Alabama EMWIN Workshop, 2001

co-sponsored by the National Weather Service,
Lee County Emergency Management Agency,
and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency

Introduction:

EMWIN, or the Emergency Manager's Weather Information Network, was developed by the NWS to fulfill a recognized need to provide the emergency management community with access to a set of NWS warnings, watches, forecasts, and other products with minimal cost and without the need for recurring cost. Toward that end, EMWIN has evolved into a fully operational and supported NWS service.

EMWIN is a suite of data access methods which make available a live stream of weather and other critical emergency information. Each method has unique advantages. Present methods in use or under development for disseminating the basic datastream include radio, the Internet, and satellite disctribution. More information on EMWIN can be found on the National Weather Service EMWIN Page.

The Alabama EMWIN Workshop, co-sponsored by the Birmingham National Weather Service Office, the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), is intended to be an opportunity for learning about EMWIN and its uses as well as an opportunity for those already using or interested in EMWIN to share information.

This is the second workshop held in Alabama. This workshop will focus on the operational use of EMWIN including detailed descriptions of NWS products, the EMWIN software called RealEMWIN, and the plug-ins which are available to extend the capability of RealEMWIN including WXPlot and abcPager.

When and Where:

The EMWIN Workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 26, 2001, at the Lee County Emergency Management office (EOC) in Opelika, AL. The workshop will begin at 9:30 am and end at 3:00 pm. A catered lunch will be provided at the workshop. Registration for the workshop will be $10 payable at the door.

The Lee County EMA office is located in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at 908 Avenue B (click here for a detailed map (145K).

Registration:

Advance registration is strongly encouraged in order to accurately estimate attendance. Please, do NOT send any money with your advance registration; the registration fee is only payable at the door. Advance registration can be made by e-mail to brian.peters@noaa.gov or by regular mail to the address shown at the bottom of the page.

Please include your name, your affiliation, your county if in Alabama, your e-mail address, and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day. Every effort will be made to respond to your registration.

Agenda:

The following tentative agenda has been planned for the workshop. Changes or tweaking to the agenda may be necessary as the date of the workshop gets closer. Check back frequently!

Presenters and Affiliations:

As noted in the agenda, the following people will be presenting EMWIN information at the workshop.

Bill Meadows, Lee County EMA Director, Opelika, AL

Tom Moore, Lee County EMA Volunteer, Salem, AL

Brian Peters, NWS Birmingham, Calera, AL

Fred Springall, Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Clanton, AL

In addition to being presenters, Tom Moore, Fred Springall, and Brian Peters comprised the Alabama EMWIN Workshop Coordinating Committee for this event.

Lodging:

The following accommodations are available in Opelika near the workshop location. If you need an overnight stay, please contact the hotel directly. There is no special rate for the workshop.

All lodging is located near I-85 exit 62 which is approximately 2 miles from the Lee County EOC.

Correspondence:

Comments, questions, or suggestions about the Alabama EMWIN Workshop should be addressed to the address below or you can e-mail to the workshop coordinator, Brian Peters, Warning Coordination Meteorologist.