Interactions between small scale cyclones and sea ice and their role in the Southern Ocean climate system. The Southern Ocean cyclone belt has a strong influence on Australian weather and climate. This project will allow improvements in the understanding of intense small scale cyclones in the region. Importantly, the research will highlight key sensitivities in the coupling between these atmospheric circulations and the underlying sea ice. Further, the compilation of an updated Southern Ocean cy ....Interactions between small scale cyclones and sea ice and their role in the Southern Ocean climate system. The Southern Ocean cyclone belt has a strong influence on Australian weather and climate. This project will allow improvements in the understanding of intense small scale cyclones in the region. Importantly, the research will highlight key sensitivities in the coupling between these atmospheric circulations and the underlying sea ice. Further, the compilation of an updated Southern Ocean cyclone climatology will provide a basis for evaluating future changes in cyclone distribution and frequency of occurrence in the Antarctic region. Finally, by leading this unique international collaboration with German and US scientists, the profile of Australian scientists in Antarctic atmospheric research will be strongly enhanced.Read moreRead less
Towards Distributed Phased Array Radar for High Resolution Weather Monitoring. Several recent reports on climate change by leading international and national bodies forecast that the rate of weather hazards such as storms and wind-shear, and of weather-associated phenomena such as bush fires will increase over the next 40 years. The current technology for monitoring weather events, and effects like wind-shift, which has a serious impact on dangers associated with bush fires, has significant wea ....Towards Distributed Phased Array Radar for High Resolution Weather Monitoring. Several recent reports on climate change by leading international and national bodies forecast that the rate of weather hazards such as storms and wind-shear, and of weather-associated phenomena such as bush fires will increase over the next 40 years. The current technology for monitoring weather events, and effects like wind-shift, which has a serious impact on dangers associated with bush fires, has significant weaknesses. We will deliver considerable improvements in monitoring capability by developing the technology for using a network of small phased array radars. We aim to place monitoring resources where end-user needs are greatest.Read moreRead less
The dynamics and predictability of fire weather over southern Australia. As illustrated by the recent Victorian bushfires, Australia has one of the most severe fire climates in the world. Fires play a major role in modifying our landscape, affecting native flora and fauna, and damaging infrastructure and property. Effective fire fighting and fire management relies heavily on the prediction of fire weather and the impact of atmospheric conditions on fire behaviour. This project investigates some ....The dynamics and predictability of fire weather over southern Australia. As illustrated by the recent Victorian bushfires, Australia has one of the most severe fire climates in the world. Fires play a major role in modifying our landscape, affecting native flora and fauna, and damaging infrastructure and property. Effective fire fighting and fire management relies heavily on the prediction of fire weather and the impact of atmospheric conditions on fire behaviour. This project investigates some of the key processes that cause local enhancements in fire weather in regions of complex terrain like southern Australia.Read moreRead less
Advanced Software Engineering Support for Intelligent Agent Systems. Software Agents are an important technology for developing the complex software systems that are increasingly required to meet the needs of society. A crucial obstacle to the widespread adoption of agent technology is the lack of an appropriate software engineering methodology. This project proposes to explore support for design processes addressing advanced issues in agent systems, such as goal-based requirements, debugging ....Advanced Software Engineering Support for Intelligent Agent Systems. Software Agents are an important technology for developing the complex software systems that are increasingly required to meet the needs of society. A crucial obstacle to the widespread adoption of agent technology is the lack of an appropriate software engineering methodology. This project proposes to explore support for design processes addressing advanced issues in agent systems, such as goal-based requirements, debugging using design artefacts, component-based design, and reuse. We will also extend the methodology to support teamwork and open systems. We will be building on successful work we have already done in establishing a basic agent oriented software design methodology.Read moreRead less