NOAA to Test ADA's WeatherPod
DENVER (March 2, 2006): A micro-weather station developed by ADA Technologies is being installed today on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship, where it will undergo rigorous testing of its ability to provide automated weather observations.
The test of ADA’s WeatherPod™ technology on the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is in response to NOAA’s need for an easy-to-operate weather monitoring system that can inexpensively be purchased and installed on the more than 900 U.S. ships that participate in NOAA’s Voluntary Observation Ship (VOS) program. Measurements being made with the ADA WeatherPod technology include barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, air temperature and relative humidity.
[Voluntary Observation Ships are the primary weather observation platforms available for the majority of oceans and coastal areas. These ships, which are typically commercial container ships, provide data for the nation’s most sophisticated weather/ocean monitoring satellites and are a vital component of the Global Earth Observation System 
of Systems. These ships also provide vital information for the severe storm warning system used to keep ships safe.]
According to Jeff Jenner, NOAA VOS project manager, “The ADA system is the first available weather observation technology that addresses NOAA’s needs for a low cost, easy to install system. Currently available automatic weather systems cost between $15,000 and $30,000 and require specialized experience and knowledge to install and maintain, making them prohibitively expensive to install on hundreds of VOS ships.”
Under development since 2000, the ADA WeatherPod hardware costs less than half of a comparably configured system. Additional cost savings are realized due to the ease of installing the system. ADA’s system is very small, solar powered and includes satellite communications, which eliminates the need for modifications to the ship.
In addition to its shipboard uses, ADA’s WeatherPod technology is being used to gather and transmit information to help military leaders make decisions related to battlefield plans and troop deployment. It also has applications for emergency evacuation planning and for gathering critical weather information to assist in fighting wildfires.
The shipboard test is scheduled to run from March 2 through early April or May.
Based in Littleton, Colorado, ADA developed the WeatherPod technology using Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. For more information, please contact Pat French at ADA Technologies: 303-792-5615, ext 275 - or via email.
Littleton, Colorado-based ADA Technologies, Inc .is a research, development, and commercialization company that specializes in creating and converting innovative technologies to commercial successes. ADA has been awarded more than 125 research grants totaling more than $40 million and holds numerous patents for its technologies, which focus on solving problems threatening the health, security, environment and quality of life worldwide. It was named Colorado’s Top Technology Company 2005 by ColoradoBiz magazine. For more information, please visit www.adatech.com or call 303-792-5615.
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