Instant Messaging Enhanced Communications

1
Instant MessagingEnhanced Communications

• Darone Jones
• NWS Birmingham

2
Evolution
Courtesy of David Neal FOX 6
3
Advantages of IM

• It has been instrumental in detailing storm/event
  evolution to broadcasters which is in turn
  relayed to the public.
• Give the general public an increase in knowledge
  and saves lives.
• Instantaneous exchange of warning information and
  storm reports in real-time during events.
• Emergency Managers and TV crews are reporting
  damage and relaying pictures minutes after
  happening.
• With instant messaging...the professional
  communities work TOGETHER...talking in
  real-time...from radar scan-to-radar scan.

4
Limitations of Previous IM

• Chatroom was very unreliable with some users
  having difficulty entering and others getting
  removed randomly.
• There was information duplication in the room,
  where a NWS forecaster would mention the products
  they were about to issue as well as state the
  issuance time of the product.
• Some outlets did not allow the commercial chat
  clients within their network because some
  messaging software is adware.
• Chatrooms did not support the participation in
  multiple rooms. The effect was to have everyone
  pile into the same room where the amount of
  information was overwhelming.
• This was very ineffective for other media markets
  that covered a portion of the CWA.
• If you were in a television market covered by
  more than one forecast areayou were just plain
  hosed.

5
IEM Chat - A Solution for All

• Each NWS Office has dedicated chat room and
  ability to support multiple chat rooms.
• The chat room has a history function which allows
  you to see the last 40 lines of conversations
  when you join the room.
• If you were to leave the chat room you dont have
  to be re-invited to join again, you can just log
  on.
• A server keeps an archive of all chats that
  allows you to refer back to any event at any
  time.
• Another attractive feature of this solution is
  that the chat protocol (XMPP), server (Openfire
  3.3.2) and client (Pidgin) are all cross
  platform, Open Source, and very secure.
• The chat room is frequented by an automated
  process (named iembot) that relays NWS issued
  products to the chat room automatically. The
  iembot is fully VTEC aware and alerts users to
  non-VTEC products like MCDs from SPC, hurricane
  statements from NHC, and even alerts when ASOS
  sites report severe wind gusts. This process
  average delivery time to the room is about 12
  seconds from issuance.

6
Actual log from May 5, 2006
Tabbed enviornment allows you to monitor
upstream and downstream offices.
7
The bot delivers mesoscale and watch links to the
room
8
Actual log from May 5, 2006
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
IEMBot Examples
BMX issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning for
Montgomery AL till 630 PM CDT Followup
statements (SVS) BMX cancels Severe Thunderstorm
Warning for Elmore AL Special Marine Warnings
MFL issues Marine Warning for Biscayne Bay,
Coastal waters from Deerfield Beach to Ocean Reef
FL out 20 nm AM till 845 AM EDT Non-precipitat
ing warnings (requires VTEC) OUN issues Fire
Weather Warning valid at Aug 18, 1200 PM CDT for
Comanche, Stephens, Garvin, Murray, Pontotoc,
Coal, Cotton, Jefferson, Carter, Johnston, Atoka,
Love, Marshall, Bryan OK and Archer, Clay,
Wichita TX till Aug 18, 800 PM CDT SPC
Mesoscale Convective Discussions (MCD) Storm
Prediction Center issues Mesoscale Discussion
1836 SPC Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm
watches Storm Prediction Center issues SEVERE
TSTM watch till 1700 UTC National Hurricane
Center products National Hurricane Center issues
ADVISORY 32 for HURRICANE GORDON ASOS extreme
wind gusts WINNER,SD (KSFD) ASOS reports gust of
55 knots from SSE _at_ 0344Z KSFD 150353Z AUTO
16035G55KT 7SM FEW110 28/12 A2957 RMK AO2 PK WND
15055/0344 SLP991 T02780122 TSNO Local Storm
Reports (LSR) Monroe Turner Co, SD emergency
mngr reports TSTM WND DMG at 1218 PM CDT -- 4 to
8 inch diameter tree limbs knocked down WFO
optional links to NOW casts, RER statements,
Flood warnings/statements, Hurricane Statements,
others can be added. SJU issues Flood Advisory
(FLS) NESDIS Satellite Precipitation Estimates
(SPE) NESDIS issues Satellite Precipitation
Estimates IEM provided SchoolNet wind gust
alerts UNITED COMMUNITY _ BOONE Boone County
SNET reports 55 MPH from the N _at_ 0555 AM West
Texas Mesonet wind gust alerts GRAHAM,TX (XGHS)
ASOS reports gust of 52 knots from SSE _at_ 2110Z
XGHS 162110Z 15033G52KT -RA 23/19 A3006 RMK AO1
T02280187 P0001 RH 080 Special Weather
Statements (SPS) EPZ ISSUES THIS IS A REISSUE OF
THE RIVER FLOOD WARNING FOR THE RIO GRANDE IN EL
PASO for El Paso TX till 700 AM MDT
12
IEM Chat is Catching on

• The use of instant messaging has evolved and
  increased over the years.
• Started in 2000 at one office (Birmingham, AL)
• 65 WFOs are currently using or experimenting with
  IEM Chat (November 2007)
• 34 offices in Central Region
• 25 offices in Southern Region
• 4 offices in Eastern Region to began testing mid
  July 2007
• 2 offices in Western Region experimenting.

13
Stuff In the Works

• Census data with the polygon warnings
• CAP alerting (Common Alert Protocol) XML
  formatted messages
• CAP alert messages can quickly launch Internet
  messages, news feeds, television text captions,
  highway sign messages, and synthesized voice over
  automated telephone calls or radio broadcasts.
• Smarter Bot county and zone aware. This allows
  the user to program their area of interest.
• Whiteboard capabilities - Visually express ideas
  and comments in a online/teleconference meeting.

14
Questions?