WDC15: Management of a volunteer rainfall-hail-snowfall network
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WDC15: Management of a volunteer rainfall-hail-snowfall network
Duration: 10/01/2007 to 09/30/2008
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Statement of Issues and Justification.
A Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive Web-site, the aim of CoCoRaHS is to provide the highest quality spatial data for natural resource, education and research applications. The network currently operates in 20 states across the United States and was initiated in 1998 at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University in response to a lack of spatial rainfall data to understand the major Fort Collins flood of 1998. The objective of the program is to have 24 hr total rainfall and snowfall measured on a grid of every 2.5 km^2 through out the United States. The current rainfall network of volunteer observers that measure rainfall using non weighing rain gages and operated by the National Weather Service measures rainfall and snow fall only every 1024 km^2. In order to understand the hydrology of an area, the higher CoCoRaHS density of rain fall measurements is needed. In addition to 24 hr data reported over the internet, the system feeds data to the NWS to augment the dipolar radar data for flash flood warnings.
Objectives:
The objectives of this project are 1. Assemble the state coordinators of CoCoRaHS including university State Climatologist, ARS personal that use CoCoRaHS in their research efforts, and NWS personal to coordinate the expansion of the network and the products produced by the network. 2. Share software and data bases within the group to setup alternative sites in addition to the Colorado Climate Center Site. 3. Coordinate the development and dissemination of educational material to the school system in each state and to end users of the rainfall and snowfall data. 4. Coordinate the development of new software that end users could use to make hydrologic decision based on the CoCoRaHS data base.
Procedures:
The participants of the coordinating committee will represent and interact with the end users including the National Weather Service, other meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities (water supply, water conservation, storm water), insurance adjusters, USDA, engineers, mosquito control, ranchers and farmers, outdoor & recreation interests, teachers, students, and neighbors in the community to identify how value can be added to the CoCoRaHS data base and software. An initial survey was conducted by NSF Informal Science Education grant to evaluate of the CoCoRAHS network with emphasis placed on citizen participation and learning. (Reges et al 2007).The survey pointed out some problem with the network both at the volunteer level and end user level. An additional survey will be conduct to expand on an understanding of the needs of the end user of the information and what format and tools are needed to make the network a more effective information gathering and dissemination network.
The need exits for each state to maintain their own data but the data should be in a data base management system that is compatible among states. Consequently one of the first jobs of the coordinating committee will be to discus how data can be transferred to each state from the current central location currently at Colorado State University and what data base management software will be used to store the data for display at the local level. The question of how to display the data at the local level will also be determined based on the needs of each state. Currently, if a state has a particular need for information display this can only be accomplished at the Colorado central site. The sharing of software and programs will make it possible for programmers in every state to contribute to this system. However, coordination of the operating system used at other state sites is needed because no one version of Lenux exists but several free versions are available and each version has its independent capabilities. The coordinating committee will decides on which system will be used.
The methodology of developing educational material and how to disseminate it will be determined by the coordinating committee and how the developed education material will be shared. Are lesson plans needs for the teachers? How can the use of climate rainfall data be incorporated into state educational standards? How can students participate in CoCoRaHS when they need sponsors to purchase the $25 cost of the equipment? This and other questions connected with the education component of CoCoRaHS will be determined by the coordinating committee.
Expected outcomes and Impacts.
The coordinate committee will solve the above problems defined in the procedure section with the expected outcome that CoCoRaHS will expand to all states in the United State and will result in a long term collection of high density rainfall and snow fall data to be used by society to solve the water resource problem that are current and will be identified in the future by society.
References
Henry W. Reges, Nolan J. Doesken, Robert C. Cifelli and Julian Turner. 2007 THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE RAIN, HAIL AND SNOW NETWORK (COCORAHS): VOLUNTEERS MONITORING PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NATIONTHE NEXT STEP http://www.cocorahs.org/Media/docs/16AppliedClimatePaper5.3_RegesetalFINAL.pdf