The Jefferson Project at Lake George is making real-time water quality and weather data from its unprecedented scientific monitoring and research program available directly to the public through a new digital Data Dashboard at jeffersonproject.live.
\nFounded in 2013, the Jefferson Project is the environmental research collaboration between IBM Research, RPI and the FUND for Lake George that is committed to preserving and protecting the lake\u2019s legendary water quality through cutting-edge science and highly advanced technologies.
\nThe new dashboard, the only publicly available display of IBM\u2019s targeted weather forecasting technology, Deep Thunder, allows people to view hour-by-hour, highly localized forecasts for their current location on Lake George, or by searching for a specific address or clicking a point on the dashboard\u2019s map, officials said.
\nThe available forecast includes air temperature, wind speed, wind gusts, visibility, and rain and snow rates and accumulations. Deep Thunder provides localized forecasts for every six-tenths of a mile throughout the lake\u2019s watershed\u2014at least three times more localized than other publicly available weather forecast models, officials said.
\nSpecifically, the new Jefferson Project dashboard includes:
\n\u2022 Real-time data from five weather stations along the lake, reporting air temperature, wind speed, humidity and barometric pressure;
\n\u2022 Real-time data from sensor stations on four of the lake\u2019s tributaries, reporting water temperature, depth, pH, and conductivity (i.e. salt levels);
\n\u2022 The most highly localized Lake George weather forecasts publicly available, generated by IBM\u2019s world-leading targeted weather forecasting technology, Deep Thunder;
\n\u2022 Four decades of water quality monitoring data from 14 deep-water sites, including clarity, temperature, nutrient levels, and algal abundance.
\nThe weather and tributary station data come from the more than 50 sensor platforms and 500 \u201csmart sensors\u201d deployed by the project in and around Lake George as part of its sophisticated lake-monitoring system, officials said. The sensors monitor the weather, the water quality of streams that feed the lake, the water conditions from the lake surface to the lake bottom, and the lake\u2019s circulation patterns.
\nThey capture immense amounts of physical and chemical data, which feed powerful computer models and inform a wide variety of experiments, all designed to pinpoint existing threats to the lake\u2019s health, identify future threats, and develop science-guided solutions and best practices to protect the resource and the people and wildlife who rely on it.
\nOfficials said the weather forecast function is powered by IBM\u2019s Deep Thunder, which combines data from the project\u2019s weather stations along with other meteorological information, to provide scientists with The Jefferson Project an unprecedented level of geographically precise meteorological data to help them better understand the weather\u2019s influence on the lake\u2019s water quality and ecosystem.
\nThis is the first generation of the Jefferson Project Data Dashboard, and new content and functionality are planned for the months ahead, officials said.
\n\u201cWe are delighted to make Jefferson Project data available to the public in such a highly accessible way as we all work together to ensure sustained lake protection,\u201d said Rick Relyea, Ph.D., director of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute at Rensselaer and director of the Jefferson Project.
\nHarry Kolar, Ph.D., IBM Fellow at IBM Research and associate director of the Jefferson
\nProject, said the utilization of Deep Thunder by the Data Dashboard \u201cprovides high resolution weather forecasts for the Lake George area, at both the geographical and time scales. The highly accurate forecasts continue to support the scientific mission of the Jefferson Project and will be of interest to the recreational users of the Dashboard.\u201d
\nEric Siy, executive director of The FUND for Lake George and associate director of the Jefferson Project, said the project is generating a tremendous volume and diversity of data about the physics, chemistry and biological health of Lake George. \u201cThis data is now guiding The FUND\u2019s pursuit of solutions and investments that will protect the lake\u2019s legendary water clarity and quality for generations to come.\u201d
\nFor more information on the Jefferson Project, visit jeffersonproject.rpi.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Jefferson Project at Lake George is making real-time water quality and weather data from its unprecedented scientific monitoring and research program available directly to the public through a new digital Data Dashboard at jeffersonproject.live. Founded in 2013, the Jefferson Project is the environmental research collaboration between IBM Research, RPI and the FUND for Lake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n