{"319111":{"#nid":"319111","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Monitoring system provides weather intel to help keep the campus community safe","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe familiar adage, \u201cEveryone talks about the weather, but nobody ever seems to do anything about it,\u201d may hold true for the general population, but for the Georgia Tech Police Department\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/police.gatech.edu\/emergencypreparedness\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Emergency Preparedness (OEP)\u003C\/a\u003E, monitoring campus weather conditions is a year-round responsibility.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn terms of significant threats to the safety of Georgia Tech, weather ranks as a top concern,\u201d said Emergency Preparedness Director Andy Altizer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo monitor for severe weather conditions threatening the campus community, Emergency Preparedness uses WeatherSentry, an Internet-based lightning detection and weather monitoring system that provides weather alerts tailored specifically to Georgia Tech\u2019s Atlanta campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Project Coordinator Will Smith, WeatherSentry pulls information from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.weather.gov\u0022\u003ENational Weather Service\u003C\/a\u003E, so all warnings, watches and advisories that specifically impact the campus generate an alert through the system. For example, text alerts are sent to OEP and GTPD command staff and watch commanders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile public safety and other staff members depend on the service to monitor severe weather conditions, the system also provides a critical tool for those on campus who are responsible for outdoor events and other occasions that might be impacted by the weather.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMonitoring lightning is an important function, particularly for major sporting events. WeatherSentry provides detailed alerts when lightning is detected within advisory, caution and warning areas of campus, currently set at 15, 10 and 8 miles, respectively. Alerts, sent via text and email, provide details on the range and direction of the lightning from the center of campus. (For example, an alert might note, \u201clightning has occurred within your warning area 5.6 miles to the northeast.\u201d) Using this 8-mile warning radius, the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ramblinwreck.com\u0022\u003EAthletic Association\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.crc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECampus Recreation Center\u003C\/a\u003E, for instance, are able to decide when athletic events and outdoor recreational activities should be suspended.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor major events, we can provide temporary access for organizers to receive alerts for lightning as it approaches campus in the 15-, 10- and 8-mile range,\u201d said Smith.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe notification system is available to anyone on campus who is responsible for managing events or any member of the campus community who is interested in following severe weather conditions that might impact campus. For those who simply prefer knowing about ongoing weather updates, alerts are provided when lightning is detected within an 8-mile radius.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWeatherSentry updates are not intended to take the place of our siren warning system and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.police.gatech.edu\/emergencypreparedness\/notification\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS)\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d said Smith. \u201cGTENS allows students, faculty and staff to receive time-sensitive emergency messages in the form of an email, voice mail and text messages when there is action required.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWeather is no different from potential dangerous situations where everyone must take responsibility,\u201d said Altizer. \u201cStaying alert to changing weather situations, and adhering to the old saying, \u2018when thunder roars, go indoors,\u2019 remains important even with today\u2019s technology.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe familiar adage, \u201cEveryone talks about the weather, but nobody ever seems to do anything about it,\u201d may hold true for the general population, but for the Georgia Tech Police Department\u2019s Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP), monitoring campus weather conditions is a year-round responsibility.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Customized weather information helps campus event planners"}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2014-09-02 19:29:11","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:59","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"318781":{"id":"318781","type":"image","title":"Weather monitoring service tracks lightning in the vicinity of campus","body":null,"created":"1449244997","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:17","changed":"1475895027","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:27","alt":"Weather monitoring service tracks lightning in the vicinity of campus","file":{"fid":"200047","name":"lightning_weathersentry.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lightning_weathersentry_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lightning_weathersentry_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":579393,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lightning_weathersentry_0.png?itok=UFz7EfqI"}},"319101":{"id":"319101","type":"image","title":"Monitoring lighting vital to campus safety","body":null,"created":"1449244997","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:17","changed":"1475895029","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:29","alt":"Monitoring lighting vital to campus safety","file":{"fid":"200050","name":"lightning_noaa.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lightning_noaa_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lightning_noaa_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1102335,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lightning_noaa_0.jpg?itok=GNrUr-AR"}}},"media_ids":["318781","319101"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.police.gatech.edu\/emergencypreparedness\/","title":"Georgia Tech Office of Emergency Preparedness"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.police.gatech.edu\/emergencypreparedness\/notification\/","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Office of Emergency Preparedness"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8743","name":"emergency preparedness"},{"id":"1396","name":"lightning"},{"id":"3432","name":"weather"},{"id":"101081","name":"WeatherSentry"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:william.smith@ep.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWill Smith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEmergency Preparedness\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["william.smith@ep.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}