Episode 6: The Storm Events Database Explorer скачать в хорошем качестве

Episode 6: The Storm Events Database Explorer

Jed talks with Kwin Keuter and Brad Andrick from Earth Genome about transforming NOAA’s Storm Events Database into an accessible data product with multiple access modes for emergency managers, researchers, planners, and the public. Links and Resources Storm Events Database Explorer — https://stormevents.internetofwater.app Storm Events Database on Source Cooperative — https://source.coop/repositories/eart... Earth Genome blog post on the project — https://www.earthgenome.org/blog The Commons case study — https://www.thecommons.earth/ NOAA Storm Events Database — https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ GeoParquet.io — https://geoparquet.io/ Key takeaways Multiple access modes serve different users — Earth Genome built a visual Explorer for planners, CSV downloads for traditional workflows, an API for developers, and Parquet files for data scientists, recognizing that different users need different interfaces to the same underlying data. Historical datasets require careful handling — The Storm Events Database only recorded tornadoes from 1950 to 1996 before expanding to 55 event types. Working with evolving data structures across 75 years requires thoughtful design to present both historical and modern data in semi-standardized ways. Data quality issues are inevitable — From FIPS codes that don’t match known counties to varying location representations (points for tornadoes, polygons for heat waves), real-world datasets contain inconsistencies that must be addressed through ingestion pipelines and documented for users. Marketing data products requires ongoing effort — Building the tool is one thing; driving awareness and usage requires conference presentations, blog posts, webinars, and community engagement. The team emphasized that making data easy to use means more than just posting it—you have to actively get it in front of people. Government should focus on core data collection — Brad and Kwin discussed the value of federal agencies prioritizing primary data collection and publishing over building every possible user interface, allowing external organizations to innovate on top of stable, open datasets. Feedback loops remain missing — Despite building a valuable tool on top of NOAA data, Earth Genome has limited direct engagement with NCEI. Creating channels for data users to communicate with data stewards would improve data quality and help agencies understand the value their datasets provide.