Tracking Storms by Plane and Supercomputer

June 6, 2003 -- In this week's Cybershake, we explore the U.S. government's attempts to use technology to hunt for hurricanes. Plus, we take a quick look at a software product that might have high-tech outdoor enthusiasts packing away paper maps forever.

High-Tech Hurricane-Hunting Season

Experts with the U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that the climate is ripe for an increased number of hurricanes this year. But officials at NOAA say they're now using new high-tech gear that could allow for much more accurate hurricane forecasts.

One aid is the Gulfstream IV (G-IV) jet plane, one of the many small planes in NOAA's fleet of so-called hurricane hunters. The twin-engine jet is designed to carry an array of electronics, including sophisticated radar systems, satellite communication gear, and four computer workstations.

When stalking hurricanes, the G-IV stays airborne for up to 12 hours at a time at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. Once over a storm, the plane will drop sensors called dropwindsondes that will measure the air pressure, temperature, humidity and other factors.

The data is sent back to technicians onboard the G-IV who will process and transmit the data via satellite to the National Hurricane Center in Miami and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Camp Springs. Md.

Computers at both sites will analyze the data as it arrives to predict when and where the storm may strike the U.S. coasts.

And on Friday, NOAA is expected to announce a joint venture with IBM for even more computing horsepower. The Armonk, N.Y., company will supply NOAA with a supercomputer capable of performing 7.3 trillion calculations per second.

Flight director Marty Mayhou says that technology means better forecasts. "As we go along and technology increases we'll have better understanding and hopefully get closer and closer to the ultimate goal of getting it right."

NOAA expects that the real-time data capabilities of the G-IV and new supercomputer power from IBM, hurricane landfall tracking and prediction capabilities could improve by as much as 20 percent. And hurricane forecasts will now cover five days instead of just three.

— Andrew Colton, ABCNEWS

The Final Fold for Paper Maps?

If you are the outdoor type, there is a new tool to keep you from getting lost.

Maptech Inc., in Amesbury. Mass., has released a new version of its Outdoor Navigator software. The program allows users to download and view any one of 60,000 maps of the entire United States into a Palm handheld computer.

"Download any chart, any nautical chart, any topographic map and it gets stored on their hard drive and it is theirs forever," says Martin Fox, a spokesman for Maptech.

But more than just a way to get rid of tons of paper maps, the software really shines if the Palm computer is connected to a Global Positioning System, or GPS, device. The software will take the longitude and latitude information from the space-based GPS satellites and actually display that location on the map — telling you exactly where you are.

"[It's] really a new dimension in GPS technology," says Martin Fox, a spokesman for Maptech. "It's really meant for being highly mobile and being an outdoor adventurer," says Fox.

The software is sold on a subscription basis. For $100, buyers can access Maptech's Web site and download as many maps as they want for a whole year. To access additional maps, users will be charged only $30.

For now, Outdoor Navigator work only with the M-505, M-515, and Tungsten models from Palm Computers. But the company is working on software versions for other models.

— Jim Hickey, ABCNEWS

Cybershake is produced for ABCNEWS Radio by Andrea J. Smith.