# Presentation: 846090

## Urban Meteorology for Homeland Security

- Presented to
- Urban Meteorology Forum
- September 21, 2004
**Nancy Suski**
- Director
- Emergency Preparedness & Response
- Programs, Plans & Budget

- _[Nancy.suski@dhs.gov](mailto:Nancy.suski@dhs.gov)_
**202-254-5743**
**Science & Technology Directorate**

**Notes:**
THANK YOU SAM FOR YOUR KIND INTRODUCTION 

AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY 

I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES DISCUSSING THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF URBAN MET NEEDS FOR HOMELAND SECURITY 

AND ALSO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF OUR ON-GOING PROGRAMS 

BUT LETS NOT FORGET THE REQUIREMENTS THAT DRIVE ALL OF US

## Whatever the situation -

- emergency responders
- are there first.

**Notes:**
THE EP&R PORTFOLIO IS focuses ON THE OPERATIONAL MISSION OF DHS
OUR R&D  PROGRAMS SEEK TO PROVIDE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL WITH THE BEST SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OUR COUNTRY CAN OFFER

FAST AND EFFECTIVE RESPONSE & RECOVERY IS A KEY ELEMENT OF THE ATMOSPHERIC TRANSPORT & DISPERSION R&D PROGRAMS WITHIN S&T

## DHS capabilities can be strengthened by support from the meteorological community

- Systems studies and planning tools
- Detection and characterization
- Urban monitoring
- Facility protection
- Agriculture
- Response and Recovery
- Forensics and attribution
- Field demonstrations

## Systems Studies

- System Studies Supported by Countermeasure Simulations
- Detailed, integrated, interactive, real-time, multiple-scale, multiple technology simulations needed at local, regional, national and global levels.
- Large scope and diversity in coupling bio-surveillance, consequence management, and public health/agricultural response system simulations.
- Real-time and archived meteorological data appropriate to multiple systems and applications is required to support objectives.

**Notes:**
-EFFECTIVELY SIMULATING THE ENVIRONMENT REQUIRES AN UNDERSTANDING  OF ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA THAT AFFECT THE TRANSPORT, DISPERSION AND FATE OF THREAT AGENTS IN THE ATMOSPHERE.  
-FAST, ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE METEOROLOGICAL DATA , INCLUDING ARCHIVED, NOWCAST AND FORECAST DATA ARE REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THESE SIMULATIONS.  

-  THIS DATA NEEDS TO BE READILY ACCESSIBLE AND IN A STANDARD FORMAT THAT WILL ALLOW ACCESS BY MULTIPLE-SCALE, AND DIVERSE MODELING SYSTEMS.

## Detect and Characterize

- Urban Monitoring

- Wide Area (BioWatch)    +      Building Clusters        +        Hi-value Facilities

- Targeted Monitoring

- Special Events

- Agriculture

**Notes:**
THE ABILITY TO  PROVIDE EARLY WARNING OF ATMOSPHERIC RELEASE INCLUDES
CONTINUOUS 24/7/365 MONITORING OF URBAN AREAS (INCLUDING CRITICAL FACILITIES) AS WELL AS
RAPIDLY DEPLOYABLE TARGETING MONITORING OF SPECIAL EVENTS (SUCH AS NATIONAL SECURITY SPECIAL EVENTS, AGRICULTURAL OUTBREAKS, ETC.).  
SUPPORT TO THESE EFFORTS INVOLVES CHARACTERING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH HELP OF METEOROLOGICAL INPUTS.

## Wide Area Monitoring

- Sensor Placement
-  Meteorological data needed at appropriate resolution to optimize sensor placement
- High value assets
- Wide-Area monitoring
- Special events
- Agricultural assets

**Notes:**
TO SUPPORT MONITORING, SENSOR PLACEMENT TOOLS ARE NEED TO OPTIMIZE THE EXTENT OF COVERAGE IN AN URBAN AREA TO ENSURE PROTECTION OF LARGE POPULATIONS WITHIN THAT URBAN AREA.
SENSOR PLACEMENT TOOLS GUIDES OPTIMAL SENSOR DEPLOYMENT TO SUPPORT EARLY WARNING.AND INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION
LOCAL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO CHARACTERIZE AS PART OF THE PLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION.

## Urban Meteorology

- Urban Canopy Characterization
- Complex terrain observed in typical cityscape requires a better understanding of flow fields in the urban environment
- Uncertainties in model input data and predictions
- Acquire quality-assured datasets for urban dispersion model development and validation
- Uncertainties in met data and forecast data need to be characterized
- Models need to be validated with data from field trials
- .

**Notes:**
UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT IN SUPPORT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WILL REQUIRE A ROBUST RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMEN TO CHARACTERIZE THE URBAN CANOPY

ALONG WITH THE ABILITY TO QUANTIFY AND COMMUNICATE UNCERTAINTIES IN OUR PREDICTIONS

## Incident Characterization & Emergency Response

- Modeling and prediction tools needed to support incident characterization
- High resolution real-time and archived meteorological nowcast and forecast data needed to support modeling.

