Use of SWIRLS nowcasting system for quantitative precipitation forecast using Indian DWR data

Local severe storms are extreme weather events that last only for a few hours and evolve rapidly. Very often the mesoscale features associated these local severe storms are not well-captured synoptically. Forecasters have to predict the changing weather situation in the next 0-6 hrs based on latest observations. The operational process to predict the weather in the next 0-6 hrs is known as “nowcast”. Observational data that are typically suited for nowcasting includes Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), wind profiler, microwave sounder and satellite radiance. To assist forecasters, in predicting the weather information and making warning decisions, various nowcasting systems have been developed by various countries in recent years. Notable examples are Auto-Nowcaster (U.S.), BJ-ANC (China-U.S.), CARDS (Canada), GRAPES-SWIFT (China), MAPLE (Canada), NIMROD (U.K.), NIWOT (U.S.), STEPS (Australia), SWIRLS (Hong Kong, China), TIFS (Australia), TITAN (U.S.) (Dixon and Wiener, 1993) and WDSS (U.S.). Some of these systems were used in the two forecast demonstration projects organized by WMO for the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Olympic. A common feature of these systems is that they all use rapidly updated radar data, typically once every 6 minutes.The nowcasting system SWIRLS (“Short-range Warning of Intense Rainstorms in Localized Systems”) has been developed by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) and was put into operation in Hong Kong in 1999. Since then system has undergone several upgrades, the latest known as “SWIRLS-2” to support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. SWIRLS-2 is being adapted by India Meteorological Department (IMD) for use and test for the Commonwealth Games 2010 at New Delhi with assistance from HKO. SWIRLS-2 ingests a range of observation data including SIGMET/IRIS DWR radar product, raingauge data, radiosonde data, lightning data to analyze and predict reflectivity, radar-echo motion, QPE, QPF, as well as track of thunderstorm and its associated severe weather, including cloud-to-ground lightning, severe squalls and hail, and probability of precipitation. SWIRLS-2 uses a number of algorithms to derive the storm motion vectors. These include TREC (“Tracking of Radar Echoes by Correlation”), GTrack (Group tracking of radar echoes, an object-oriented technique for tracking the movement of a storm as a whole entity) and lately MOVA (“Multi-scale Optical flow by Variational Analysis”). This latest algorithm uses optical flow, a technique commonly used in motion detection in image processing, and variational analysis to derive the motion vector field. By cascading through a range of scales, MOVA can better depict the actual storm motion vector field as compared with TREC and GTrack which does well in tracking small scales features and storm entity respectively. In this paper the application of TREC and MOVA to derive the storm motion vector, reflectivity and QPF using Indian DWR data has been demonstrated for the thunderstorm events over Kolkata and New Delhi. The system has been successfully operationalized for Delhi and neighborhood area for commonwealth games 2010. Real time products are available on IMD website

Mega Sport Events, Development, and Tourism

There is enough literature based on empirical evidence to show that the benefits claimed for Mega-sport events, tourism and development are exaggerated. The pressure to deliver infrastructure and sporting facilities does not address issues of social displacement, land acquisition, environmental degradation, violation of worker’s rights, disruption of residents’ lifestyle area issues and overrides traditional participatory planning processes. This chapter explores the economic, environmental and social impacts of mega sports events– through a focused analysis of the developments associated with Commonwealth Games (CWG)2010 in Delhi. The case study developed by EQUATIONS concludes by highlighting that the trend of mega sport events, city beautification and evictions is not a story of the CWG alone but has continued even during the FIFA U17 – World Cup that took place in Kolkata among other venues across the country in October 2017.

Sponsor and ambush marketing during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Twitter and Instagram

Purpose This research explores ambush marketing on social media during the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Australia. Two social media platforms – Twitter and Instagram – served as the dataset to uncover how official sponsors of the Canadian and Australian Commonwealth Games teams were ambushed.Design/methodology/approach Employing a content analysis of all official team sponsors and their competitors, the study’s findings offer an original and multi-national look into social media ambushing.Findings Results indicated that promoting Games’ links was the most common social media post type used by official event sponsors, followed by sharing results of their endorsed athletes and behind-the-scenes information.Research limitations/implications In an effort to provide connection to the event, posts by ambushers focused on promoting athletes endorsed by their brand. All ambushers were more likely to use Twitter to promote their endorsed athletes. Instagram, however, was not fully embraced in their ambush marketing.Originality/value Discussion and implications of the results provide sport marketers with information on how to leverage one’s link with a major sporting event.

Volunteer experiences at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

PurposeThis article assesses how the human management practices of recruitment, selection, orientation, training and recognition enacted by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games impacted volunteers' experiences and their likelihood of volunteering in the future.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data from 30 volunteers, involved in various stages (including selected and not selected) of the selection process for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, was collected through focus group interviews.FindingsThe findings offer important insights for mega sport event managers and their organisations around utilising a traditional human resource management approach for their volunteer workforce.Originality/valueThe findings of the study point to a number of important opportunities for mega event organisers: ensuring there is a personal and consistent approach for all volunteers (even volunteers who are not successful in the application), flexibility in the way volunteers are provided training and support (online, self-paced and tailored to specific roles) and ensuring that organising committees have a strong strategy and direction for host cities to engage in a volunteer legacy.

Conclusion

Rounds off the main arguments of the book, looking at the year 2014 as a pivotal moment for Glasgow as the host of the XX Commonwealth Games. Unlike the great exhibitions of the previous centuries, the Games – and the historical exhibition held at the same time by Glasgow Life – became notable as a catalyst for change in the public’s awareness of empire and slavery.

Large-Scale Sport Events and Resident Well-Being: Examining PERMA and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Delivering community-based benefits is oftentimes cited to justify the high costs associated with hosting large-scale events. The current research is embedded in positive psychology to examine how an event impacts host community members’ PERMA domains, reflected through positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Adopting a longitudinal approach, the authors interviewed 15 host community members before and after a large-scale sport event to determine if and how the event impacted their well-being. The findings uncovered evidence that the event activated positive emotions, relationships, and meaning across both phases, and evidence of accomplishment within the postevent phase. The findings contribute to the knowledge by examining the links between large-scale sport events and well-being throughout the event lifecycle. This research forwards implications for event bidding committees, event organizers, and host community officials to maximize community well-being through hosting large-scale events and to help justify associated expenses from a social–psychological perspective.

Condition assessment, rehabilitation and upgradation of stadia in Delhi using modern technology

<p>India organized the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 for which some new stadia were built while some others were renovated. Delhi organized the Asian Games in 1982 successfully building new stadiums. The intervening period of over 25 years had witnessed major advancement in sports technology. Upgrading the stadia using advanced assessment methods and satisfy more stringent requirements were major challenges to ensure that their service lives are extended and that they remain versatile.</p><p>The stadia remodelled/retrofitted were Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JNS), Dr. S. P. Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex, (SPM), Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium Complex (IG), and Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. In JNS, the centrepiece of the Games, the open spectator stands needed to be covered accommodating the constraints imposed by the existing playing field. SPM, which was open to sky, required an indoor facility. The IG indoor stadium, hosting gymnastics, required major repair and retrofitting. The paper details these efforts</p>