Advanced Weather Decision Support Systems for Diverse Economic Sectors
The primary goal of the Weather Systems and Assessment Program (WSAP) is to identify, explore, develop, and implement advanced weather decision support systems for new and emerging user sectors, and develop advanced user-oriented measures of performance and impact.

NCARs mission includes research and development activities designed to improve our understanding of the behavior of the global atmosphere and to foster the transfer of knowledge and technology to society. These objectives coupled with estimates that one-third of the U.S. economy is sensitive to weather, and that life and property could be spared and economic performance improved if weather information was utilized more effectively provide a significant motivation for developing advanced weather decision support systems for a broad range of user communities and getting them into the hands of decision makers.

The specificity and quality of weather information needed by advanced weather system end users requires a rigorous verification and validation process, and often new verification approaches and methods are needed to measure success.

These end-user-driven requirements for improved weather information and performance metrics provide the motivation needed for RAL to conduct its work of engaging stakeholders in various economic sectors, many of which are not currently well served by the meteorological community, and improving their use of weather information.

WSAP research areas currently include surface transportation weather, renewable energy, wild land fire prediction, soil condition prediction for precision agriculture, international aviation weather technologies, societal impacts and economic assessments, and verification research.