User Generated Content In Social Media As A Source For Assessing Cultural Dimensions

This research in progress intends to document the process of mining social media text-based content in order to acquire measures of cultural dimensions. This process can potentially be replicated and extended to other topics of inquiry so as to provide researchers with an alternative source for data acquisition related to measuring theoretical constructs. Additionally, we provide an argument supporting the credibility of user generated content (UGC) as a data source for rigorous inquiry. This article describes the mechanism for acquiring pertinent UGC as well as describing the method of assessing and quantifying the valence and magnitude of the various construct values. These measures are intended to be suitable for utilization across a variety of methods for statistical analysis requiring continuous or discrete factor measures. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and benefits and intend to present preliminary results during the conference

Seedability of Winter Orographic Storms in Utah

The primary objective of this research has been to collect and analyze data from (randomized) seeded and unseeded winter storms over the Wasatch Mountains for the purpose of developing and designing cloud seeding technology. Two field programs were conducted sequentially; the first was done by airborne seeding and the second by seeding from mountaintop generators. Analysis of precipitation estimators based upon radar and/or rawinsonde data and target precipitation show that increased precipitation due to seeding may occur under certain meteorological conditions. Favorable conditions were found when the supercooled water concentration as measured by aircraft icing rates was high. Precipitation in these particular seeded storms was several times the amount estimated from relationships derived from meteorological parameters and unseeded precipitation. Based upon thes

Research on Increased Winter Orographic Precipitation by Cloud Seeding (FY 1979) Development of Cloud Seedability Criteria

This research continues the exploration of improved cloud seeding technology through the use of airborne seeding, cloud physics measurements from a research aircraft and ground based measurements for the purpose of understanding transport and diffusion of seeding material, developing seedability criteria, and documenting in-cloud responses to seeding. Development of precipitation measuring and memory devices was continued with the aim of obtaining a network of gages well suited for measurement of winter snowfall in mountainous regions. Results of the research are highlighted by the development of criteria for seeding winter orographic storms. It was found that the cloud top temperature and vertical motion apparently are the primary factors governing seedability. Indices of vertical motion are also described, so the seedability criteria can be measured readily in operational type projects. It was found that silver iodide released from aircraft upwind of the target area did not diffuse very well by the time the plumes arrived over the target area about an hour later, so that overseeding occurred inside the plumes, and outside the plumes the clouds were underseeded. Precipitation measurements in a target area and other locations as possible controls indicate that correlations of around 0.8 or 0.85 probably could be obtained with suitably placed gages, with the consequence that the duration of an experiment to verify a set of seeding criteria would be reduced by a factor of 3 or 4 compared to what would be required in the absence of controls

Research on Increased Winter Orographic Precipitation by Cloud Seeding (FY 1980)

This research continues the development of new instrumentation relevant to the advancement of cloud seeding technology and the analysis of data collected to better understand cloud seeding potential in winter orographic clouds. Instrumentation development included the state of construction of a NOAA type dual frequency radiometer for the continuous measurement of supercooled liquid water and the completion of an expendable balloon-borne system for measuring vertical profiles of supercooled liquid water. The analysis of data collected on the project was directed primarily at the interpretation of the vertical profiles of supercooled liquid water and vertical motion. Results indicate that sharp vertical gradients of supercooled liquid water often exist in winter orographic clouds. The relationships between measured supercooled liquid water and other variables strongly support previous findings that the precipitation augmentation potential of winter orographic clouds is substantial when the cloud top temperature is -22°C or warmer ad the cross-barrier wind speed (at mountaintop levels) is 8 m s -1 or greater

Research on Increased Precipitation by Cloud Seeding: Development Phase

Development of several instrumentation systems for measuring atmospheric variables related to winter orogaraphic cloud seeding was undertaken. A heated tipping bucket precipitation gage was modified both for reliable use and accuracy of data. A solid state memory device was also developed at UWRL for this project. A parachute dropsonde for measuring vertical air motion was further developed. In addition, instrumentation was placed on board an aircraft for measuring concentrations of super cooled water, ice nuclei, and ice crystals. Airborne measurements during cloud seeding with silver iodide showed that the plumes of seeding material could be detected over a target area, and that basic factors involved with precipitation could be measured. That is, measurements of vertical motion, concentrations of super cooled water and precipitation size ice crystals along with precipitation on the ground gave a reasonable picture of the gross features of orographic storms. Indications of seeding effects were found only very tentatively. Further study and development are planned in order to better identify seeding effects

Preliminary Study of the Northern Utah Hail Suppression Project

This study represents an examination of the possibilities for evaluating the northern Utah summertime rain-enhancement hail-suppression project. This study i