PARISE 2015

The final Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment (PARISE) ran for six weeks during August and September 2015. The primary goal of PARISE is to understand impacts of higher-temporal resolution radar data on forecasters’ warning decision processes and performance. The 2015 PARISE consists of three parts:

  1. traditional experiment
  2. eye-tracking experiment
  3. focus group

During the traditional experiment, thirty National Weather Service forecasters from across the Great Plains worked nine archived cases in simulated real time using 1-, 2-, or 5-min phased array radar (PAR) updates. Compared to earlier experiments, more participants and cases were included, to improve the generalizability of the results. After working each case, forecasters produced detailed accounts of their warning decision process and mental workload.

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VIDEO: Bite-Sized Science: Eye-Tracking for Weather Research (Watch on Youtube)

New to PARISE was the use of eye-tracking technology to deepen understanding of forecasters’ mental processes. Eye-tracking technology has been used for similar purposes in domains such as healthcare, air traffic control, and human-computer interactions. Eye gaze data were collected from the thirty forecasters as they worked an archived PAR case in simulated real time. Based on results from a similar pilot eye-tracking study conducted this past spring, the analysis of these data will provide new insights regarding the impacts of update time on forecasters’ mental processes.

On the last day of the experiment, forecasters participated in a focus group aimed at generating insightful feedback and new ideas important to the development of a future PAR network.

For more information, contact Katie.Bowden@noaa.gov or Pam.Heinselman@noaa.gov.

Related papers:

Bowden, K. A., P. L. Heinselman, and Z. Kang, 2016: Exploring applications of eye-tracking in operational meteorology research. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., doi:dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00148.1.

Bowden, K. A., P. L. Heinselman, and Z. Kang, 2016: Eye-tracking applications to assess impacts of phased array radar data on forecasters’ cognitive processes. Extended Abstracts, 32nd Conference on Environmental Information Processing Technologies. Amer. Meteor. Soc., New Orleans, LA, 10.4.

Heinselman, P., K. Bowden, D. Kingfield, and C. Kuster, 2016: 2015 Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment. Extended Abstracts, 32nd Conference on Environmental Information Processing Technologies. Amer. Meteor.Soc., New Orleans, LA, 12A.6.