A Distributed Real Time Hurricane Wind Analysis System

Sonia Otero
AOML/HRD

The Hurricane Research Division (HRD) has been producing real time analyses of tropical cyclone surface wind observations with the help of platform-dependent software, tied to a specific filesystem in which data integrity, proper security and Internet deployment are difficult to achieve. The incorporation of significantly updated software engineering methodologies and technologies: the full engagement of Object Oriented development with Java as the main programming language, the extensive use of an object-relational database management system, and the involvement of distributed objects makes the new client-server application (H*WIND) portable across multiple platforms and accessible over intranet/Internet connections, with major improvements on data storage and retrieval. The front end of the application is a graphical user interface (Quality Control subsystem) which the scientist uses to retrieve data from the database, validate it through visual nearest-neighbor comparison and inspection, schedule an objective analysis and finally view the streamline and isotach contour plot or any other products derived from the wind field. The back end consists of two redundant database and analysis servers, one of each located at AOML and at TPC/NHC, in the likely event of a hurricane landfall in South Florida or during periods of heavy use.

Sonia Otero Hurricane Research Division Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab (AOML), NOAA Research Miami, FL Sonia is currently, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Computer Science at Florida International University. She attended the Florida International University, Miami, Florida where she obtained a Bachelor Of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Physics and a minor in Mathematics in April 1996.

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