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Archive for category: Outdoor Events

The Latest: Typhoon death toll in China rises to 12

August 29, 2017/in Images, News, Outdoor Events, Weather, Wind Power /by Jason Pohl

BEIJING 

The Latest on Typhoon Hato (all times local):

12:20 p.m.

The death toll from Typhoon Hato has risen to 12 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern Chinese region around Hong Kong in more than half a century barreled west.

Macau says eight people were killed in the gambling enclave, including two men found overnight in a parking garage. Another 153 were listed as injured amid extensive flooding, power outages, and the smashing of doors and windows by the high winds and driving rain.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency says four more people were killed in the neighboring province of Guangdong and one person remains missing. Hato roared into the area on Wednesday with winds of up to 160 kilometers (99 miles) per hour.

Macau lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho called the typhoon destruction “a calamity,” adding that had heard from many people who still had no water or electricity.

___

11:20 a.m.

Authorities and state media say the death toll from powerful Typhoon Hato in southern China has risen to at least nine.

Macau’s Government Information Bureau said five people were killed and 153 injured in the gambling enclave.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday another four were killed in the neighboring province of Guangdong while one person remains missing. Hato was the most powerful typhoon to hit the area in 53 years, packing winds of up to 160 kilometers (99 miles) per hour on Tuesday.

Xinhua said that in southern China, almost 27,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters, while extensive damage to farmland and the loss of power to almost 2 million households was also reported.

___

4:25 p.m.

Officials say a powerful typhoon has caused at least three deaths in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

Macau’s Government Information Bureau said three men, aged 30, 45 and 62, were killed in falls and accidents Wednesday related to the heavy rain and gusting winds. At least two other people were listed as missing.

Typhoon Hato came within 60 kilometers (37 miles) of the nearby financial center of Hong Kong.

China’s weather service said the storm made landfall around noon in Zhuhai in the neighboring province of Guangdong, with winds gusting at 45 meters (147.64 feet) per second.

Flooding and power outages were also reported in Hong Kong and Macau, which lie across the water 64 kilometers (40 miles) from each other.

Original Post and Picture: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/article168806237.html

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Hong_Kong_Asia_Storm_61393.jpg 759 1140 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-08-29 14:39:072017-08-29 14:39:07The Latest: Typhoon death toll in China rises to 12

High above KC’s changing skyline, crane operators build downtown’s revitalization

August 9, 2017/in Construction, Cranes, News, Outdoor Events, Wind Power /by Jason Pohl

Perched high above a Children’s Mercy Hospital construction site, Carl Potter gently moves his left wrist and the 100-plus-foot tower crane rumbles to the right.

A push of his wrist sends the crane’s hook to the ground, where dozens of construction workers wait to attach a cement bucket to the crane’s rigging. They look like toy soldiers from this vantage point.

One of the four walkie-talkies used to communicate with the workers goes off, and he’s on to the next pick. Sometimes he eyes the drop and sometimes can’t see his work at all — relying on radio signals to navigate.

“It’s constant. There’s a tentative schedule, but I don’t eat lunch, I don’t have time,” says Potter, a tower crane operator for about 17 years.

As one of about 4,500 heavy machine operators in the Operating Engineers Local 101 union, Potter has been busy handling downtown Kansas City’s construction boom.

From his operator’s chair, Potter has a breathtaking view of downtown — a skyline crane operators have forged in the last decade — the Sprint Center, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the current construction of the city’s Two Light luxury apartments.

“Downtown’s growth has been the single most important thing that has happened to the construction industry,” said Jeff Holt, director of operations for Wilkerson Crane rentals, which owns cranes and provides operators. “Ten years ago you didn’t go downtown for nothing, and as an operator, the pride of driving downtown and seeing the things you’ve built, being a part of that change, it’s incredible.”

Potter, 41, of Lee’s Summit, has been up since 3:30 a.m. and has been overlooking the parking garage construction site inside the closet-sized cockpit since 4:30 a.m..

There’s a honey bun, oatmeal cream pie and a few empty energy drink cans in a neat row near his left arm rest. Underneath, a small cabinet door conceals a few water bottles filled with urine — it would be a waste of time to make the 10-minute climb down to use the restroom.

