This project brings together two major research efforts at UMass.
CASA
technologies are designed to complement current systems that do a poor job of
resolving the lower atmosphere (<1 km) where the majority of severe weather
events occur. Each year, these storms can cause billions of dollars in damage
and take scores of lives. In addition, current information distribution systems
do not fully meet the needs of a diverse group of end-users, ranging from
researchers to emergency managers to the general public.
The CASA radars will communicate with one another and
adjust their sensing strategies in direct response to the evolving weather and
user needs. The basic philosophy of CASA can be generalized to
distributed collaborative adaptive sensing (DCAS), a paradigm which can be
extended to a broader class of problems including tsunamis, climate change, and
homeland security.
CASA has demonstrated successful K-12 integration through of an
innovative classroom Weather Detection and Prediction program. It is a
collaborative, long-distance project that tracks and compares weather data from
K-12 schools using a network of weather stations installed at member schools,
along with weather data from the National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
and the National Weather Service
Weather
Detection and Prediction
follows CASA's distributed, collaborative, adaptive systems engineering model in
the way the K-12 curriculum is designed and implemented. The Weather
Detection and Prediction
project is distributed (covers diverse climatic and cultural areas),
collaborative (teachers from member
(NWS.)
The project is multi-cultural in its focus on curriculum and its membership, and
thus promotes cultural awareness and exchange, along with the development of a
global perspective on the behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere. Its goals are to
foster an interest in STEM disciplines in K-12 students; to encourage
participation of under-represented groups in STEM fields; and to create a new
model of ongoing professional development for teachers. 
schools design and implement an original curriculum in collaboration with CASA
faculty and other personnel), and adaptive (emphasizes different cultural
views of weather, climate and data analysis). Weather Detection and
Prediction has contributed to a
shared understanding of how weather, climate and technology affect daily life on
our planet. Such understanding is a critical component for MA Science and
Technology/Engineering Learning Standards). In addition, Weather RATS provides a
model for how to achieve the international goals of developing awareness of and
appreciation for different cultural views and needs.