GIS-Based Automated Weather Alert Notification System

• US 20100013629A1
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Meteorlogix, LLC (TBG AG)
• Inventors: Sznaider, Ronald J., Chenevert, Douglas P., Hugg, Robert L., Block, James H., Reece, Clive F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.280
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes

Abstract

An automated weather alert system using GIS technology automatically ingests weather data and processes the weather data to determine if localized weather conditions pose a threat to any of a plurality of business operations, each of which have a known location. In the event such threat exists, an employee having responsibility for a threatened business operation is provided with an alert message and asked to acknowledge receipt. Additional notification is automatically provided to the employee'"'"'s supervisor if such acknowledgment is not received within a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1-57. -57. (canceled)

58. An apparatus for providing weather alert information on a subscription basis to subscribers comprising:

(a) a separate mobile, addressable workstation assigned to each of a plurality of subscribers, each such workstation comprising a global positioning system receiver;

(b) a computer system comprising a database which stores (i) the address of each workstation assigned to a subscriber and (ii) a set of weather parameters selected by the subscriber associated with the address of the workstation assigned to the subscriber, wherein the computer system ingests weather information, filters the weather information based upon the parameters selected by the subscriber, determines where weather conditions will exceed the thresholds selected by the subscriber, and addresses weather alert messages to the workstation assigned to the subscriber which are delivered via the workstation assigned to the subscriber if the workstation is located in an area where weather conditions will exceed the thresholds selected by the subscriber.

59. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein at least one of the workstations is a cell phone.

60. The apparatus of claim 58 where at lest one of said workstations is mounted in a vehicle.

61. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein the database further includes mapping information defining an area of interest to a subscriber associated with the address of the workstation assigned to the subscriber and the computer system addresses messages to the subscriber'"'"'s workstation if weather conditions exceeding the parameters selected by the subscriber will exist within the area of interest defined by the subscriber.

62. An apparatus for providing weather alert information on a subscription basis to subscribers comprising:

(a) a separate mobile, addressable workstation assigned to each of a plurality of subscribers, each such workstation comprising a global positioning system receiver;

(b) a computer system comprising a database which stores the address of the workstation assigned to each subscriber, a set of weather parameters, and geographic information, wherein the computer system ingests geographically referenced weather information from a plurality of sources, compares the ingested weather information to the weather parameters and to the geographic information to perform a spatial analysis and thereby determine where weather conditions will exceed the weather parameters, and addresses geographically referenced weather alert messages to the workstation assigned to the subscriber if the parameters selected by the subscriber will be exceeded, and wherein such messages are delivered via the workstation to the subscriber if the workstation is located in an area where weather conditions will exceed the thresholds selected by the subscriber.

63. An apparatus for providing weather alert messages to a workstation based upon the location of said workstation comprising:

(a) an addressable workstation that receives alert messages and provides information related to its location;

(b) a computer system that (i) receives and stores information provided by a workstation related to the location of the workstation;

(ii) stores at least one predetermined set of thresholds;

(iii) automatically ingests and assembles a plurality of types of weather data from one or more data sources to map as a series of points the actual or predicted location, shape and spatial dimensions of storms and other weather conditions as opposed to being constrained by a set of predefined shapes or areas stored on the computer system;

(iv) performs a spatial analysis of said assembled weather data and said information related to the location of the workstation to determine if weather conditions at the location of the workstation will exceed said set of thresholds; and

(v) automatically transmits an alert message to the address of the addressable workstation if the workstation is in a location where weather conditions will exceed at least one of said thresholds.

64. The apparatus of claim 63 wherein said addressable workstation includes a global positioning system receiver for determining the position of the workstation, a transmitter for providing information related to the location of the workstation to the computer system, and a receiver for receiving weather alert messages from the computer system.