There’s an AM/FM radio built into the crane’s dashboard, but Potter doesn’t use it, opting for complete concentration during his typical 11-hour shifts. Potter tries to minimize distractions in a construction industry that accounts for more than 4,500 deaths annually, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He combines this discipline with more than 4,000 hours of required training by the union’s certification program.

Learning how

About 30 miles north in Weston, Stoney Cox stands on top of a 100-foot tower crane.

Cox, administrator of the union’s apprenticeship program, surveys the 220-acre training facility and casually leans over the railing. The facility is one of the largest in the country with a diverse landscape of hills and trees.

The Operating Engineers represent workers who use heavy machines, which include large dirt excavators, rollers, bulldozers and various cranes. The facility has more than 50 machines on the property to practice on. The international union often hosts conferences and training sessions on the property.

“Apprentices will take these cranes entirely apart almost a dozen times and learn every part of the machine before they even sit in an operator’s chair,” Cox says.

The three-year program requires 4,000 hours of training, including time in the facility’s classrooms and in the field working as an oiler. An oiler acts as an assistant to the large machine operators, maintaining the equipment, and in turn, the operator trains the apprentice on the job.

Nationally, middle-skill jobs, which require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree, make up the largest part of the labor market in the United States. In both Missouri and Kansas, there aren’t enough skilled laborers to fill the jobs, according to the National Skills Coalition.

Local 101 president Michael Charlton says the union has had a steady flow of apprentices the last few years to meet the area’s growing demand. They’ve struggled to recruit in the past, but Charlton says a more aggressive online advertising campaign and career fairs have boosted numbers.

“There’s zero cost to be an apprentice,” Cox said. “We use that a lot when we go to career fairs. Then parents come in and are asking, ‘You telling me little Johnny doesn’t have to pay for this?’ He pays nothing.”

At the same time, college is getting more expensive. The average four-year college student graduates with more than $30,000 in debt, according to the Institute of College Access and Success. As an apprentice, workers can earn close to $40,000 a year and can make $70,000 to $100,000 by the time they are journeymen.

Holt says high- school students aren’t exposed to certificate programs and trade schools. Often, he says, construction work is looked down upon.

“There’s a definite push that you need a college education to do anything,” Holt said. “This is a great living; I have done this since I was 18. I didn’t go to college — college wasn’t for me — and there are a lot of kids like that out there.”

“I know I can do my job”

Monica Confer always felt restless in a classroom. She stopped going to high school when she was 14 and opted for a GED certificate instead.

She held a bunch of jobs as a teenager and in her early 20s, running forklifts for warehouses and spending time in an auction yard. Confer had her son at 19, and the jobs weren’t cutting it.

“I needed better benefits for my son,” said Confer, 38, of Kansas City. “I could not afford insurance making less than $10 an hour.”

College wasn’t an option. She grew up in a union family, and her father’s friend recommended she apply to the Operating Engineers. She started as an apprentice in 2002.

Sometimes when she arrives at a new job site, she said, guys ask if she is the oiler; they’re surprised to see a woman in the operator’s chair.

“I’ve never had any big problems,” Confer said. “I think it used to bother me but I don’t even care anymore. Whatever, I know I can do my job.”

Charlton remembers a time when there were no women in Local 101 but says women now make up of about 20 percent of the workforce.

In 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 9.8 million people working in the construction industry. Of those, 872,000 of them, or 8.9 percent, were women.

Confer admits a level of paranoia about safety on the job. She typically wakes up by 4 a.m. to get to a job site about an hour early, especially at a new site. She goes through 20 minutes of safety inspections and gets to know every inch of the machine.

She has gotten home, sat on her couch and panicked about whether she had set the crane’s brake. She’ll climb back into her SUV and drive back to the construction site to double check.

“Everybody sees the crane collapses on the news. I have never been on a job when there’s been a crane accident,” Confer said. “If something were to happen and you hadn’t done your safety checks, that’s your conscience, legalities aside.”

Unstable ground conditions, high gusts of wind and operator error are the leading causes of crane accidents, Charlton said. And with more cranes among denser populations downtown there’s less room for error.

Boom town

Tommy Wilson, an urban planner for the Downtown Council of Kansas City, marks the beginning of the city’s revitalization around 2003 with the approval and planning of the Power & Light District. The boom includes construction of the the Sprint Center, H&R Block’s headquarters and new residential spaces. In 10 years, close to $6.5 billion dollars has been invested into downtown.

