Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) is a method of weather forecasting using equations to describe atmospheric behavior. However, it requires high-density surface observations to function best. A paper from researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado proposes the use of Connected Vehicle (CV) data to fill gaps in weather observation networks.
The researchers performed a pilot study, using a simulated vehicle probe dataset to compare with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for selected case studies. Simulated data was necessary as the current scale of CV deployment would be insufficient to improve weather calculations. CV market penetration rates of 5 and 30 percent were both tested, and compared to a baseline model that did not use any CV-gathered data.
To verify the accuracy of the results, the modeled outputs were compared to rader-derived observations.
(Our website has many links to other organizations. While we offer these electronic linkages for your convenience in accessing transportation-related information, please be aware that when you exit our website, the privacy and accessibility policies stated on our website may not be the same as that on other websites.)
