Weather Intelligence in Support of Developing Enhanced Decision Capabilities and the Modernization of Smart Military Installations

United States Department of Defense installations serve as important logistical, command, and control hubs to support the strategic needs of armed forces planning, projection, and sustainment of global operations. A significant challenge involved with decision support at these facilities is that while there is a wealth of meteorological and other information available to decision-makers, the sources are often disparate, thus contributing to a data rich yet information poor environment. Furthermore, severe weather events introduce uncertainty and may hinder the installations’ capabilities to support the needs of warfighters and civilian personnel in a timely manner.

Multiple research efforts are described in support of modernizing the installation decision-making process by implementing a multi-faceted data-driven platform focusing on utilizing weather intelligence. A numerical weather prediction (NWP) modeling framework is a major component of decision support at smart military installations. Implementation of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model utilizing a high-performance computing platform with domains situated over Ft. Moore, GA (formerly Ft. Benning) and Ft. Carson, CO, provides the opportunity for increased forecast fidelity above and beyond existing NWP products provided by military and civilian sources. Additionally, real-time, event-driven reception of meteorological data is key in developing complex machine learning methodologies. These tools are then utilized to automate processes used to issue watch/warning/advisory products and deliver enhanced guidance to allow improved speed and accuracy in the execution of mission-critical decisions of high impact to the installation community. The research will enable stakeholders to improve the scheduling of installation activities regarding severe weather impact, including complete base closures in extreme situations.