**Notes:**
BETTER & FASTER TOOLS ARE NEED TO SUPPORT INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION 
SIGNIFICANT  ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON PREVENTION & INTERDICTION AND PROVIDING AN EARLY WARNING THAT AN ATMOSPHERIC RELEASE HAS OCCURRED 

LESS ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON HOW INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION AND RESPONSE TOOLS CAN BE USED TO ASSES THE EXTENT OF ATTACK –
AREA CONTAMINATED AND PEOPLE EXPOSED, 
PROVIDING DECISION MAKERS WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCALE OF THE EVENT AND PROVIDING TOOLS SO  THEY CAN RAPIDLY FORMULATE AND IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE RESPONSES, INCLUDING PHASING OF CRITICAL RESOURCES. 

THE VERY NATURE OF A TERRORIST ATTACK - SURPRISE AND UNKNOWN SOURCE TERMS - COMPLICATES INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION AND REINFORCES THE NEED FOR NEAR REAL TIME MONITORING SYSTEMS AND LOCAL METEOROLOGICAL DATA TO SUPPORT INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

## Making our nation safer and

- ....and making our cities safer and
-  more resilient to attack...

**Making our nation safer and**
** ****more resilient to attack**

**Interagency Modeling & Assessment Center (IMAAC)**
**New York City Urban Dispersion Program**
**Biological Warning & Incident Characterization System Study**
**PROTECT & PROACT facility protection**

**Notes:**
NOW I WOULD LIKE TO TURN TO SOME OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAMS UNDERWAY IN DHS

MAKING OUR NATION SAFER AND MORE RESILIENT TO TERRORIST ATTACKS

IS ONE OF THE KEY GOALS OF THE DHS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN ATMOSPHERIC TRANSPORT AND DISPERSION 

EACH OF THE PROGRAM ELEMENTS I WILL DISCUSS
	IMAAC
	NYC URBAN DISPERSION PROGRAM
	BWIC
	CHEMICAL DETECTION PROGRAM
SHARE THIS UNDERLYING OBJECTIVE

## Interagency Modeling & Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC)

- Integrates the best and brightest scientific capability with the vast emergency response capacity of the federal government
- Distributes atmospheric hazard predictions to federal, state, and local response agencies to assure a common operating picture
- Provides expert interpretation of results to federal, state, and local government, especially DHS HSOC and FEMA NEOC
- Eliminates confusing and conflicting hazard predictions

**Notes:**
THE IMAAC SEEKS TO BRING TOGETHER THE SIGNIFICANT FEDERAL CAPABILITIES FOR ATMOSPHERIC HAZARD PREDICTION FOR INCIDENTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

THE IMAAC WILL PROVIDE A SINGLE FEDERAL HAZARDS PREDICTION TO BE UTILIZED BY FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS 

ELIMINATING CONFUSING AND CONFLICTING HAZARD PREDICTIONS

## IMAAC Implementation Plan

- Interagency Modeling and Assessment Center has been created under DHS leadership with an interagency steering committee
- Interim operations have been established at the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center in Livermore, CA
- IMAAC will support a collaborative R&D program as well as a 24/7 operational capabilities
- Operations include
- Production & distribution of hazards products
- Participation in National Exercise Program
- Training and awareness programs on IMAAC access and products
- Connectivity to federal, state and local EOCs and incident command posts, as needed
- Expert “on site” liaisons

## NYC Urban Dispersion ProgramGeneral Objectives

- _Enhance NYC’s emergency capabilities_ for addressing potential airborne releases of harmful materials.
- _Advance our understanding_ and characterization of the effects of urban processes on atmospheric dispersion in large cities leading to improved and validated urban parameterizations for atmospheric dispersion models.
- _Couple indoor and outdoor studies_ to further our understanding and characterization of outdoor-indoor exchange.

## Urban Dispersion ProgramApproach

**Meteorological Network Task** - Enhance the meteorological network in and around NYC to more effectively describe the complex circulations governing dispersion.  Provide data in “near-real-time” to centers.
**Radiological Monitoring Network Task** - Enhance a network of radiological monitors for detecting radiological threats in NYC.  Provide data in “near-real-time” to centers.
**Field Studies Task** - Conduct tracer field studies to understand and characterize urban processes affecting dispersion and provide data to evaluate models.  Conduct coupled outdoor-indoor field studies.
**Urban Modeling Task** - Exercise existing meteorological and dispersion models to help design the networks and field studies.  Advance parameterizations of the effects of urban processes on atmospheric dispersion.
**Technology Transfer Task** - Transfer the technologies to NYC emergency personnel.  Ongoing throughout the duration of the program.

