This TIIAP project will extend access to OneNet, an existing state-wide Internet service, to Oklahoma's public safety agencies. The focus of the project will be to provide real-time information to public safety agencies on environmental conditions, especially weather conditions affecting individuals and businesses, particularly in the areas of transportation and construction. The system will be designed to allow public officials to respond more quickly and effectively to impending severe weather, hazardous material spills, and range fires, providing earlier warnings and saving lives and property. The project will link 32 civil defense offices, 850 fire departments, and 700 law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma. In addition, the network will also facilitate longer term planning for developing events such as floods, droughts, and wildfire conditions.
For the general public, the project will also connect 33 OneNet sites, located primarily at educational institutions, to a modem bank at Oklahoma Climatological Services. Additionally, more than 20 kiosks will be located at various sites in the state. The system will enhance the information provided to most Oklahomans whose homes, farms, businesses, and lives are affected by Oklahoma's varied and often severe climatological conditions.
Building on an existing network, compiling the information provided by the weather services, and training the public safety community to interpret this information, the project adds value to the National Weather Service, state weather information services, and public safety agency services. It is an excellent model for other states and communities to create on-line systems to assist public safety officials, farmers, businesspeople and other individuals to respond to environmental conditions that affect their lives.
The partners in this project are the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the National Weather Service, Unisys Weather Information Services, the Oklahoma State Office for Civil Emergency Management, and the Oklahoma University/NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies.
