Meteorological intelligence is

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

measured, gathered, compiled, exploited, analyzed and disseminated by

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

climatologists Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , ''-logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of study ...

and

hydrologists Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is call ...

to characterize the current state and/or predict the future state of the

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

at a given location and time. Meteorological intelligence is a subset of environmental intelligence and is synonymous with the term weather intelligence. The earliest known use of the term "meteorological intelligence" in a written document dates to 1854 on pg. 168 of the Eighth Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. This report discusses the Smithsonian Institution's initiative to transmit meteorological intelligence via

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

lines. An early reference to "meteorological intelligence" in England dates an 1866 issue of

The Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'' ...

which was a prominent Scottish journal during the 19th century (Reeve 1866, pg. 75). Another documented, early use of the term dates to 1874 in a historical compilation entitled, "The American Historical Record" (Lossing 1874, pg. 125). In this book, Lossing uses the term to refer to weather observations transmitted over telegraph lines for the purpose of studying the nature of

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...

s with the ultimate goal of enhancing public safety through the issuance of storm warnings. This mission was carried out by the Army Signal Service starting in the 1870s who was responsible for communication (via telegraph) of technical

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

for the army as well as "meteorological intelligence" for the general welfare of the country (Ingersoll 1879, pg. 156). From the viewpoint of the intelligence community, the term meteorological intelligence is more limited in its use referring to the use of

clandestine Clandestine may refer to: * Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals * Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity Music and entertainmen ...

or technical means to learn about environmental conditions over enemy territory (Shulsky and Schmitt 2002) as in the

North Atlantic weather war The North Atlantic weather war occurred during World War II. The Allies (Britain in particular) and Germany tried to gain a monopoly on weather data in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Meteorological intelligence was important as it affect ...

. In the

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

context, weather information is often referred to as meteorological or environmental intelligence (Hinsley 1990, pg. 420; Platt 1957, pg. 14; U.S. Congress, pg. 164). With regard to private sector

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

, the term meteorological intelligence is a broad term of art that is primarily associated with observed and forecast weather information provided to decision makers in one of a number of weather sensitive business areas including: Energy,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

ation,

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

and

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

(CMOS 2001, pg. 23) . It is considered a key aspect of

weather risk management Weather risk management is a type of risk management done by organizations to address potential financial losses caused by unusual weather. Overview Energy, agriculture, transportation, construction, municipalities, school districts, travel, food ...

for the legal and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

industries.

Notes

References

* Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), 2001: "Baseline Status of Private Meteorological Services Sector in Canada", prepared by Global Change Strategies International * Dear, I.C.B. and Foot, M.R.D.: "meteorological intelligence." The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (March 10, 2009). * Hinsley, Francis F., 1990: "British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations". Cambridge University Press * Ingersoll, Lurton D., 1879: "A History of the War Department of the United States", published by Francis D. Alohun, 613 pages * Lossing, Benson J., ed., 1874: "The American Historical Record”, Vol. III * Platt, Washington, 1957: "Strategic Intelligence Production: Basic Principles", published by P.A. Praeger, 302 pages * Reeve, Henry, ed., 1866: "The Edinburgh Review", Vol CXXIV, published by Archibald Constable, London, 600 pages * Shulsky, Abram N. and Schmitt, Gary J., 2002: "Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence", 3rd ed., 285 pages * Smithsonian Institution, 1854: "Eighth Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution", published by The Institution, U.S. Gov't Print Off., 310 pages * U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, New Technology for NATO: Implementing Follow-On Force Attack, OTA-ISC-309 (Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, June 1987) * Yokoyama, K., 1993: Studies on the utilization of the mesh meteorological intelligence, ''Bulletin of the Yamagata Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station (Japan)'', 31-37

External links

* *http://www.cmos.ca/Privatesector/metstrategyappB.pdf *http://www.cdef.terre.defense.gouv.fr/publications/doctrine/doctrine03/US/doctrine/art8.pdf *http://www.scotsatwar.co.uk/AZ/dday.htm *https://books.google.com/books?id=gIzUGFtsExAC&dq=meteorological+intelligence&ei=8my2Sa_jKIHqkwTd3pn9Bg *http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-meteorologicalintelligenc.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Meteorological Intelligence Branches of meteorology Intelligence gathering disciplines Business intelligence Weather hazards Warning systems

Notes

See also

References

External links