Product Update: Major Enhancements to Natural Hazards Atlas

Version 2.1 of the Hawaii edition of the Natural Hazards Atlas now includes
National Digital Forecast Data products from the Natural Weather Service.

PDC has added significant enhancements to its web-based Hazards Atlas to support disaster management and humanitarian assistance communities in the Asia Pacific region and Hawaii. Versions 2.1 of both the Asia Pacific and Hawaii editions of the Atlas have officially been released.

National Digital Forecast Data (NDFD) products from the National Weather Service (NWS) are now seamlessly incorporated into the Hawaii edition of the Atlas. NDFD products are a mosaic of digital forecasts from NWS Forecast Offices.

"With the incorporation of this powerful information into the Hazards Atlas, we have greatly increased the ability of our users to understand the potential impacts of weather-related hazards, including severe storms and hurricanes," said PDC Senior Manager Chris Chiesa. "The NDFD wind speed forecasts, with their 2.5 kilometer resolution, offer tremendous insight about areas that may be heavily impacted by high winds—helping to allocate response and recovery resources in an effective and efficient manner. The incorporation of these important products into the Atlas is outcome of a strong and productive relationship between the Pacific Disaster Center and the NWS."

For both the Hawaii and the Asia Pacific Atlas editions, PDC will also be incorporating another powerful product—model-generated maps that estimate potential wind damage for selected tropical cyclones, derived from the "Consequence Assessment Tool Set" (CATS).

Said Chiesa, "Users of the Hazard Atlas will, for the first time, be able to access visually-striking maps of tropical cyclone tracks that depict potential storm damage. This information is displayed through the Atlas’s Internet-based interactive GIS environment."

The Hazards Atlas can be accessed at http://atlas.pdc.org.

For more information contact Chris Chiesa at (808) 891-7953 or cchiesa@pdc.org.

For more information about National Digital Forecast Data, contact Nezette Rydell at (808) 973-5275 or nezette.rydell@noaa.gov