Hurricane Technology UPDATE: Tommorrow.io, working with NOAA / NESDIS /STAR, recently deployed its Ka/Ku-band Interferometric Altimeter (KaIA) on the NOAA WP-3D.
KaIA is a next generation centimetric radar altimeter. From the WP3-D aircraft, KaIA provides real-time observations of the significant wave height (SWH) of the ocean surface. and these observations are sent in real-time to Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) where they are provided to hurricane and marine forecasters.
SWH observations are critical to improving storm surge and marine forecasts and warnings. KaIA has been flying on the NOAA WP-3D aircraft and providing SWH observations since 2019 during hurricane season and severe ocean storms program.
Its SWH observations have been identified by several forecasters as providing critical observations that have improved their forecasts and warnings.
The SBIR was the DSOM Radar (Debris and Small Object Mapping Radar) and KaIA was partially funded through Phase III funding as part of the DSOM Radar SBIR.
