Quality Control of Meteorological Data for the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1510-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Liljegren ◽  
Stephen Tschopp ◽  
Kevin Rogers ◽  
Fred Wasmer ◽  
Lucia Liljegren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Plume Dispersion ◽  
Dispersion Models ◽  
Problem Reporting ◽  
Automated Screening ◽  
Response Modeling

Abstract The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program Meteorological Support Project ensures the accuracy and reliability of data acquired by meteorological monitoring stations located at seven U.S. Army chemical weapons depots where storage and weapons destruction (demilitarization) activities are ongoing. The data are delivered in real time to U.S. Army plume dispersion models, which are used to plan for and respond to a potential accidental release of a chemical weapons agent. The project provides maintenance, calibration, and audit services for the instrumentation; collection, automated screening, visual inspection, and analysis of the data; and problem reporting and tracking to carefully control the data quality. The resulting high-quality meteorological data enhance emergency response modeling and public safety.

scholarly journals Measurement of motion corrected wind velocity using an aerostat lofted sonic anemometer

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 703-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. R. Stevens ◽  
W. Squier ◽  
W. Mitchell ◽  
B. K. Gullett ◽  
C. Pressley
Keyword(s):  
Reference System ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Translational Motion ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Wind Data ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Dispersion Modeling ◽  
Plume Dispersion ◽  
Fire Plume ◽  
Orientation Data

Abstract. An aerostat-lofted, sonic anemometer was used to determine instantaneous 3 dimensional wind velocities at altitudes relevant to fire plume dispersion modeling. An integrated GPS, inertial measurement unit, and attitude heading and reference system corrected the wind data for the rotational and translational motion of the anemometer and rotated wind vectors to a global North, West, Up coordinate system. Data were taken at rates of 10 and 20 Hz to adequately correct for motion of the aerostat. The method was applied during a prescribed forest burn. These data were averaged over 15 min intervals and used as inputs for subsequent dispersion modeling. The anemometer's orientation data are demonstrated to be robust for converting the wind vector from the internal anemometer reference system to the global reference system with an average bias between 5 and 7°. Lofted wind data are compared with sonic anemometer data acquired at 10 m on a mast located near the tether point of the aerostat and with local meteorological data.

Evaluation of the performance of different short-range atmospheric dispersion models for the monitoring of CH4 emissions from industrial facilities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonaventure Fontanier ◽  
Pramod Kumar ◽  
Grégoire Broquet ◽  
Christopher Caldow ◽  
Olivier Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Atmospheric Dispersion ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Dispersion Models ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Gaussian Plume ◽  
Gaussian Puff ◽  
Gaussian Puff Model

<p>Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) is a powerful greenhouse gas which plays a major role in climate change. The accurate monitoring of emissions from industrial facilities is needed to ensure efficient emission mitigation strategies. Local-scale atmospheric inversions are increasingly being used to provide estimates of the rates and/or locations of CH<sub>4</sub> sources from industrial sites. They rely on local-scale atmospheric dispersion models, CH<sub>4</sub> measurements and inversion approaches. Gaussian plume models have often been used for local-scale atmospheric dispersion modelling and inversions of emissions, because of their simplicity and good performance when used in a flat terrain and relatively constant mean wind conditions. However, even in such conditions, failure to account for wind and mole fraction variability can limit the ability to exploit the full potential of these measurements at high frequency.</p><p>We study whether the accuracy of inversions can be increased by the use of more complex dispersion models. Our assessments are based on the analysis of 25 to 75-min CH<sub>4 </sub>controlled releases during a one-week campaign in October 2019 at the TOTAL’s TADI operative platform in Lacq, France (in a flat area). During this campaign, for each controlled release, we conducted near-surface in situ measurements of CH<sub>4</sub> mole fraction from both a mobile vehicle and a circle of fixed points around the emission area. Our inversions based on a Gaussian model and either the mobile or fixed-point measurements both provided estimates of the release rates with 20-30% precision.  </p><p>Here we focus on comparisons between modeling and inversion results when using this Gaussian plume model, a Lagrangian model “GRAL” and a Gaussian puff model. The parameters for the three models are based on high-frequency meteorological values from a single stationary 3D sonic anemometer. GRAL should have relatively good skills under low-wind speed conditions. The Gaussian puff is a light implementation of time-dependent modeling and can be driven by high-frequency meteorological data. The performance of these dispersion models is evaluated with various metrics from the observation field that are relevant for the inversion. These analyses lead to the exploration of new types of definitions of the observational constraint for the inversions with the Gaussian puff model, when using the timeseries from fixed measurement points. The definitions explore a range of metrics in the time domain as well as in the frequency domain.</p><p>Eventually, the Lagrangian model does not outperform the Gaussian plume model in these experiments, its application being notably limited by the short scales of the transport characteristics. On the other hand, the Gaussian puff model provides promising results for the inversion, in particular, in terms of comparison between the simulated and observed timeseries for fixed stations. Its performance when driven by a spatially uniform wind field is an incentive to explore the use of meteorological data from several sonic stations to parameterize its configuration. The fixed-point measurements are shown to allow for more robust inversions of the source location than the mobile measurements, with an average source localization error of the order of 10 m.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Integrated Community-Based Management of Severe Wasting Programs in Conflict-Stricken South Sudan: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Scalability of Nutrition Emergency Response Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9113
Author(s):  
Andre M. N. Renzaho ◽  
Gilbert Dachi ◽  
Kibrom Tesfaselassie ◽  
Kiross Tefera Abebe ◽  
Ismail Kassim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Impact