Wilson says the streetcar’s construction sparked a second wave of development in 2013, with an additional $1 billion invested along the Main Street route. “Our next step and goal is to make the redevelopment sustainable. Sustainability is having a good residential population that calls this place home,” Wilson says.

He says around 24,500 people live downtown, and that number will grow to nearly 30,000 by 2020.

As more people move downtown, more retail and additional office spaces follow, attracting additional residents — it’s a cycle of growth that Wilson projects will continue.

“This downtown revitalization isn’t just a fun phase we are going through” Wilson says. “We want this growth to continue for decades to come.”

Author: Jacob Gedetsis: 816-234-4416, @jacobgedetsis

Original text and pictures:  http://www.kansascity.com/living/spirit/article165286002.html

 

 

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/wirelesswind.jpg 468 768 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-08-09 15:39:332017-08-09 15:39:33High above KC’s changing skyline, crane operators build downtown’s revitalization

Exploring the weather hazards behind 5 deadly, notorious plane crashes

July 26, 2017/in Outdoor Events, Weather, Wind Power /by Jason Pohl

Though many unfortunate factors can result in aviation accidents, among an aircraft’s greatest threats are ice, fog and wind shear, which is rapidly changing wind currents.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study shows more than two-thirds of all weather-related general aviation crashes have been fatal.

Microbursts: An invisible killer

According to NASA, phenomena known as microbursts, which are short-lived downdrafts that are often present during thunderstorms, can create forceful and dangerous wind shear.

The National Weather Service (NWS) defines downdrafts as small-scale columns of air that rapidly sink toward the ground, usually accompanied by rain.

Planes are particularly vulnerable during takeoff and landing.

On July 9, 1982, a microburst brought down Pan Am flight 759 from New Orleans International Airport, killing 153 people.

It caused decreasing headwind and downdraft, which the pilot would have struggled to recognize in time, the NTSB official report concluded.

A microburst also caused Delta Airlines flight 191 to crash in Dallas on Aug. 2, 1985.

While attempting to pass through rain beneath a storm, it crashed 6,300 feet north of its runway at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, hitting and killing a driver, according to the NTSB report.

Lack of training and real-time wind shear hazard information contributed to the deaths of 134 passengers, the NTSB reported.

Between 1970 and 1985, low-altitude wind shear caused crashes that killed 575 people, according to the NTSB.

In 1988, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated that commercial aircraft be equipped with wind shear detection systems by 1993.

“Wind shear accidents have become very rare in recent years thanks to better forecasting tools, pilot training and sophisticated onboard warning systems,” said Patrick Smith, an active airline pilot and air travel blogger.

“But the phenomena is still potentially dangerous,” he said.

Fatal fog risk

Foggy conditions are also often deadly for pilots, according to the Flight Safety Foundation.

They occur when water droplets suspend in the air at the Earth’s surface.

Hazards arise when visibility is reduced to a quarter of a mile or less, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

In 1977, upon takeoff from Los Rodeos Airport in the Canary Islands, KLM flight 4805 sheared the top off Pan Am flight 1736, which shared the same runway.

According to the official report, heavy fog enveloping the airport prevented both flight crews from spotting each other until it was too late.

It was the deadliest fog-related crash in history, killing 574 people.

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The control tower was unable to see the two planes, and at the time, the Los Rodeos Airport had no ground tracking radar.

A number of other factors, including poor communication, also contributed.

“The ultimate cause was the KLM pilot initiating takeoff without clearance and disregarding his crew’s inquiries about whether they were cleared for takeoff,” said aviation consultant Jim Goldfuss.

“Airport surveillance radars as well as taxiway and runway lighting technology has adapted to prevent accidents like this,” he said.

Icy aircraft dangers

Ice-covered planes pose another potentially deadly risk.

In 1982, 78 people perished when Air Florida flight 90 smashed into a bridge, collapsing into the icy Potomac River shortly after takeoff.

Air Florida 90 Crash, 1982

The tail section of the Air Florida jetliner that crashed in the Potomac River in Washington is hoisted by a crane onto a floating barge after being removed, Monday, Jan. 19, 1982 from the water. (AP Photo)

“Parked at the terminal, an aircraft collects precipitation the way your car does — via snowfall, sleet, freezing rain or frost,” Smith said.

