Scientist Presents Forecast Models

At the March meeting, the chapter welcomed Daniel E. Irwin, NASA research scientist, as the guest speaker. Irwin spoke on the Regional Visualization and Monitoring System (SERVIR). The SERVIR initiative integrates satellite observations, ground-based data and forecast models to monitor and predict environmental change and improve response to natural disasters. Principally supported by NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development, the program also is endorsed by government leaders in Central America and Africa. SERVIR relies heavily on those partnerships to increase the availability of Earth observations, measurements, animations and analysis. A SERVIR office and rapid prototyping facility are located at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Other locations include the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama, and the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development in Kenya. The Haitian government used SERVIR extensively after the January earthquake to provide critical data. Also at the meeting, the chapter recognized the March corporate table sponsors including ADT, Alutiiq, DSI, SM&A and Raytheon. In addition, Abjul Rasheed Qureshi, senior military communication system engineer, Raytheon, was named door prize winner. Kenny Watts, symposium chairman, then debriefed the chapter on the Force Protection Symposium and recognized Tom Gwaltney, regional vice president.

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