System and method for processing weather information

• US 20030050757A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Weather Central, Inc. (The Weather Company)
• Inventors: Moore, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,829,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09

Abstract

Weather information provided to a system for processing is converted from a weather information source coordinate system to a three-dimensional XYZ coordinate system. Processing of the weather information, e.g., to determine a current location and predicted path of weather phenomena, and to determine geographic locations which are or may be affected by the weather phenomena, is accomplished in the three-dimensional XYZ coordinate system. Locations in the three-dimensional XYZ coordinate system may be converted to two-dimensional screen xy coordinates for the display of weather phenomena indications over a geographic map display without converting the weather phenomena locations to a latitude/longitude coordinate system.

Claims

1. A method of processing weather information, comprising:

(a) receiving a plurality of NEXRAD attributes corresponding to a storm and storing said plurality of NEXRAD attributes in memory;

(b) deriving a storm position in XYZ coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate space from a first selected group of the plurality of stored NEXRAD attributes;

(c) determining a projected storm path in the three-dimensional coordinate space using the derived storm position and a second selected group of the plurality of stored NEXRAD attributes; and

(d) displaying a graphical representation of the projected storm path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional coordinate space is centered with the origin thereof at the center of the earth.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first selected group of the plurality of stored NEXRAD attributes comprises a storm distance from a known NEXRAD radar location and a storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location, and wherein the step of deriving the storm position in XYZ coordinates includes the steps of:

(a) converting the known NEXRAD radar location to an original XYZ coordinate in the three dimensional coordinate space;

(b) determining an intermediate XYZ coordinate in the three dimensional coordinate space by shifting the original XYZ coordinate along an arc by a distance related to the storm distance from the NEXRAD radar location; and

(c) determining the storm position in XYZ coordinates by shifting the intermediate XYZ coordinate along an arc by an amount related to the storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising additionally the step of comparing the projected storm path to selected locations identified in a location database in the three-dimensional coordinate space to determine which of the selected locations will be effected by the projected storm path.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the selected locations identified in the location database are identified therein by latitude and longitude, and comprising additionally the step of converting the selected locations from latitude and longitude to XYZ coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate space before comparing the projected storm path to the selected locations in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising additionally the step of displaying the effected locations.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying a graphical representation of the projected storm path includes the step of converting the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinate space into two-dimensional screen coordinates for display of the projected storm path over a graphical map of a geographical area without converting the location of the storm or of the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinates to latitude and longitude coordinates.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of converting the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinates into two dimensional screen coordinates includes the steps of performing a binary search for screen y coordinates corresponding to the projected storm path and for screen x coordinates corresponding to the projected storm path.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of deriving a position of the weather phenomenon in XYZ coordinates includes deriving a storm position in XYZ coordinates including the steps of:

(a) converting the known NEXRAD radar location to an original XYZ coordinate in the three-dimensional coordinate space;

(b) determining an intermediate XYZ coordinate in the three-dimensional space by shifting the original XYZ coordinate along an arc by a distance related to the storm distance from the NEXRAD radar location; and

(c) determining the storm position in XYZ coordinates by shifting the intermediate XYZ coordinate along an arc by an amount related to the storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

9. A method of processing weather information, comprising:

(a) receiving weather information including a location of weather phenomenon from a weather information source;

(b) deriving a position of the weather phenomenon in XYZ coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate space from the received weather information; and

(c) processing the weather information in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the three-dimensional coordinate space is centered with the origin thereof at the center of the earth.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the weather information source is NEXRAD weather radar and wherein the weather information includes the location of a storm provided as storm attributes comprising a storm distance from a known NEXRAD radar location and a storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of processing the weather information in the three-dimensional coordinate space includes the step of determining a projected weather phenomenon path in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising additionally the step of comparing the projected weather phenomenon path to selected locations identified in a location database in the three-dimensional coordinate space to determine which of the selected locations will be effected by the projected weather phenomenon path.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the selected locations identified in the location database are identified therein by latitude and longitude, and comprising additionally the step of converting the selected locations from latitude and longitude to XYZ coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate space before comparing the projected weather phenomenon path to the selected locations in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

16. The method of claim 14 comprising additionally the step of displaying the effected locations.

17. The method of claim 9 comprising additionally displaying a graphical representation of the weather phenomenon location overlaid on a geographical map display.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of displaying a graphical representation of the weather phenomenon location includes the step of converting the derived position of the weather phenomenon from the three-dimensional coordinate space into two-dimensional screen coordinates for display of the weather phenomenon over a graphical map of a geographical area without converting the location of the weather phenomenon from the three dimensional coordinate space to latitude and longitude coordinates.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of converting the derived position of the weather phenomenon from the three-dimensional coordinates into two-dimensional screen coordinates includes the steps of performing a binary search for screen y coordinates corresponding to the derived position of the weather phenomenon and for screen x coordinates corresponding to the derived position of the weather phenomenon.