Icing can disrupt airflow around a wing, which robs a plane of lift, he said.

Flight 90 departed Washington National Airport with icy wings during moderate to heavy snowfall, according to the crash report.

“[This] changes the wing’s shape, which can result in a stall at a higher-than-expected speed,” said Goldfuss.

The NTSB reported that the flight crew’s failure to use engine anti-ice before takeoff and their decision to depart with ice on the plane contributed to the crash.

A decade later, US Air flight 405 departed New York’s LaGuardia Airport, also with icy wings.

The plane lost lift just after leaving the runway and crashed into a nearby bay, killing 27.

It had been previously de-iced.

However, the NTSB concluded that the flight crew’s failure to check for ice accumulation on the wings 35 minutes after exposure to precipitation was a contributing factor to the crash, which occurred more than 20 years ago.

“We’ve come a long way with it as far as anti-icing and de-icing, as well as improved crew training and how to deal with icing conditions,” said Smith.

“Those [crashes] were tough lessons to learn,” said Smith, “but airliner crashes brought on by icing have become exceptionally rare.”

Author: Ashley Williams

Original Source and pictures: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/the-weather-hazards-behind-5-deadly-plane-crashes/70001522

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/plane1.jpg 388 590 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-07-26 14:00:212017-07-26 14:00:21Exploring the weather hazards behind 5 deadly, notorious plane crashes

Gale force winds cause accidents and powercuts

July 26, 2017/in Outdoor Events, Weather, Wind Power /by Jason Pohl

Gale force winds caused accidents and power cuts in parts of Macclesfield.

Strong gusts of up to 55mph caused a Costa Coffee van to come off the road along the A537 Cat and Fiddle.

Macclesfield Police responded to the accident which took place yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, June 6) with a humorous tweet “Ground by the wind. This is going to Costa lot to repair #ohbeans”.

There have also been reports of a power cut in Prestbury.

Engineers are heading to the SK10 4 postcode.

A spokesperson for Electricity North West, said: “Damage to an overhead line caused the loss of power to 15 customers in Macclesfield at 12.59am this morning.

“Power supplies have been removed to customers to allow our engineers to safely carry out repairs. Our engineers are working to get customers power supply back on as soon as possible.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience and thank customers for their support. If any customers need any further information we are on hand 24/7 on the new national number 105 or Twitter @ElectricityNW.”

Last night, the Met Office made an official ‘yellow’ warning, which means severe weather is possible over the next few days, in hilly areas.

Author: Stuart Greer

Original source & picture: http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/gale-force-winds-cause-accidents-13149364

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/beans1.jpg 539 810 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-07-26 12:40:092017-07-26 12:40:09Gale force winds cause accidents and powercuts

Court acquits Phinikoudes death crane operator

July 26, 2017/in Construction, Cranes, News, Outdoor Events, Weather /by Jason Pohl

Larnaca District Court on Thursday acquitted the operator of a 200-tonne tower crane that fell on to Phinikoudes promenade in October 2012 – killing a 65-year-old woman, injuring three others and damaging five cars – after the prosecution failed to prove the case.

The crane operator, Christos Peristianis, had been charged with causing death through reckless or dangerous acts, omissions of persons responsible for dangerous equipment and negligent acts causing physical harm and serious bodily harm.

In its ruling, the court said was Peristianis was accused on October 10, 2012, by want of precaution or by by rash or careless act not amounting to culpable negligence, of not completely unlocking the crane brake, meaning strong winds caused its fall, resulting in the death of Christine-Marie Coleman and the injury of three other people.

Any person who by want of precaution or by by rash or careless act, not amounting to culpable negligence, unintentionally causes the death of another person is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for two years, or to a fine not exceeding one €170.

He was also accused of, while he was solely responsible for the crane, having neglected to take the necessary precautions against any possible risk arising from such a motorised machine.

The T-shaped crane- 44-metres in length and 80 metres in width – was part of a construction site managed by a contractor hired by Larnaca municipality to build an extra two floors on top of the town hall on Phinikoudes Avenue. It fell on to the promenade during strong winds averaging between 6 and 9 on Beaufort scale, crashing down on a moving car containing Victor and Christine-Marie Coleman, 65 and 67, who were permanent residents of Vrysoulles village.

