take advantage of existing sensors, such as WSR-88D, TDWR and rain gages for creating new products and for validation purposes. In addition, as a result of the network, we expect additional private, federal, state and academic organizations to integrate additional sensors into the test bed. These include a set of wideband high dynamic range barometers built by Paroscientific, Inc. for sensing both nearby and distant infrasound signals, wind profilers, doppler lidars and other sensors as well. We expect this project to serve as a prototype for a national-scale "network-of-networks" that enables a future in which a multitude of users and data providers exchange observational data across a common infrastructure. IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure for data mining, radar control, and data dissemination is housed at NWS Southern Region Headquarters (SRH). SRH has provided a T3 line into the Fort Worth Dallas Weather Forecast Office to ensure data flow, assist with integrating CASA data into AWIPS2, and create web-based interfaces that would allow research in on-demand forecasts/nowcasts, and experimental product display. In addition, the University of Oklahoma has provided supercomputer time to run assimilation and numerical weather prediction algorithms. Products. CASA offers a suite of high-resolution products to DFW stakeholders, the National Weather Service, for research and to demonstrate that value of the data to stakeholder groups. These products include real-time detections of severe wind events, hail, and tornados; accurate rainfall estimates; and forecasts ranging from 10 minutes to 3 hours. CASA radar data is available to registered participants through the CASA WX website. Current participants include local North Central Texas public safety officials, storm water managers, local airlines and airports, utility companies, and to non-profits such as the Salvation Army. CASA radar data is integrated directly into the AWIPS-2 workstation used by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Fort Worth. This allows for easy, real-time interrogation of the data by NWS meteorologists and issuance of weather watches and warnings. Oklahoma Test Bed CASA's fundamental technology and systems-level research were evaluated in a prototype system-level test bed located in southwestern Oklahoma from 2005 to 2011. CASA operated 4 dual-pol, multi-Doppler radars where high resolution observations, derived products and forecasts were disseminated in real time to off-duty NWS forecasters and on-duty local emergency managers for evaluation and decision making. This proof-of-concept test bed demonstrated networked X-band radar engineering and meteorology (Junyent and Chandrasekar 2009, McLaughlin et al. 2007); user-responsive networked system architecture (Zink et al. 2010; Pepyne et al. 2008; Philips et al. 2008); precipitation estimation (Wang and Chandrasekar 2010); nowcasting, real-time analysis and numerical weather prediction (Brewster et al. 2005; Hu et al. 2006; Brotzge et al. 2010; Brewster et al. 2010) integrated warning systems and decision making (Philips et al. 2010; Bass et al. 2011; League et al. 2010), and societal vulnerability and public response to weather information (Donner 2007; Trainor 2011). These all came together in an integrated system when on May 24, 2011 an emergency manager using CASA data made life saving decisions as an EF4 tornado with estimated peak winds of 190 mph approached his city (BostonGlobe.com 2011, Philips et al. 2012). Massachusetts Test Bed On the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, CASA maintains a test bed to prototype and test new components, algorithms and systems before they get integrated into other operational test beds. The MA test bed offers the unique capability to co-locate multiple instruments for side by side comparisons with radar observations. Drone Surveillance Testbed Three million drones are expected to be produced in 2017 globally for use in public safety (search and rescue efforts), commercial activity (photography, bridge inspection) and recreational activity (hobbyists, drone racing). Increasingly, drones are also causing disruption at airports and large venues such football games. There have been more than 3,400 reports of near-collisions with aircraft reported since November, 2014. With a new innovation grant from the National Science Foundation, CASA is conducting a proof-of-concept demonstration of a multi-purpose radar system that can be used both for drone and weather surveillance. The aim is to provide early warnings for both severe weather and drone intrusions using a single networked radar system. Two phased array radars, developed in conjunction with the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory and Raytheon, are being used for this activity. Weather Radar Testbed From 2010 to 2013, the on-campus CASA weather radar was operated during severe weather to provide real-time support to campus emergency management officials. The radar filled an important coverage gap between the National Weather Service Albany and Taunton radars, providing local, high resolution weather data for improved decision making during severe weather.
Partner Organizations
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Colorado State University
University of Oklahoma
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
University of Delaware