UCAR

Tackling real-world challenges through innovative partnerships

UCAR joins forces with universities, federal labs, government agencies, and private businesses to create scientific solutions to real-world problems, from helping utilities maximize their energy production to predicting lightning storms that can disrupt military operations. 

We invite you to partner with us, too. With our world-class research, facilities, and services, the possibilities for collaboration are limited only by our collective imagination.

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Our Partners 

We collaborate with a broad network of sectors that help us advance science, technology, and community resilience, including:

  • Federal agencies
  • Private companies
  • State and local communities and governments
  • Philanthropies, foundations and professional societies
  • Generous donors

Real-world impacts

Our partnerships and collaborations increase our ability to address society’s most pressing concerns, from national security to workforce development to the protection of lives and property. Our partnerships, whether longstanding or new, help improve people's everyday lives.

Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI) software tool

Improving global weather forecasts with data assimilation

The Weather Company became the first operational user of the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI) software tool, developed by UCAR’s Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation. This groundbreaking software provides a high quality analysis on the current state of the atmosphere, which is crucial for predicting weather.

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An inundation forecast from the National Water Model Act

Revolutionizing water resource prediction with NOAA

The National Water Center is using the WRF-Hydro® modeling system, developed at NSF NCAR, as the core of its new operational forecasts, allowing for continuous forecasts of water levels at millions of points along rivers and streams.

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NEXRAD radar

Storing NEXRAD data in the cloud with Amazon

UCAR's Unidata program partnered with Amazon and NOAA to put NEXRAD (Next Generation Weather Radar) data in the cloud, where researchers and companies can access both near real-time data and the entire archive.

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Camera catches lightning strikes with purple hue

Predicting lightning threats with the U.S. Army

NSF NCAR's BoltAlert® draws on radar observations, temperature information, lightning observations, and advanced algorithms to derive lightning strike probability for specific locations. The system has been adapted for use at several army test ranges.

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Airplane landing against light blue partially cloudy sky

Keeping aircraft safe with the FAA

At the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, NSF NCAR devised products that help aircraft avoid areas where in-flight icing is a serious hazard, preventing accidents and reducing industry costs by tens of millions of dollars annually.

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Snowplow among tons of snow

Reducing driving hazards with USDOT

NSF NCAR's Pikalert® technology, developed with funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation, incorporates vehicle-based measurements of the road and surrounding atmosphere with more traditional weather data to create road hazard intelligence products.

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