20. A system for processing weather information, comprising:

(a) a first database comprising a plurality of NEXRAD attributes corresponding to a storm;

(b) a processor communicating with the first database to derive a storm position in XYZ coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate space from a first selected group of the plurality of the NEXRAD attributes and to determine a projected storm path in the three-dimensional coordinate space using the derived storm position and a second selected group of the plurality of NEXRAD attributes; and

(c) a display device communicating with the processor to display a graphical representation of the projected storm path.

21. The system for processing weather information of claim 20 wherein the three-dimensional coordinate space is centered with the origin thereof at the center of the earth.

22. The system for processing weather information of claim 20 wherein the first selected group of the plurality of NEXRAD attributes comprises a storm distance from a known NEXRAD radar location and a storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location, and wherein the processor includes:

(a) means for converting the known NEXRAD radar location to an original XYZ coordinate in the three dimensional coordinate space;

(b) means for determining an intermediate XYZ coordinate in the three dimensional coordinate space by shifting the original XYZ coordinate along an arc by a distance related to the storm distance from the NEXRAD radar location; and

c) means for determining the storm position in XYZ coordinates by shifting the intermediate XYZ coordinate along an arc by an amount related to the storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

23. The system for processing weather information of claim 20 comprising additionally a second database comprising selected geographic locations and wherein the processor is in communication with the second database to compare the projected storm path to the selected geographic locations identified in the second database in the three-dimensional coordinate space to determine which of the selected locations will be effected by the projected storm path.

24. The system for processing weather information of claim 23 wherein the selected locations identified in the second database are identified therein by latitude and longitude, and wherein the processor is in communication with the second database to convert the selected locations from latitude and longitude to XYZ coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate space before comparing the projected storm path to the selected locations in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

25. The system for processing weather information of claim 23 wherein the display device is in communication with the processor to display the effected locations.

26. The system for processing weather information of claim 20 comprising additionally means for converting the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinate space into two-dimensional screen coordinates for display of the projected storm path over a graphical map of a geographical area without converting the location of the storm or of the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinates to latitude and longitude coordinates.

27. The system for processing weather information of claim 26 wherein the means for converting the projected storm path from the three-dimensional coordinates into two dimensional screen coordinates includes means for performing a binary search for screen y coordinates corresponding to the projected storm path and for screen x coordinates corresponding to the projected storm path.

28. A system for processing weather information, comprising:

(a) a first database comprising weather information including a location of weather phenomenon received from a weather information source; and

(b) a processor communicating with the first database to derive a position of the weather phenomenon in XYZ coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate space from the weather information; and

to process the weather information in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

29. The system for processing weather information of claim 28 wherein the three-dimensional coordinate space is centered with the origin thereof at the center of the earth.

30. The system for processing weather information of claim 28 wherein the weather information is NEXRAD weather radar information including the location of a storm provided as storm attributes comprising a storm distance from a known NEXRAD radar location and a storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

31. The system for processing weather information of claim 30 wherein the processor includes:

(a) means for converting the known NEXRAD radar location to an original XYZ coordinate in the three-dimensional coordinate space;

(b) means for determining an intermediate XYZ coordinate in the three-dimensional space by shifting the original XYZ coordinate along an arc by a distance related to the storm distance from the NEXRAD radar location; and

(c) means for determining the storm position in XYZ coordinates by shifting the intermediate XYZ coordinate along an arc by an amount related to the storm direction from the NEXRAD radar location.

32. The system for processing weather information of claim 28 wherein the processor includes means for determining a projected weather phenomenon path in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

33. The system for processing weather information of claim 32 comprising additionally a second database comprising selected geographic locations and wherein the processor is in communication with the second database to compare the projected weather phenomenon path to the selected locations identified in the second database in the three-dimensional coordinate space to determine which of the selected locations will be effected by the projected weather phenomenon path.

34. The system for processing weather information of claim 33 wherein the selected locations identified in the second database are identified therein by latitude and longitude, and wherein the processor includes means for converting the selected locations from latitude and longitude to XYZ coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate space before comparing the projected weather phenomenon path to the selected locations in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

35. The system for processing weather information of claim 32 comprising additionally the step of displaying the effected locations.

36. The system for processing weather information of claim 28 comprising additionally a display device communicating with the processor to display a graphical representation of the weather phenomenon location overlaid on a geographical map display.

37. The system for processing weather information of claim 36 comprising additionally means for converting the derived position of the weather phenomenon from the three-dimensional coordinate space into two-dimensional screen coordinates for display of the weather phenomenon over a graphical map of a geographical area without converting the location of the weather phenomenon from the three dimensional coordinate space to latitude and longitude coordinates.

38. The system for processing weather information of claim 37 wherein the means for converting the derived position of the weather phenomenon from the three-dimensional coordinates into two-dimensional screen coordinates includes means for performing a binary search for screen y coordinates corresponding to the derived position of the weather phenomenon and for screen x coordinates corresponding to the derived position of the weather phenomenon.