Community-based management of severe wasting (CMSW) programs have solely focused on exit outcome indicators, often omitting data on nutrition emergency preparedness and scalability. This study aimed to document good practices and generate evidence on the effectiveness and scalability of CMSW programs to guide future nutrition interventions in South Sudan. A total of 69 CMSW program implementation documents and policies were authenticated and retained for analysis, complemented with the analyses of aggregated secondary data obtained over five (2016–2020 for CMSW program performance) to six (wasting prevention) years (2014–2019). Findings suggest a strong and harmonised coordination of CMSW program implementation, facilitated timely and with quality care through an integrated and harmonised multi-agency and multidisciplinary approach. There were challenges to the institutionalisation and ownership of CMSW programs: a weak health system, fragile health budget that relied on external assistance, and limited opportunities for competency-based learning and knowledge transfer. Between 2014 and 2019, the prevalence of wasting fluctuated according to the agricultural cycle and remained above the emergency threshold of 15% during the July to August lean season. However, during the same period, under-five and crude mortality rates (10,000/day) declined respectively from 1.17 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91, 1.43) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.25) to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.38, 0.76) and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.70). Both indicators remained below the emergency thresholds, hence suggesting that the emergency response was under control. Over a five-year period (2016–2020), a total of 1,105,546 children (52% girls, 48% boys) were admitted to CMSW programs. The five-year pooled performance indicators (mean [standard deviations]) was 86.4 (18.9%) for recovery, 2.1 (7.8%) for deaths, 5.2 (10.3%) for defaulting, 1.7 (5.7%) for non-recovery, 4.6 (13.5%) for medical transfers, 2.2 (4.7%) for relapse, 3.3 (15.0) g/kg/day for weight gain velocity, and 6.7 (3.7) weeks for the length of stay in the program. In conclusion, all key performance indicators, except the weight gain velocity, met or exceeded the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. Our findings demonstrate the possibility of implementing robust and resilient CMSAM programs in protracted conflict environments, informed by global guidelines and protocols. They also depict challenges to institutionalisation and ownership.

scholarly journals A METADATA-BASED APPROACH FOR USING CCTV TO FACILITATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIV-3/W1-2020 ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
J-H. Hong ◽  
Y-T. Shi
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
September 11 ◽  
September 11 Attacks ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
2D To 3D

Abstract. The installation of closed-circuit television monitors (CCTV) has been rapidly increasing ever since the September 11 attacks and has become one of the most widely used types of sensors for the tasks that require instantaneous and long-term monitoring. With the distinguished characteristics of direct visual inspection of the subject of interests, the availability of CCTVs offers the EOC commanders a quick way to validate and access the reported disaster incidents during emergency response. However, the heterogeneity of CCTV systems and the lack of appropriate descriptions precludes the optimized use of CCTV and causes immense difficulties in effectively coordinating or appraising the use of CCTV systems. By arguing standardized metadata plays the most crucial role in quickly and precisely finding the needed CCTV during emergency response, regardless of its specifications, suppliers, or locations, we propose an integrated operational framework based on the CCTV metadata specifically designed for emergency response in this paper. This framework standardizes the metadata to unify the descriptions for heterogeneous CCTV systems and fulfill the requirements for searching and selecting CCTV. Instead of the 2D point-based location or sector-based CCTV FOV coverage, we also propose to extend the FOV from 2D to 3D to precisely describe the area and even the features that can be monitored by the CCTV. This not only improves the precision and efficiency of selecting CCTV but also increase the commander’s ability to make quick and accurate responses to disasters. The advantages of integrating heterogeneous CCTV systems can tremendously improve the possibility of monitoring and updating the real-time status caused by hazards.

Research on the Promotion Path of Collaborative Emergency Response Capability of Smoke-Free Cities in the Digital Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 5230-5245
Author(s):  
Qian Yuhao ◽  
Chen Junshi ◽  
Wang Chen ◽  
Liu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Control Mode ◽  
Disaster Prevention ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Emergency Plans ◽  
Information Resource Integration ◽  
Integration Mode

In recent years, major public safety incidents occur frequently in smoke-free cities. Under the complex and severe situation, the emergency preparedness capacity of smoke-free cities in China needs to be improved. In this paper, 50 fire emergency plans in smoke-free City F are taken as samples, and the qualitative comparative analysis method of clear set (csqca) is applied to explore the improvement path of emergency preparedness ability. Three influence paths are obtained to improve the emergency preparedness ability, which are information resource integration mode, business collaboration pre control mode and system route mode. The results provide reference for improving the effectiveness of pre disaster prevention, enhance the emergency preparedness capacity of smoke-free cities and improving the effect of emergency management.

Emergency Preparedness

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D Hurd ◽  
Stephenie Lukas ◽  
Ardis Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
The Us ◽  
National Response

Pharmacists, and pharmacy students, normally have a limited exposure to the principles and structures of emergency management necessary to help coordinate effective and rapid responses. However, pharmacists’ work in disaster preparedness has taken many focuses. Community pharmacists develop emergency preparedness manuals, organize health-system pharmacy teams to respond to terrorism attacks, and identify essential actions for effective emergency response. This chapter focuses on the US health care system and emergency preparedness within its borders, starting with basic terminology and concepts and then moving onto the key components of U.S. National Response Frameworks and the role of pharmacists in the Frameworks and larger emergency preparedness and planning efforts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document