Team Coordinator: Albert Sutherland – Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Team Members: J.D. Carlson – Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Rick Grantham – Entomology and Plant Pathology Bob Woods – Northeast District Area Agronomist
Priorities: ONE: Increase the visibility the Oklahoma Mesonet and the role of Oklahoma State University in managing this weather network. Even after ten years of operation, many Oklahomans are not aware of the detailed weather data and decision support products available from the Oklahoma Mesonet. Tied with knowing about the Oklahoma Mesonet is the recognition that it is a state chartered entity, jointly managed by both Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma through the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
TWO: Expand the educational programs and utilization of Oklahoma Mesonet data and decision support products within the Oklahoma agricultural and natural resource management industries. This priority is closely tied with Priority One, yet goes deeper than visibility and promotion. The first step is to let Oklahomans know they have access to data from the most data dense weather network in the world. The second step is to provide the knowledge base to let them use this data to improve the profit of agricultural enterprises and management of natural resources. Priority Two addresses the need for more educational materials on weather data, Mesonet model use, and online data access.
THREE: Expand the functionality of Oklahoma Mesonet decision support products. The Oklahoma Mesonet offers a one-of-a-kind source of detailed weather data. This offers Oklahoma the chance to take a national and international leadership role in developing new agricultural and natural resource decision support models and applications. This can take the form of developing brand new products or expanding the capability of existing products.
FOUR: Balance Oklahoma Mesonet service to all Oklahomans. As new products and educational programs are developed for the Oklahoma Mesonet, it is critical that the needs of diverse industry and individual user groups be considered. The major user groups identified include: • Agro-tourism • Crop • Livestock • Natural Resource • Urban
FIVE: Integrate Homeland Security risk assessment into the Oklahoma Mesonet network. The Oklahoma Mesonet network with its tower locations spread across the state, proven reliability, and continuous data transmission make it an excellent system for bio-terrorism early detection. The system in place makes sensor deployment possible with a minimum amount of new infrastructure. This provides the opportunity to evaluate new sensors to determine the feasibility of nationwide adoption.
Team Coordinator
Al Sutherland
OSU Extension Center
828 W. Choctaw Ave.
Chickasha, OK 73018-2310
405-224-2216
Team Administrator
Ron Elliott
111 Ag Hall
405-744-5431