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A Model for Effective Public-Private Partnership

The National Mesonet Program (NMP) integrates state, local, and private sector assets at a fraction of the cost of deploying and sustaining additional federal assets. From the founding networks to fledgling new additions, NMP forms a true collaboration, sharing best practices and honing business models to ensure efficient and effective delivery of the highest quality observations in high stakes arenas.

Growing the National Mesonet

A new three-year data services contract, awarded to KBR, provides a stable funding base and an open, transparent collaborative business model that focuses over three dozen academic and commercial partners on improving our collective efficiency and effectiveness through best practice sharing, driven by a common roadmap to enhance the value of the products of our public-private partnership over the next three years. Two of our commercial partners, Earth Networks and Synoptic Data PBC, have taken the lead in our improvement program, facilitating data set quality control and delivery to NOAA and serving as mentors for other partners as requested.

Western Region

NWS Western Region

All types of weather extremes:

  • Monsoons
  • Droughts
  • Intense thunderstorms
  • Heavy snowfalls

NWS Western Region

  • Heavily water-dependent
  • Extremely susceptible to dangerous wildfires

NWS Western Region

  • Rapid (business and population) growth
  • Complicated terrain = large gaps in weather radar coverage

Central Region

NWS Central Region

  • Home to major portion of U.S. agricultural production
  • Important & growing renewable energy sector
  • Subject to extreme weather conditions

NWS Central Region

Sensing gaps remain

  • Monitoring boundary level conditions critical to wind energy
  • Density and quantity of stations required to support precision agriculture

Eastern Region

NWS Eastern Region

  • Large concentrations of transportation and economic activity
  • Nation’s most densely-populated region

NWS Eastern Region

  • Crippling winter storms
  • Very high energy costs
  • Intense summer convection impacting the nation’s busiest air corridors

NWS Eastern Region

  • Large concentrations of national security assets
  • Major coastal & inland flooding, hurricanes & nor’easters

Alaska & Pacific Region

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region

Alaska

  • Extreme weather conditions,
  • Long distances, and
  • Limited infrastructure…
    …make every observation precious

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region

Hawaii

  • More moderate than Alaska, but…
  • A delicate balance between atmosphere and the vast Pacific Ocean

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region

Southern Region

NWS Southern Region

  • Region most affected by tornadoes and related severe weather
  • Mountain terrain and forests makes detection of localized severe weather difficult

NWS Southern Region

Emerging “Dixie Alley

(Eastern TX to GA)

  • Many strong and long-tracked tornadoes
  • 63% of the nation’s overall tornado-related fatalities
  • Many heavy precipitation events

NWS Southern Region

Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands:
  • Extreme impacts from hurricanes and flash flooding events

NWS Eastern Region

  • Large concentrations of transportation and economic activity
  • Nation’s most densely-populated region

NWS Eastern Region

  • Crippling winter storms
  • Very high energy costs
  • Intense summer convection impacting the nation’s busiest air corridors

NWS Eastern Region

  • Large concentrations of national security assets
  • Major coastal & inland flooding, hurricanes & nor’easters

NWS Southern Region

  • Region most affected by tornadoes and related severe weather
  • Mountain terrain and forests makes detection of localized severe weather difficult

NWS Southern Region

Emerging “Dixie Alley

(Eastern TX to GA)

  • Many strong and long-tracked tornadoes
  • 63% of the nation’s overall tornado-related fatalities
  • Many heavy precipitation events

NWS Southern Region

Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands:
  • Extreme impacts from hurricanes and flash flooding events

NWS Western Region

All types of weather extremes:

  • Monsoons
  • Droughts
  • Intense thunderstorms
  • Heavy snowfalls

NWS Western Region

  • Heavily water-dependent
  • Extremely susceptible to dangerous wildfires

NWS Western Region

  • Rapid (business and population) growth
  • Complicated terrain = large gaps in weather radar coverage

NWS Central Region

  • Home to major portion of U.S. agricultural production
  • Important & growing renewable energy sector
  • Subject to extreme weather conditions

NWS Central Region

Sensing gaps remain

  • Monitoring boundary level conditions critical to wind energy
  • Density and quantity of stations required to support precision agriculture

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region

Alaska

  • Extreme weather conditions,
  • Long distances, and
  • Limited infrastructure…
    …make every observation precious

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region

Hawaii

  • More moderate than Alaska, but…
  • A delicate balance between atmosphere and the vast Pacific Ocean

NWS Alaska & Pacific Region