What can Deep Thunder do that was not possible before?
Prior to this effort, it really was not feasible to do near-real-time high-resolution, meso-gamma-scale (or cloud-scale) weather simulations coupled with specialized visualization focused on business problems. Granted some of the practicality is a result of recent convergence of several factors. First, is the relatively low cost of sufficiently powerful computing. A small supercomputer such as a modestly-sized IBM System p Cluster 1600 can be used and enables cost-effective implementation of a range of forecasting services. The second factor is the availability of relevant input data. The National Weather Service makes its modeled and observed data available to everyone via broadcast satellite technology (called NOAAport). We have one of the receivers here at the Watson labs in Yorktown that we purchased from Planetary Data Systems, Inc. Next is the maturity of the modelling codes. Although scientific research continues leading to new or enhanced codes, several popular mesoscale numeri