## BWIC - An integrated system for bio-warning and incident characterization

**Environmental Monitoring**

**Detecting the Agent Directly**

**(Wide Area Monitoring, Hi**

**-**

**value **

**Facilities & Special Events)**

**BioWarning**

**/ Incident **

**Characterization System**

**For all delivery **

**means (air, water, **

**food, vector**

**-**

**borne)**

**Allows earliest medical **

**intervention**

***Defense of Cities Study***

***Defense of Cities Study***

- The Washington Institute & Sandia National

- The Washington Institute & Sandia National

- Laboratories

- Laboratories

**Detects large**

**attacks**

**Detects all level**

**of attacks**

**Limited to epidemic**

**& outcome stages**

**Integrated Biosurveillance **

**Detecting the Effects of the Agent**

**(Public Health, **

**Syndromic**

**, Non**

**-**

**Traditional **

**& Animal/Plant)**

**Incident**

**Characterization**

**Tools**

**(plume modeling, **

**Epi**

**-**

**modeling)**

**Effective Response**

**Strategies**

**Biological Warning and Incident Characterization System**

**Notes:**
BWIC IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION AS WELL AS APPROPRIATE RESPONSE STRATEGIES
(BWIC) WILL ENABLE TIMELY WARNING AND RESPONSE IN THE EVENT OF A BIOLOGICAL ATTACK.  
THIS SYSTEM INCORPORATES
 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEMS 
BIOSURVEILLANCE, WHICH LOOKS FOR EARLY SIGN OF THE EFFECTS OF AGENT ON PEOPLE AND ANIMAL; 
AND INCIDENT CHARACTERIZATION TOOLS INCLUDING, ATOMOSPHERIC HAZARD PREDICTIONS, 

BWIC WILL PROVIDE INFORMED COMMUNICATION OF RISKS AND SUPPORT DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE COURSES OF ACTION TO LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL DECISION MAKERS. 

## Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chem/Bio Terrorism (PROTECT)

**  ****Network of chemical sensors linked to metro video surveillance**** **
**Transitioned to operational status under WMATA in DC Metro FY03**
**  ****Provides below and above ground plume predications **
**  ****Similar test bed established in Boston Metro FY03 **

**Notes:**
THE LAST TWO PROGRAMS I WANT TO DISCUSS ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON FACILITY PROTECTION

AIR FLOW CHARACTERIZATION IS STILL IMPORTANT, BUT IN THESE PROGRAMS WE ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH INTERNAL AIR FLOW MODELS AND INFILTRATION MODELS AS OPPOSED TO MORE TRADITIONAL ATD APPLICATIONS

The PROTECT system is currently focused on chemical detection.  However, biological and radiological detection could be incorporated into the system with some minor development effort.

## Protective and Responsive Options for Airport Counter-Terrorism (PROACT)

**Goals**
**Increase near-term preparedness**
**Develop assessment processes for defense system design**
**Demonstrate chemical & biological defense components**
**Activities**
**Vulnerability assessment**
**Model-based analysis**
**Facility characterization tests**
**Bio-detection system development & testing**
**Chemical detector testing**

**Bio-Chem facility protection**
** ****options for airports**

**Notes:**
THE PROACT PROGRAM IS AIMED AT REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ATTACKS IN AIRPORTS BY EXAMINING VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT, PASSIVE PROTECTION, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL DETECTION ARCHITECTURES, RESPONSE PLANNING, AND SIMULATION EXERCISES.

THE PROACT TEAM IS CURRENTLY TESTING BIOLOGICAL EARLY WARNING SENSORS TO DETERMINE THEIR SENSITIVITY IN AN AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT.  THESE SENSORS COULD ALERT AUTHORITIES OF A BIO-AEROSOL ATTACK SO APPROPRIATE ACTION COULD BE TAKEN.

## Summary of DHS Urban Meteorological Requirements

- Wide-Area Monitoring
- Localized high resolution data to support sensor placement and effective detection strategies
- System Studies – Modeling and Simulation
- Real-time, integrated hazard prediction/analysis tools using high resolution-meteorological data
- Incident Characterization and Response Strategies
- Validation- Field Demonstrations
- Validated models with well quantified uncertainties
- Support field demonstrations to test prototype technologies

**Notes:**
I THINK YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS IN THE URBAN METEOROLOGY TO SUPPORT THE HOMELAND SECURITY MISSION

MY COLLEAGUE WALTER BACH WILL BE PROVIDING A MUCH MOREI IN DEPTH DISCUSSION OF THE SOON TO BE PUBLISHED NATIONAL RESEARCH OBJECTIVES DEVELOPED THROUGH THE OFCM SPONSORED JOINT ACTION GROUP

## Collaboration among federal, state and local assets for emergency response is an essential element homeland security

**Notes:**
WE RECOGNIZE THAT

TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS WILL REQUIRE A COMBINED EFFORT ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

IN CLOSING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY FEDERAL PARTNERS AND TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES EVERYDAY

ALL HAVE GIVEN FREELY OF THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO ASSURE WE ARE PREPARED FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES

THANK YOU