488
MARY ALTALO
They are a sophisticated industry and thus have the capability to uptake and
manipulate the environmental information to manage their risk. The needs
of the oil and gas community have been examined extensively and include
requirements for exploration, platform operation, product transport, pipeline
laying, ship routing, refining and distribution. The power utility industry has
been less examined but has critical requirements for balancing electricity
loads and optimally dispatching power into the Grid. Determining fuel
choice and guiding its wise use in the next decades is critical to the concept
of energy security, and knowledge of regional climate information is a
priority to planning of wind farms for example. Building energy control
systems use “smart sensing” feedback technology to monitor the external
temperature as well as pollutants to regulate heating and cooling systems.
Healthcare: In the healthcare industry, connections have been made
between disease and weather and climate patterns such as drought and flood.
In the ocean, red tide prediction can aid in the management of shellfish bed
closures and swimming beach safety. New applications are now being made
to managing the inventory supply chain as well as the scheduling of hospital
and clinic emergency room staff and beds using weather event forecasting.
Military bases use potential injury to personnel due to storms, icing, and
earthquakes to determine base closures.
Transport: In the transport industry, ship, truck and aviation routing
have long relied on the current state as well as the forecast information
particularly around critical threshold temperatures (snow, ice, rain), and
storm tracking. With the trend today toward the seamless integration of all
forms of transport or “intermodal” transport, strategies are being developed
to optimize the transport of goods and personnel in a safe, efficient and cost
effective way. Using new environment forecast information is a way to
mitigate unwanted delays due to “congestion” and route disruption.
Finance: The financial services sector underpins all of the other
industries of the nations and has diverse needs. Today, banks are
considering factors such as sea level rise, beach erosion rates, storm surge
penetration and other coastal factors before approving lending for capital
investment projects. Risk ratings for “environmental friendliness” are being
calculated for companies, and weather derivatives are major instruments for
trading and hedging.
Tourism: In the tourism industry, which is one of the largest
economic sectors of the global economy, atmospheric and ocean forecasts
are essential to safety and risk management in the cruise ship industry and
coastal hotel industry, long term resort construction development, and
facility staff and supplies scheduling. Room rate setting, revenue projections,
inventory management and food service planning all rely on this
information.
Water Management: Another important industry operation “at
risk” from weather and ocean variables is water management where drinking
MARY ALTALO
They are a sophisticated industry and thus have the capability to uptake and
manipulate the environmental information to manage their risk. The needs
of the oil and gas community have been examined extensively and include
requirements for exploration, platform operation, product transport, pipeline
laying, ship routing, refining and distribution. The power utility industry has
been less examined but has critical requirements for balancing electricity
loads and optimally dispatching power into the Grid. Determining fuel
choice and guiding its wise use in the next decades is critical to the concept
of energy security, and knowledge of regional climate information is a
priority to planning of wind farms for example. Building energy control
systems use “smart sensing” feedback technology to monitor the external
temperature as well as pollutants to regulate heating and cooling systems.
Healthcare: In the healthcare industry, connections have been made
between disease and weather and climate patterns such as drought and flood.
In the ocean, red tide prediction can aid in the management of shellfish bed
closures and swimming beach safety. New applications are now being made
to managing the inventory supply chain as well as the scheduling of hospital
and clinic emergency room staff and beds using weather event forecasting.
Military bases use potential injury to personnel due to storms, icing, and
earthquakes to determine base closures.
Transport: In the transport industry, ship, truck and aviation routing
have long relied on the current state as well as the forecast information
particularly around critical threshold temperatures (snow, ice, rain), and
storm tracking. With the trend today toward the seamless integration of all
forms of transport or “intermodal” transport, strategies are being developed
to optimize the transport of goods and personnel in a safe, efficient and cost
effective way. Using new environment forecast information is a way to
mitigate unwanted delays due to “congestion” and route disruption.
Finance: The financial services sector underpins all of the other
industries of the nations and has diverse needs. Today, banks are
considering factors such as sea level rise, beach erosion rates, storm surge
penetration and other coastal factors before approving lending for capital
investment projects. Risk ratings for “environmental friendliness” are being
calculated for companies, and weather derivatives are major instruments for
trading and hedging.
Tourism: In the tourism industry, which is one of the largest
economic sectors of the global economy, atmospheric and ocean forecasts
are essential to safety and risk management in the cruise ship industry and
coastal hotel industry, long term resort construction development, and
facility staff and supplies scheduling. Room rate setting, revenue projections,
inventory management and food service planning all rely on this
information.
Water Management: Another important industry operation “at
risk” from weather and ocean variables is water management where drinking