Using a Business Process Model as a Central Organizing Construct for an Undergraduate Weather Forecasting Course

Abstract

For the last five years, the author has employed a business process model as a central organizing construct for the senior-level Forecasting Techniques course at Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach, Florida, campus. The process model allows weather analysis and forecasting to be examined as both a scientific process and a business operation, with emphasis on employing a user-focused approach. The use of the model arose from the need for an organizing context for the students, mostly seniors applying their knowledge from previous coursework, most of whom are learning to make their first weather forecasts. The process model used in the present version of the course evolved from one originally developed by the U.S. Air Force to describe weather information's value-added contributions to daily operations. The model consists of two major interrelated components: the weather information processing cycle (WIPC) and the provider–user relationship (PUR). The WIPC describes the analysis/forecast process from the scientific point of view, whereas the PUR examines the relationship between the provider and user of meteorological information. The WIPC uses familiar concepts such as data collection, analysis, and prediction, whereas the PUR introduces the students to complex (and seldom taught) topics such as user requirements and mission analyses. The process model also provides a framework for the final project, a case-study analysis that emphasizes not only the weather associated with the event but also its resulting impact on the affected population.