Drone development aims to fill severe weather prediction gap

(Information from: The Journal Record, http://www.journalrecord.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are jointly developing drone technology to more accurately forecast the weather.
The Journal Record reports that OU School of Meteorology professor Phil Chilson says he launched the project in 2008, and it received a boost of National Science Foundation funding in 2015.
Chilson added that a “long-recognized lack of observation” in the bottom 2 miles of the atmosphere hinders storm forecasting.
OSU is building the drones, and OU is focusing on the meteorology portion, which includes what type of information and equipment is required for the unmanned aircraft.
Both schools are working through regulatory concerns with the Federal Aviation Administration.
OSU professor Jamey Jacob says the development of drones for more accurate storm prediction will cause a “paradigm shift.”

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