Text shows how GIS supports weather, climate research (with related video)

The new book “Mapping and Modeling Weather and Climate with GIS,” explains how geospatial cartography and analysis help to advance atmospheric science research. Redlands, Calif.-based Esri Press published the volume.

The book is aimed at meteorologists, climatologists, and GIS practitioners interested in integrating weather and climate data into their GIS workflows. Local government officials may also find the book useful, says Lori Armstrong, Esri’s global atmospheric, climate and weather industry manager, and one of the editors of the volume.

“The United Nations Development Programme estimates that more than 70 percent of climate change reduction measures and up to 90 percent of climate change adaptation measures are the responsibility of local government,” says Armstrong. “Therefore, it is critically important that the latest science is used to support policy as resiliency investments are made.”
Armstrong says the book provides a good balance of technical details of current technological implementations and methodological approaches of mapping and modeling for research considerations. She adds that the volume “can be a valuable resource for those just beginning to use GIS in weather and climate projects.”

Topics in the volume include data and software resources, data representation, observations, modeling, data-model integration, web services, and the areas of current and potential cross-fertilization of atmospheric and geospatial sciences.
One of the book’s chapters focuses on a GIS-based analysis of the EF5 tornado in Joplin, Mo., in 2011. The chapter shows how combining weather, demographic, and weather-based web map services data helps answer such practical questions as, How many miles of roadways were in the tornado path? and Which roads likely need to have signs replaced, debris cleared, or lights repaired?

The book has a five-chapter section on tools and resources such as Python scripting and the Weather and Climate Toolkit, and free software from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Climatic Data Center. Early chapters in the volume cover how modeled atmospheric data and weather radar can be used in ArcGIS technology from Esri. The book has a chapter on how weather- or climate-related social media feeds and posts—such as reports of debris from a tsunami—can be integrated into a GIS and used in research.

The publication is available in print (ISBN: 9781589483767, 334 pages, US$49.99) or as an e-book (ISBN: 9781589484054, US$49.99). The book is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778.

The Urban Climate Project, a decision support tool, is described in the video. Students at three universities developed the tool as part of the 2014 Esri Climate Resilience App Challenge.

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