The two had to be freed from the mangled car by emergency services before being rushed to hospital. Christine-Marie died at the hospital from multiple injuries including haemorrhages in her brain and lungs, while her husband sustained head and brain injuries and internal cranial haemorrhaging.

A 47-year-old Iranian man lost his finger trying to flee from the falling crane on foot, and a 60-year-old Cypriot pedestrian suffered a fractured hand.

Eye-witness accounts said the crane’s fall was broken by the cars underneath, which changed the direction of the crane as it hit the ground, narrowly missing a kiosk with seven people inside.

The court ruled that prosecution had failed to prove its case against the accused, since it could not prove that Peristianis “did not take all the appropriate action to unlock the crane to rotate with the wind’s direction”. The fact that he was the last person to operate the crane, the ruling said, “does not prove in itself, and especially in a criminal case, which should be beyond reasonable doubt, that he failed to take the necessary precautions, which resulted in the crane falling”.

The court also ruled that the operator had partially unlocked the crane brake and therefore took the appropriate action that requires full unlocking of the brake.

“The accused actually did what the police accused him of failing to do, namely to deactivate the brake”, the ruling said. It added that the operator is not considered responsible because the brake was not fully deactivated.

The court also raised questions over the checks carried out on the crane by its owner and the state electromechanical services on the remote control with which the break was released. It was reported that about 10 months before the accident, the remote control was destroyed by lightning and replaced by one from another machine that was not tested for compatibility.

The new remote control, the court said, did not have an operator’s notification function that the rotation brake was released, and this gap created a breach in the prosecution’s attempt to prove that the operator was guilty. It also said that it took into consideration that the crane was last operated by Peristianis at 10.30am that day, while the accident occurred at 8.30pm.

The court also said that after the accident the crane was stored in the premises of the construction company that owned it instead of being handed over to police. It said that this raised an issue with possible tampering.

Author: Evie Andreou

Original source & photo :http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/06/22/court-acquits-phinikoudes-death-crane-operator/

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/accident1.jpg 529 770 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-07-26 10:48:362017-07-26 11:50:31Court acquits Phinikoudes death crane operator
Practicing with the Navis wind measurement system

Hitting the Mark with Navis Wind Meters

June 4, 2017/in Outdoor Events /by Jason Pohl

California’s Jim Ramsay entered the Extreme Benchrest competition as an amateur marksman but he finished it by besting the pros. His not-so-secret weapon? A Navis Wireless Wind Speed Sensor. Even more impressive was that it was his first time in competition and he had less than two months to practice.

What is Extreme Benchrest?

Extreme Benchrest is an annual rifle competition held in Arizona and hosted by Airguns of Arizona and the Phoenix Airgun Club. Benchrest refers to the gun sitting on a gun rest, meaning the operator isn’t standing or sitting, isolating all the variables. “The competition comes down to trigger control, breathing, gun performance and individual interaction with the gun,” says Jim. “The biggest factor is the wind.” In the competition, all participants qualify at 75 yards. Four relays are held, two for each category. The top ten from each round are chosen to compete on the final day of competition at 100 yards. The target consists of concentric circles, with the largest circle being 5.25 inches in diameter. The closer a participant is to the center (a bullseye roughly the size of an aspirin tablet), the higher the score.

Measuring Wind Speed

Up until now, measuring wind speed at a rifle competition was done mainly through the use of wind flags. This is a skill in itself since it takes a lot of training and experience to equate the flags to a miles per hour figure. “Ballistics programs take into account wind speed, miles per hour and wind direction,” says Jim. This calculates a wind adjustment value. Jim wanted to apply that same principle in the competition and began by looking for equipment measuring wind speed that would be used in construction. He wanted a wireless one for the shooting range so it could transmit data back to his smartphone. An online search turned up Navis along with the supplier, BigfootCrane. “Even from reading the brochure online, it seemed to be exactly what I needed so I got a system sent out to me.”

