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US Air Force TMOS (TACMET) at 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake

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US Air Force TMOS (TACMET) at 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake Selwyn Alpert North American Sales Manager Surface Meteorology The 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic and Vaisala Inc Paralympic Games are now a fond memory Woburn, Massachusetts USA of athletic achievement and enjoyable spectator experience. A key aspect of the overall success was the extensive planning and effective implementation of a variety of support activities, including aviation se- curity operations. The USAF Tactical Mete- orological Observing System (TMOS), sup- plied by Vaisala, provided sports venue re- al-time meteorological data and played an important role for the USAF to effectively carry out their aviation support activities. Support for medical and security aviation operations US Air Force TMOS (TACMET) at 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City PHOTO COURTESY BY UTAH TRAVEL COUNCIL TRAVEL UTAH BY COURTESY PHOTO The Salt Lake City • Utah Olympic Park – Bob- Olympic Scene sleigh, Luge, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined (32 miles east The recent 2002 Winter Olym- from downtown SLC) pics Games and the subsequent • Park City/Deer Valley – Paralympic Games in Salt Lake Alpine Giant Slalom, Snow- City, Utah, during February and board, Freestyle (8 miles further March are now a pleasant memo- from Olympic Park) ry. The Salt Lake Olympic Orga- • Heber City/Soldier Hollow – nizing Committee (SLOC) Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, earned high praise in doing a Nordic Combined (15 miles fur- great job in orchestrating all of ther from Park City) the support activities for a record • Provo – Ice Hockey (46 miles number of events during the south of downtown SLC) Games. • West Valley/Kearns – Ice The sprawl of Olympic activ- Hockey, Speed Skating ities was large. In addition to Salt • Salt Lake City – Figure Skat- Lake City (SLC) being the site ing, Short-Track Speedskating for the Opening and Closing cer- emonies, as well as Medal Award The Weather ceremonies, there were seven Monitoring Challenge sports venues scattered north Weather information was essen- and south along the nearby tial for the planning and main- Wasach Mountain Range: taining of activities at the Olym- • Ogden/Snowbasin Area – pic Games in SLC and sur- Curling and Alpine Downhill rounding areas. The venues of (51 miles north of downtown the Games spanned a large area SLC) in northern Utah, where the ter- 18 159/2002 TMOS being installed at Mountain Airport. Note mobile ATC Tower on TMOS at Utah Winter Olympic Park site. TMOS team members providing Humvee in the background. TMOS hard-wired to PC in ATC Tower for checkout during a routine site visit. airport operations. Temperature at the time is -4 °F (-20 °C). rain is complex. Not only out- cific venues, would call for avia- door sport events but also many tion weather data providing real- other activities were affected by time information at specific sites the weather, such as outdoor cer- of interest. emonies, transportation, park- ing, snow making, emergency USAF Aviation Support and security operations. In addi- and TMOS tion to being prepared for ad- Local aviation operations for the verse, even hazardous weather, Olympics were performed by the organizers and athletes par- the US Air Force (USAF), with ticipating in outdoor events con- coordination provided by their tinuously required accurate and Aviation Security Operations timely weather information. To Center (ASOC) at nearby Hill provide this information, an ex- Air Force Base. The ASOC fore- tensive weather support system casters provided forecasts and was developed, which was man- briefings to the pilots. Heli- aged by the Salt Lake City copters from Hill Air Force Base Olympic Organizing Commit- were utilized for security patrols tee (SLOC). It involved meteo- as well as for potential visits to rologists from government agen- and from the various venues. In cies, private companies and the support of these operations, US- University of Utah. 1 AF weather forecasters from Because of the complex ter- ASOC received forecast infor- rain of Northern Utah and the mation from the US National interaction with weather pattern Weather Service (NWS) Western flows from the Northwest, a se- Region Headquarters. Addition- ries of unique microclimates de- ally, they used real-time aviation velop in the area. Weather at one weather data from deployed US- venue can be quite different AF portable aviation weather sta- from other venues, with differ- tions at the sports venues and ences for such parameters as other key