A parameter weighting scheme for an automated weather effects decision aid

Abstract

For the past twenty years Army field intelligence analysts and staff weather officers assigned to combat weather teams have utilized a decision support tool called the Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (IWEDA). The IWEDA system ingests weather forecast model grids, applies a rules/thresholds database to the grids, and produces color-coded overlays for terrain map backgrounds. These map overlays quickly indicate the severity of the weather impacts on Army weapon and support systems, and have provided a valuable tool for mission commanders to plan battlefield operations. Although it is a useful tool, the basic IWEDA concept has not been updated since its inception, and its capabilities have fallen behind the vastly improved numerical weather prediction models and computing platforms that are available today. Its coarse color-coded map indicators are a simplistic green/amber/red scheme, all weather parameters are treated with equal weight, and there is no means of accounting for how many model parameters are contributing to the adverse weather effects. The current research describes a new composite scoring system by which weather parameters can be assigned different weights; an accounting is made for the number of parameters contributing to the adverse weather, and much greater color granularity can be applied to the IWEDA map overlays. The higher color granularity and adjustable parameter weights are expected to afford much greater flexibility to commanders and intelligence analysts as weather effects are incorporated into planning battlefield operations. The new capability also is suitable for use in comparable operational civilian weather impacts technologies.