What Set Navis Apart

The most valuable part of the software, Jim says, is being able to see a running average with a history over the previous two minutes. This let him gauge where the averages were occurring. When it came to Extreme Benchrest, he was able to base his calculations on the average then adjust for that particular, which gave him a very qualified window of opportunity. “There was definite strategy involved. I could watch the running history to see much I had to adjust, just by using the sighters to see when the wind speed would return.” Jim figures he was the only person using the Navis Wind Speed Sensor technology at the competition. One competitor had a hand-held anemometer but it was mounted to his rifle scope, which meant he was measuring wind there rather than at the target. This would preclude him from being able to factor in other variables like speed or velocity. Jim set his Navis anemometer at the one-third mark, which is where he believed the most influential winds were located. “Ideally, you want to have the system close enough to accurately characterize wind environment but not next to the table where you’ll get disturbances as the wind flows around things.”

“The Navis Wireless Wind Speed Sensor performed even better than I expected, providing me with accurate real-time information right in the palm of my hand.”

Hitting the Mark

After the competition ended, Jim was asked if what he was using was a weather station. It only took a few minutes to explai what he had and how it worked. Not surprisingly, he ended up exchanging contact information with people who wanted to follow up with him at a later time. He noted that while several of the pros belong to an older demographic, there were younger members of the crowd who were only too eager to embrace the latest technology. “The Navis Wireless Wind Speed Sensor was a big hit with everyone but I really appreciated it at a completely different level because I hadn’t had time to fully train using the wind flag system.”

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BFCC_4826_Navis_596x300.jpg 300 596 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-06-04 16:15:222017-06-12 23:47:56Hitting the Mark with Navis Wind Meters
entertainment wind control

Safer Outdoor Events with Live Weather Monitoring

May 17, 2017/in Outdoor Events /by Jason Pohl

The weather is one of the most challenging aspects to manage when dealing with outdoor events. Usually, events involve large structures, massive crowds and a great deal of equipment.

Weather-related incidents in open fields where assets or property can be damaged have very little risk for human life. However, outdoor events, where hundreds or even thousands of persons may be present at once, have a much higher chance of injury or death from weather-related accidents.

Outdoor events are generally planned based on weather forecasts, but this comes with several limitations:

  • Weather forecasting has limited accuracy and provides no information on short-duration and high-risk events, such as wind gusts.
  • Several factors must be weighted before deciding to cancel an outdoor event. If the decision is taken based only on weather forecasts, there is no data measured on-site to justify it. The event organiser can handle claims more effectively if there is hard evidence that weather conditions affected the event.

Stages and Harsh Weather: A Risky Combination

Most stages are temporary structures, just like cranes, and therefore they are vulnerable to gusts. Stages have a combination of mechanical properties that make them very vulnerable to strong winds:

  • They use large fabric sheets as temporary walls and ceilings. Under the wind, sheets can become sails and are exposed to significant drag forces. The force may be capable of ripping them apart or bringing down the entire stage structure.
  • The canopy of concert stages is very heavy since it bears the weight of spotlights and audio equipment. Since the underlying structure is much lighter, the structure can only tolerate a small amount of deformation before collapsing.

A very simple solution is to lower the canopy in response to strong winds, and the structure can be designed to allow this without being fully dismounted. On-site wind monitoring can be used in conjunction to determine if local wind conditions are unsafe for a concert stage.

Lack of Standardisation in the Outdoor Event Industryoutdoor event

PLASA, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association, is an international organisation for companies who provide technology and services for outdoor events. They have offices in Europe and North America, with more than 425 members in total.

Although PLASA provides best practices and recommendations on how to conduct outdoor events safety, these do not always translate into government-enforced standards. If PLASA guidelines are optional, event organisers may overlook them to cut costs, makings outdoor events riskier. However, an accident is considerably more expensive than prevention: the outdoor stage may be destroyed completely, and the organiser may face lawsuits if there is human damage. In addition, the negative publicity after the incident can take the company responsible for it out of business.

