2.3: Transportation
Improved transportation efficiency and safety Other Information:
The transportation sector is critical to our society and uniquely sensitive to weather, making it a key component to achieve
a weather-ready nation. Weather accounts for approximately 70 percent of all air traffic delays within the U.S., costing billions
of dollars to the Nation's economy. Winter storms can cripple surface transportation networks for days at a time and are hazardous
to drivers. Hurricanes and storms at sea and on the Great Lakes disrupt marine transportation, causing delays, loss of cargo,
and lives. Volcanic ash can cause widespread flight cancellations. In partnership with local and State government as well
as other Federal Agencies, NOAA will enhance data and services to minimize the impacts of weather-related events on the national
transportation system. Progress toward this objective is interrelated to the objective to provide safe, efficient and environmentally
sound marine transportation in the Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies goal. To achieve this objective, NOAA will
improve engagement with transportation user communities in the aviation, surface, and marine transportation sectors to gain
a better understanding of their needs and integrate that knowledge into improved weather-related products and services that
support safety, mobility, and efficiency. NOAA will improve access to and interoperability of weather data to better integrate
with decision-support systems and increase the scope of available data by integrating observations from road, marine, aircraft,
and other sources, while improving data in such remote areas as the Arctic. NOAA will develop and deploy a four-dimensional
environmental database known as the 4-D Cube, which will enhance decision-support systems by offering consistent information
at high temporal resolutions. Information will be available and usable in real-time, enabling two-way information-sharing.
While the 4-D Cube will be applied initially in the aviation industry, it will ultimately benefit all commercial sectors that
require environmental information. This objective requires better forecasts of low clouds, fog, turbulence, visibilities,
and precipitation type and duration, as well as improved methods to formulate and communicate forecast confidence. Modeling
enhancements will improve storm prediction accuracy, coastal wave modeling, and space weather prediction. Over the next five
years, evidence of progress toward this objective will include: * Fewer aviation delays due to weather-related events; * Reduced
grounding or sinking of cargo vessels due to weather-related events; and * A reduction in transportation fatalities and economic
losses due to weather-related events.
Indicator(s):
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