Impacts to Industry and the Economy
GSD research improves weather data, forecasts and computing techniques used by industry, decision-makers, and stakeholders to make operations safer and more efficient, thus protecting lives, property, and promoting economic prosperity.
Agriculture: Both short- and long-term forecasts are essential in agriculture production.
- HRRR predictions support better localized precipitation forecasts.
Aviation: The FAA requires airlines to carry enough fuel for an aircraft to fly to an alternate destination if weather conditions fall below certain thresholds.
- The HRRR model is the largest contributor to the FAA's NextGen Weather system that supports strategic traffic flow management.
- 69% of aviation flight delays are caused by weather costing air travelers billions of dollars each year.
- GSD weather models help reduce weather aviation flight delays that cost air travelers billions of dollars each year.
- "The most recent transition of the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model to NWS operations improves aviation forecasts at air terminals and aloft, reducing air traffic delays which cost the airline industry billions of dollars annually." - FAA
Computing: GSD develops high-performance computing methods to increase compute power at minimum cost.
- GSD has improved the speed of NOAA's new global model by 25%.
Energy: Cost estimates from storm-related power outages to the U.S. economy are between $20B and $55B annually.
- "NOAA's continual advancement of forecast skill in weather models improves the stability of our electric grid." - Vaisala Corporation
Public: The American public collectively receives $31.5B in benefits from forecasts each year.
- "GSD's development of foundational and pragmatic state-of-the-science technologies to improve predictions of weather and its impacts on society has been one of the nation's true success stories that is significantly under-appreciated given the enormous value it returns to the nation." - The Weather Company