Advantages of Live Weather Monitoring

A live weather monitoring system like WINDCRANE can make outdoor venues much safer, and there are many reasons why:

  • Event organisers get a real-time snapshot of weather conditions second by second, instead of relying on forecasts and warnings from the local meteorology service. Live data gathered on-site provides a better basis to take decisions.
  • WINDCRANE includes a mobile application with programmable alerts, which can be installed by key personnel on their smartphones. If dangerous weather conditions are detected they can act immediately, preventing accidents or minimising the damage in case they occur.
  • If an event was cancelled due to bad weather, the data logged by WINDCRANE lets the organiser handle claims more effectively. In some cases, it may be possible to avoid costly litigation with the data gathered.
https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SW_DylanRives.jpg 665 1000 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-05-17 22:46:472017-05-17 23:09:00Safer Outdoor Events with Live Weather Monitoring
Live weather monitoring for outdoor filming

Weather Monitoring for Outdoor Film Sets

May 5, 2017/in Film Industry, Outdoor Events /by Jason Pohl

The film industry can be very profitable, but it is not free from risks. Like in any occupation, there are factors that must be monitored to provide a safe working environment for staff. Many movie sets are found in outdoor locations, where the weather has an impact on the filming process. There are even times where the plot requires scenes in locations with extreme weather, such as deserts and snowy peaks.

The film industry has a distinct set of safety challenges, and the weather has an impact on nearly all of them. The following are some examples of risks with outdoor the movie sets:

  • filming outdoorsMany films involve stunts with inherent risks. These risks are increased when the stunts involve high falls or vehicles. Strong winds can be especially risky when a film involves balloons, helicopters or planes.
  • Controlled fire or explosions are required in some films, and controlling them becomes more difficult with unfavourable weather.
  • Movies often involve child actors, and this requires special safety considerations. It must be considered that children could also be involved in weather-related accidents and more seriously harmed than adults.
  • The film industry uses expensive equipment, for example, scaffolding, tall ladders and video camera cranes that must be safeguarded from harsh weather.

Weather monitoring provides three main benefits for outdoor movie sets:

  1. The filming process can be carried out with less disruption
  2. Safer conditions are provided for the actors and staff
  3. Equipment is protected from damage

Movie Sets in Extreme Temperature Environments

The weather must always be monitored in outdoor film sets, but it requires special attention when the script requires that part of the movie be filmed in an extreme weather environment. The temperature is already a risk by itself, and the thermal sensation can become unbearable with the influence of wind speed or humidity.

Cold Weather Risks

For movie sets in cold environments, one of the main risks is low temperature combined with strong gusts. Careless filming in cold environments can expose actors and staff members to two life-threatening conditions: frostbite and hypothermia.

Protecting humans from chilling winds involves monitoring two key conditions: ambient temperature and wind speed. As the ambient temperature decreases, dangerous conditions are created with lower wind speeds. For example, at a wind chill of 0°C, the risk of frostbite is very low, but human skin freezes in less than 2 minutes at a wind chill below -55°C.

Periodic warm-up breaks are a key requirement for working safely in low-temperature environments, and the film industry is no exception. The frequency of these breaks increases as outdoor temperature and wind conditions become more extreme.

Hot Weather Risks

Movie sets in hot environments are exposed to a different set of risks, but weather monitoring can effective at preventing them.

There is a limit to how fast the human body can get rid of heat, and several risky conditions present themselves with excessive body heat accumulation:

  • Some conditions are relatively mild. For example, heat rash occurs when a hot temperature is combined with high humidity, and heat cramps occur when excessive sweating starts to upset the balance of body fluids.
  • Heat exhaustion is more serious. It occurs when the natural cooling capacity of the human body is reaching its limit.
  • Heat stroke occurs when the body can no longer get rid of heat by itself and has been drained of fluids and salts – it is a medical emergency and there is a risk of death if the person is not attended.

All the conditions above are bodily responses to extreme heat, and it is important to note that both wind speed and relative humidity influence the sensation of heat. All three variables can be monitored effectively by WINDCRANE.

Weather Monitoring for Outdoor Locations

Weather monitoring is the only way to ensure safe conditions in outdoor film sets. This is especially important when filming in extreme temperature environments. WINDCRANE is a highly versatile weather monitoring solution, capable of measuring any weather variable in addition to wind speed and direction.

WINDCRANE is dust-tight, waterproof and corrosion resistant, and comes fully configured with GSM capabilities and cloud data services. Our technology is possible thanks to a decade-long track record at Logic Energy, experts in monitoring hardware and software. More specifically, smart data management and integration with mobile applications.

