State Agency Enhances Public Safety
State Agency Enhances Public Safety
The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) now has access to over 290 WeatherBug Tracking Stations across Maryland, reporting data every two seconds facilitating safer and faster emergency response.
MEMA announced an extended partnership with the Maryland and WeatherBug, a provider of live local weather information services. Maryland is the first state in the country to provide a common weather intelligence platform for all emergency management officials. Using live local weather data from the exclusive network of WeatherBug Tracking Stations, MEMA will enhance their analysis and responsiveness in day-to-day operations and emergency situations to help save lives.
Standardizing on WeatherBug Streamer, an online application providing instantaneous weather information and analysis, MEMA, the state Emergency Operation Center (EOC), all county emergency management coordinators and Baltimore City and Ocean City emergency managers now have access to:
– advanced warning and detailed intelligence for severe weather incidents like hurricanes, flooding, winter storms and wind gusts, – more accurate and up-to-date data for plume modeling, – enhanced interoperability enabling all users to be on the same system working with the same information and, – more accurate, timely weather data facilitating safer and faster emergency response activities.
“It is imperative to have access to live local weather information to make critical decisions that can save lives and property, and to be able to alert first responders and the public instantaneously,” said John Doherty, Senior Vice President, Professional Services at WeatherBug. “By opening up our exclusive weather network in the state of Maryland, MEMA will be able to make life-saving decisions based on live local information. It is a strong example of a public/private partnership providing great benefits for many stakeholders.”
In addition to WeatherBug Streamer, MEMA also integrates WeatherBug Network data into the Emergency Management Mapping Application (EMMA) for plume models. The EMMA was developed by Towson University and the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC). Provision of the data in multiple platforms allows for rapid and easy access to critical weather information. The same WeatherBug Network data is also made accessible to Homeland Security via NOAA/NWS in case of a terrorism attack or major disaster.
For more information, visit: http://www.weatherbug
.
