Ensemble model output statistics for wind vectors

A bivariate ensemble model output statistics (EMOS) technique for the postprocessing of ensemble forecasts of two-dimensional wind vectors is proposed, where the postprocessed probabilistic forecast takes the form of a bivariate normal probability density function. The postprocessed means and variances of the wind vector components are linearly bias-corrected versions of the ensemble means and ensemble variances, respectively, and the conditional correlation between the wind components is represented by a trigonometric function of the ensemble mean wind direction. In a case study on 48-hour forecasts of wind vectors over the North American Pacific Northwest with the University of Washington Mesoscale Ensemble, the bivariate EMOS density forecasts were calibrated and sharp, and showed considerable improvement over the raw ensemble and reference forecasts, including ensemble copula coupling

Analyzing the Effects of Transit Network Change on Agency Performance and Riders in a Decentralized, Small-to-Mid-sized US Metropolitan Area: A Case Study of Tallahassee, Florida, MTI Report 12-04

On July 11, 2011, StarMetro, the local public transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, restructured its entire bus network from a downtown-focused radial system to a decentralized, grid-like system that local officials and agency leaders believed would better serve the dispersed local pattern of population and employment. The new, decentralized network is based on radial routes serving the major arterial roads and new crosstown routes linking the outer parts of the city, where population and employment is growing. Local officials and agency staff hoped the change would increase transit’s attractiveness and usefulness to the community. One year after the service restructuring, overall performance results are similar to those experienced in other cities that have implemented major service changes. Overall ridership and productivity are lower than before the service restructuring, due to the short time frame for rider adjustments and longer-than-anticipated headways, but new ridership has appeared in previously un-served or under-served corridors and neighborhoods. The service restructuring resulted in longer walks to bus stops, due to the removal of stops from many neighborhoods and their relocation to major roads, but overall transit travel times are shorter due to more direct routing. No particular neighborhoods or community groups disproportionately benefited from or were harmed by the change. The service restructuring was supported by some segments of the community who viewed the older system as ill-suited to the increasingly decentralized community, while it was opposed by other community stakeholders who worried about the loss of service in some neighborhoods and issues of access and safety, particularly affecting elderly and disabled riders, at new stop locations. StarMetro’s extensive public outreach efforts and ongoing service adjustments have reduced the intensity of the opposition to the service restructuring over time, although some segments of the community continue to voice their concerns about the effects of the change on transit-dependent, disabled, and elderly riders

Washington: Round 1 - State-Level Field Network Study of the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act

This report is part of a series of 21 state and regional studies examining the rollout of the ACA. The national network -- with 36 states and 61 researchers -- is led by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, the Brookings Institution, and the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.The state of Washington is expanding its Medicaid program and operating its own health insurance marketplace, as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The state legislature made the decision to run an insurance exchange in 2011, ahead of the June 2012 Supreme Court decision on the ACA's constitutionality, and well in advance of the 2012 presidential election. On July 1, 2013, Governor Jay Inslee signed the state's biennial budget, which authorized Medicaid expansion. Thus began the formal action signaling Washington State's intent to fully implement the ACA

Topic modeling for entity linking using keyphrase

This paper proposes an Entity Linking system that applies a topic modeling ranking. We apply a novel approach in order to provide new relevant elements to the model. These elements are keyphrases related to the queries and gathered from a huge Wikipedia-based knowledge resourcePeer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

A Case for an Online Educational Administrator Practicum Experience

The principal and superintendent practicum experiences have traditionally been entirely face-to-face (f2f) between university professors, interns and site mentors – typically a campus or district administrator (Figure 1). Advancements in technology combined with the exponential growth of online graduate programs give rise to additional incorporation of technology into the practicum experience