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Live-weather-monitoring-for-outdoor-filming.jpg 666 1000 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2017-05-05 23:06:202017-05-17 23:11:39Weather Monitoring for Outdoor Film Sets
champion wind data

Champion Data Holdings & WINDCRANE at the FOX FOOTY Longest Kick 2016

November 9, 2016/in Outdoor Events /by Jason Pohl

Once per year, eleven players from the Australian Football League and a lucky 12th participant compete in the FOX FOOTY Longest Kick, where the goal is to kick a football 75 meters across the Yarra River. Each contestant has two chances, and the longest kick wins!

The event was covered by Champion Data, Australia’s top provider of sports statistics and media services, and the official provider of live and post-game services for the Australian Football League since 1999. Champion Data enhances the viewer experience by adding intuitive graphics over live footage of sports events, giving enhanced visibility of all factors affecting the competition.

Of course, wind direction plays a very important role in a competition like the FOX FOOTY Longest Kick: depending on how the ball is kicked, the wind may either halt it or help it go further, possibly defining a winning kick! Wind measurements can also make the competition more interesting, allowing spectators to appreciate their effect on kicks, but this requires them to be displayed in a format that is intuitive and easy to read.

Champion Data needed a reliable wind monitoring solution for the competition, capable of overlaying wind direction graphics on top of live footage from the competition site. They contacted WINDCRANE, who delivered a system which provided Champion data with the live wind data they needed.

This technology adds strategic depth to the competition, transforming the wind from a random variable into a measurable factor making the event more interesting for viewers. This year’s winner was Bryce Gibbs from the Carlton Football Club, who was his team’s third best goal kicker during the last season.

WINDCRANE once again proves its versatility, having been deployed in applications that include sports, construction, transportation and even aviation shows. WINDCRANE is built on the expertise of Logic Energy, a Scottish company with a decade of experience providing weather and energy monitoring solutions, offering know-how in both software and hardware to provide integrated systems that are tailored for the needs of each client.

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Champion_data2_large-1.png 270 480 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2016-11-09 14:58:562017-06-10 16:01:16Champion Data Holdings & WINDCRANE at the FOX FOOTY Longest Kick 2016
Windcrane app in hand

Wind monitoring at festivals, funfairs and other events

April 22, 2016/in Outdoor Events /by Jason Pohl

Towards the end of March there was a terrible accident that brings home to us just how dangerous wind gusts can be, not just to those who work in the construction trade, but to anybody, in any walk of life.  What should have been a great day out at a fairground in Harlow turned to tragedy as a gust of wind caught a bouncy castle, lifting it at least 15 feet into the air then flipping it over and carrying it across the park where the temporary funfair had been set up.

This was not the first such incident. Harlow council officers who visited a site after last year’s incident suggested several health and safety improvements, including better stewarding of the event.  However, nobody would have thought that wind at ground level could cause such a horrific event.

With spring already here and summer on its way, there are sure to be similar fun events being held in cities, towns and villages across the UK as we make the most of the sunshine and warmer weather.  However, event organisers know that they are legally responsible for the safety of those who attend such events whether they are festivals, funfairs, rock concerts, carnivals or fundraising events.  Anybody organising an event of any type nowadays will need to take out public liability insurance in order for permission for the event to be granted.

With so many outdoor events being held in the summer months and the British weather being subject to vagaries and sudden change, it’s almost impossible to guarantee good weather on the day.  Many such events are rained off while others still take place under leaden skies with temperatures suddenly plummeting.  If the wind starts to blow harder, stalls, rides, marquees and stages are all at risk or becoming unstable due to sudden or strong gusts.

Using a wind monitoring system that can deliver alerts when winds reach a certain speed can give organisers the information they need to make an informed decision on whether or not the event should go ahead, whether to abandon the event when it has already started or whether to close down some of the attractions that can become particularly dangerous in high winds.

Opting for a wind monitoring system that uses cloud technology to ensure that live information can be accessed and shared anytime, from anywhere means that updates and alerts can be used to make public events of this type as safe as is possible.

If an incident should occur a historical log of wind data stored in the cloud enables investigators to assess what was happening during the event. It also provides accurate, valuable information to organisers of wind and its affects for future events.

https://wirelesswind.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WINDCRNEApp_hand_large-1.jpg 300 480 Jason Pohl /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wirelesswind-logob.png Jason Pohl2016-04-22 15:15:082017-06-10 16:04:46Wind monitoring at festivals, funfairs and other events
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