New Real-Time Maps Transform Forecast Data into Vivid Pictures of U.S. River Flows
REDLANDS, Calif.—August 25, 2016—Smart-mapping leader Esri today released a beautiful, robust new collection of Web maps that forecast NOAA stream-flow data throughout the continental U.S.
Esri’s multiscale visualization of the National Water Model enables forecast water flows in real time at high resolution. The maps weave together NOAA’s recently released water model data and Esri ArcGIS functionality to provide interactive views of current and future water-system behaviors.
Esri maps the flow of water along 2.7 million stream segments in the U.S. river network. These data-rich maps improve NOAA’s ability to meet the needs of emergency responders, reservoir operators, ecosystem professionals, and floodplain managers by providing detailed information that can anticipate flood and drought conditions. National Weather Service data populates the interactive maps with hourly updates and forecasts up to 10 days.
“In collaboration with our academic partners, the Esri team supported the development process leading up to the launch of the National Water Model,” said Edward Clark, director of geointelligence at NOAA. “We share a common vision for the value that high-resolution water prediction brings to the nation.”
Esri’s new maps enable users to access large amounts of complex data quickly and easily. Although 10-day, mid-range forecasts contain more than 200 million records and short-term forecasts require hourly data refresh, Esri maps automatically integrate and synthesize NOAA data so that users have the real-time information they need at the click of a button.
“These attractive, accessible maps are part of our commitment to improve water awareness—a commitment we made at the White House Water Summit earlier this year,” said Esri President Jack Dangermond. “ArcGIS provides a visually engaging way to communicate complex scientific information simply so that anyone can understand it.”
Esri plans to continue its investment in water prediction and analysis by releasing an open-source toolkit later this year that will enable ArcGIS users to analyze data and create custom maps from water model records.
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Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.
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