Weather Services for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
- 2.0 Weather Services
- 3.0 Weather Services Project Management and Administration
- 4.0 Weather Services Infrastructure
- 5.0 Weather Requirements for VANOC
- 6.0 Weather Requirements for Essential Federal Services
- 7.0 Weather Services for Other Clients
- 8.0 Forecast Technology Development
- 9.0 Olympic Weather Research / SNOW-V10
- 10.0 Forecaster Training and Development
- 11.0 Telecommunications and Weather Data
- 12.0 Decommissioning and Legacy
- 13.0 Communications and Media
- 14.0 Financial Notes
- 15.0 Lessons Learned, Recommendations and Legacy
- 16.0 Summary
11.0 Telecommunications and Weather Data
11.1 Internal EC Telecommunications
11.1.1.1 Codecon Modifications and 15-Minute Data Sets
11.2.1 Weather Information through INFO 2010
11.2.2 Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver (OBSV)
11.3.1 Weatheroffice Public Olympic Web Page
11.3.1.1 Street-Level Forecasts (SLFs)
11.0 Telecommunications and Weather Data
There were two main communications and data streams for 2010: those that served internal clients (EC forecasters) and those that served external clients (VANOC and the public).
11.1 Internal EC Telecommunications
No specialized communications methods, equipment or data management protocols were used in Games-related internal communications. Extensive use was made of WebEx for team briefings.
11.1.1 Routine Weather Data
Routine weather data (observations, imagery, radar reflectivity and velocities, etc.) were made available through existing EC data transmission networks, and made accessible through forecaster workstation technology.
11.1.1.1 Codecon Modifications and 15-Minute Data Sets
EC used decoding software (Codecon) to transform surface weather observations into various formats that can be used by our variety of users. In most cases, weather stations are polled hourly and weather observations are processed in accordance with WMO standards for weather observations. A few modifications to Codecon were required to meet the needs of VANOC, SNOW-V10 and the team forecasters. These included the following:
- 15-minute rather than hourly observations
- Special 1-minute observations (for the use of SNOW-V10)
- A parameter measuring the short-term variability of the wind
- A parameter measuring the instantaneous maximum wind in a 15-minute interval
- A data element containing snow depth
The process by which these necessary Codecon modifications were made was complex and time consuming. Special software had to be written to repair some data, and care was required to ensure that the standard climatological data set was not contaminated by observations recorded under the “Olympic rules.”
11.1.2 Olympic Weather Wiki
Information for the benefit of some EC users of 2010 weather services and the forecast team was made available through an internal (to EC) Wiki page. Observations, analytical tools and meteorological data from area surface and other observations were accessible through the Department’s intranet. In addition to real-time weather information, data, research, forecaster blog submissions and publications pertinent to the 2010 weather project were be published on the site.
11.1.3 SNOW-V10 Website
Data, observations and inter-model comparison data were published on an internal SNOW-V10 website accessible to V10 study members and forecast team members.
Researchers and forecasters were able to access real-time one-minute observations from the surface observing network, a variety of radar nowcasting tools, meteograms that would overlay various resolutions of model output on top of real-time observations, and a wealth of other data.
11.2 Data for Games Clients
Atos Origin is the IT firm that has a contract with the IOC to provide turnkey IT systems for Olympic Games through 2020. It has, as its primary responsibility, IT consulting, systems integration, operations management, information security and software applications development for the Olympic Games. One system that is integral to this is the Information Diffusion System (IDS), which relays results and athlete information to the Olympic Family, the media and TV viewers.
11.2.1 Weather Information through INFO 2010
At the heart of the IOC IDS was INFO 2010, an intranet that was available to accredited media and the many thousands of members of the Olympic Family. It featured 50 000 pages of information in English and French. Weather information from EC observing and forecast systems was provided to Atos Origin in XML format. Atos Origin has predefined methodologies for meteorological information display and appearance. So, the ultimate responsibility for EC was to provide weather forecast and observation data in an acceptable format. Data and forecasts were prepared at venues, converted to the required XML with the “Q-Device” (see below), transmitted to the data centre at CMC in Montreal, and retransmitted to Atos Origin on a direct line from CMC to Vancouver. A backup router and data line were activated at Games time for contingency purposes.
11.2.1.1 Q-Device
Scribe is a Canadian forecast production tool that allows meteorologists to make adjustments to merge model forecast data with current observations, and to alter elements where error is perceived, within an editable weather elements matrix. This matrix is then automatically converted into a variety of weather forecast products.
It was originally intended that Scribe would create all weather products for the Games. However, extensive testing in 2007 and 2008 indicated that it could not be successfully modified to generate properly formatted XML output as required by Atos Origin for INFO 2010. Hence, the Q-Device was developed for this purpose. It has the following attributes:
- Is a web-based interface with an editable spreadsheet of forecast weather elements with a 1-hour time interval for the first 30 hours and three hourly time-steps for Hour 33 to Day 7
- Imports high-resolution (GEM 1.0 km) model data as an initial guess with an option to load the 2.5-km, 15-km regional and global model data sets
- Generates products for INFO 2010, venue operations (sports tabular forecast), and VANOC Medical
- Meets current Atos XML specifications
Data and forecasts were prepared at venues on the Q-Device, converted to the required XML, transmitted to EC’s data centre at CMC in Montreal, and retransmitted to Atos on a direct line from CMC to Vancouver. A backup router and data line were activated at Games time for contingency purposes.
11.2.2 Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver (OBSV)
OBSV was the Olympic broadcaster in Vancouver. EC prepared satellite, weather radar, and current conditions data for OBSV. Whistler radar and satellite imagery was prepared with high-definition (HD) resolution.
11.2.3 Olympic Family Website
Very early in the project, EC developed a password-protected website for the benefit of forecasters and Olympic Family, where real-time Olympic weather data, weather studies, and annual Games-time climatological reports could be posted and accessed. Each station’s real-time and historical data could be accessed at a click, and lines were provided to existing EC satellite and radar products.
11.3 Data for the Public
As is common in recent Olympics, EC developed a specialized web page for Olympic weather within its main weather website.
11.3.1 Weatheroffice Public Olympic Weather Web Page
Produced in English and French, the main Weatheroffice public web page provided access to simple graphical and detailed text forecasts for all Olympic venues and for locations in the Olympic area, as well as climatological information and real-time satellite/radar imagery.
11.3.1.1 Street-Level Forecasts (SLFs)
This clickable graphical interface produced meteograms of a number of forecast weather variables for any location within the SLF domain, with a 1-hour temporal resolution, valid for 24 hours. It was driven by output from the 1-km resolution Olympic GEM weather model. This prototype service was discontinued after the Games.
11.3.2 Media Web
EC ran a password-protected site for media at Games time, permitting access to weather observations and forecasts, plus a special, daily, 3-4–minute streaming media “weather of the day” video which provided a news-like visual presentation of weather in the Olympic area, focusing on high-impact weather and effects on the public. Nearly all of these briefings were also placed on YouTube for public access and were designed to be used both pre and post Olympics. For example, the February 10, 2010 Vancouver 2010 Daily Weather Briefing can be viewed here.
11.3.3 EC YouTube
EC Communications produced a number of YouTube videos, providing the public with access to the considerable background information on the weather of the Olympic area.
Weather During the Olympic Period
Weather FAQ - Whistler Temperature Inversion
Weather FAQ - Major Snowstorms on the South Coast of British Columbia
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