locations. temperature, wind, precipitation and visibility. It is for this reason A compact and that performance of aviation op- portable system erations in key corridors be- These USAF aviation weather tween venues, as well as at spe- stations have the military ➤ Entrance to Snowbasin Ski Area. Site of Alpine Downhill and Super-G. 159/2002 19 Mr. Ed Robinson, AFWA contractor and SLC TMOS Team coordinator, Weather office at Snowbasin, overlooking finish line and scoreboard (outside checks out TMOS at the Snowbasin site using a handheld display. office window). Weather forecaster uses display of weather network information as well as local display from nearby USAF TMOS. designation of AN/TMQ-53 was that they provided reliable siders TMOS data of high quali- forecaster and the equipment Tactical Meteorological Observ- real-time aviation data from the ty. In addition to its local use at available in the past, the ing System (TMOS), and are venues and other sites, which ASOC, the data was forwarded “AN/TMQ-53 is the best tactical part of the AF inventory in sup- was an important supplement to to the USAF Weather Processing weather equipment that AFWA port of tactical aviation opera- the general model forecast data Distribution System (WPDS) for has fielded in the past 20 years.” tions worldwide. This system is available. The TMOS were de- worldwide distribution. Vaisala is proud to have its prod- supplied by Vaisala, and is a con- ployed at 6 sites: Snowbasin Ski ucts appreciated by key military figured version of Vaisala’s Area (Alpine events), Winter USAF’s Overall organizations, as well as to have MAWS201M TACMET Sys- Sports Olympic Park (Bobsleigh, Experience with TMOS been a part of the global stage of tem. These portable aviation Luge, Ski Jumping), Park City Mr. Ed Robinson has been fol- Olympic competition. G weather stations are compact Mountain Resort (Alpine and lowing the implementation of and quick to deploy. They pro- Snowboard), Soldier Hollow TMOS from its initial stages of Footnotes vide continuous automated data (Biathlon and Cross-Country), qualification to its current de- 1) An excellent article in the February for the following parameters: the Mountain Pass location be- ployment worldwide. He has 2002 Bulletin of the American Mete- orological Society Journal describes wind speed and direction (in- tween Salt Lake City and Park USAF weather forecasting expe- Weather Support Operations for the cluding gusts), air temperature, City, and the Mountain Airport rience, and has been the point- 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games. relative humidity, barometric location. With the TMOS, heli- of-contact from AFWA to the pressure, liquid precipitation, copter pilots and others would end-users (field people who use 2) A more detailed description of the liquid precipitation equivalent know exactly what weather con- the equipment during tactical system is provided in the 2001 Vaisala for snow, visibility, cloud height, ditions were at the specific operations). Mr. Robinson and News article: “Versatile Automated Weather Observation for Demanding precipitation type (present TMOS sites. Based on a very his colleagues at AFWA are Military Needs,” by Hannu Kokko. weather) and lightning detec- positive past experience with the pleased with the very positive re- tion, giving range/direction. TMOS, ASOC felt confident ception the TMOS has received The aviation data is viewed TMOS would be a reliable and from the end-users, including References on a PC (radio or hardwire link) useful tool. And it was! ASOC. Reports back from the 1. Weather Support for the 2002 Winter with MIDAS IV software, pro- The use of the TMOS at the field by combat weather person- Olympic and Paralympic Games. By J. Horel et al. – Bulletin of the Ameri- viding real-time data as well as Olympics was coordinated by nel involved with the deploy- can Meteorological Society: Vol. 83, METAR/SPECI reporting. A Mr. Ed Robinson, a contractor ment and use of TMOS include pp. 227 – 240. handheld display also provides to the Air Force Weather Agency statements such as: “The hand- 2. Versatile Automated Weather Observa- data/diagnostic information for (AFWA) and a former Air Force held display was easy to program tions for Demanding Tactical Mili- a direct readout at the weather man. He and members of his and worked flawlessly, as did the tary Needs. By Hannu Kokko. – station. 2 TMOS Support Team per- MIDAS IV software. The sensor Vaisala News: Vol 155/2001, pp. 14 – 17. formed the installations and in- integration is outstanding.” Ed Real-time aviation data sured information flow made it has indicated that, based on his The value of TMOS to ASOC back to ASOC. The USAF con- experience as a USAF weather 20 159/2002.
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