Situational Awareness

[Mike Peregrine]

Watched a show about runway incursions tonight and the subject came up about situational awareness. For a pilot, a slight miscalculation in judgment, misreading a map, not being fully aware of the environment at the time, failing to work with other members of the cockpit, etc. can lead to disaster.

Wikipedia defines situational awareness as:

. . . the field of study that concerns the knowledge and understanding of the environment that is critical to those who need to make decisions in complex areas such as aviation, air traffic control, driving, power plant operations, and military command and control.

Situation awareness has been formally defined as "the perception of elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future" (Endsley, 1988, 1995b, 2000).

The development of this as a field of study actually came about as a result of fighter pilots learning how to look at their environment and calculate what is about to happen in the near future as a result of the choices they make. This is easily transferable to the world of chasing. I've heard Chris Novy offer discussions on this subject in the past, and it's great for newer chasers (and older chasers ... and everyone in between) to think about every now and then. In fact, in looking back over most all of the incidents this year (and most any year), it is likely that the lack of situational awareness was a primary contributor to each and every one.

I feel like the majority of chasers are naturally kind of wired for heightened situational awareness, but it's still a skill that can be identified and honed as time goes on. SA is at the core of good quality decision making. SA is also approached differently if a person is chasing by themselves or with others, at which point the 'team' must work together to achieve success through heightened awareness. From the Wikipedia article:

Team SA is defined as “the degree to which every team member possesses the SA required for his or her responsibilities” (Endsley, 1995b, p. 39; see also Endsley, 1989). The success or failure of a team depends on the success or failure of each of its team members. If any one of the team members has poor SA, it can lead to a critical error in performance that can undermine the success of the entire team. By this definition, each team member needs to have a high level of SA on those factors that are relevant for his or her job. It is not sufficient for one member of the team to be aware of critical information if the team member who needs that information is not aware.

Anyway, I thought this might be a useful topic to discuss in the educational forum, since our ability to make good decisions is completely critical virtually every moment of every chase. Lots of good reading on the study of this subject out on the Internet that could prove useful as well.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

SA is a also major part of the core curriculum of the NWS's Warning Decision Training Branch's Advanced Warning Operations Course:

http://wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/awoc/awoc.html

(see IC Core 2)

Liz Quoetone is the resident WDTB expert on SA, cognitive analysis, and decision science, and has put together some excellent materials on the subject. Some of this material is also relevant to the storm chasing environment. I always say, keep your eyes to every part of the sky and be aware of your environmental surroundings (and road options!), even when the most photogenic tornado is stalled right in front of you.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

A copy of Endsley's paper on SA here. Interestingly, it notes that SA principles are currently being incorporated into the field of forecasting. I'm about halfway through it, but can already see plenty of good things for chasers to consider. Some of the things I'm noticing:

• The best SA comes as a result of access to good information.
• The information needs to be accessed in a way that is easily understood and interpreted.

I like the model in that paper that shows the garbled pile of data available, and then the stream or organization of that data in a way that is easily interpreted. Can't help but think of the pile of information that is steadily coming at us during a chase situation:

• The voice over the weather radio.
• The chatter over the HAM radio or scanner.
• Radar data.
• Mapping software.
• Reporting software.
• Video camera.
• Streaming video software.
• The sound the car engine is making.
• Condition of the pavement.
• Rain and wind striking the windshield.
• Storm environment, cloud motion and structure.
• Other people in the car with you.
• Telephone calls.
• Behavior of other vehicles surrounding you.
• Instrument panel on your vehicle (speedometer, engine lights, etc.).
• A radio or CD player.
• Radar detection.
• Watching surroundings for good places to pull over for video angles.

This list is nearly endless. To me, there is the art of driving that all of us pick up over time ... but then there is the art of driving in a chase environment, which is a whole new ballgame.

I think we could all take a look at ways to streamline all of this constant data that we are bombarded with and organize it into some form of seamless stream that encourages a higher degree of organization and a way for the decision maker to clean out the clutter in their mind. The airline design industry is actively incorporating principles of SA into the design of their cockpits ... the location of instrument panels and their organization, etc.

And if you are chasing with other people, design a system where each person is responsible to interpret a specific dataset and then deliver the most important aspects of that data to the decision maker of the group. There has to be some sort of clear hierarchy for this to work.

 

[Cris Schroeder]

I noticed that my flight training helped with my SA in other areas as well, such as driving. Flying certainly makes you a better multitasker, but it is controlled multitasking based on lots of practice at each individual task. You have to be able to do each task automatically.

Something that really stood out on my first chase this year was how disorganized I was in the car. Watching for traffic, dealing with a flaky data connection, rebooting the PC, or whatever can generate a lot of distractions. My takeaway was that I need to simplify and organize what I do on a chase, then practice those tasks until I can do them without having to devote much attention to them. I also need to locate my gear in the same place each time and keep the important stuff easily accessible. It would be ideal to use my chase gear occasionally, on non-chase days, just to keep in practice...kind of like shooting touch-and-go's.

What will get you in the end, though, is the unexpected distraction at the wrong time.

 

[Shane Adams]

Something that really stood out on my first chase this year was how disorganized I was in the car. Watching for traffic, dealing with a flaky data connection, rebooting the PC, or whatever can generate a lot of distractions. My takeaway was that I need to simplify and organize what I do on a chase,

Not to keep harping on "data" chasing, but losing the computer will greatly simplify things if you're chasing alone. I took a computer with me once on a solo chase, because a friend that was there when I left insisted I take it. I loaded a radar loop and then it just sat there the rest of the chase. I didn't have the time (or desire) to mess with it once I was in chase mode.

I know with the price of fuel and the fact that several chasers now view chasing as a business, everyone wants every possible 'advantage' out there to maximize success. But especially for solo chasers, eliminating the computer will free up your attention/brain and create a much more relaxed environment, especially once you're in storm mode. You *may* be sacrificing increasing your chances of success, but nobody who knows how to chase really needs a computer. It just depends on how much chaos a chaser wants to deal with/how much faith a chaser has in their ability. Everyone is different.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Cris' post is helpful - coming from a pilot, it's easy to see the crossover strategy we're getting at here. I'm thinking that we could break data into several priority groups. There is some information that a chaser absolutely, positively HAS to know to be successful (we could call this the "CRITICAL DATA" list). Also, there is some information that is HELPFUL to know when you are chasing ("SECONDARY DATA"). And there is some information that we often have access to, but isn't really necessary at all ("NON-ESSENTIAL DATA"). We could also start thinking about all of the non-typical wrenches thrown our way when we're out there all the time and the type of decision we might make if one happens to us.

Some may choose to categorize these differently than me (feel free), but here are some examples of each category off the top of my head:

CRITICAL DATA
Chasers MUST know these for success and survival during a chase.

• Road network and map options.
• Storm direction, speed, and observed behavior.
• Storm warnings.
• Road condition (blacktop, gravel, dirt, etc.).
• Driving hazards (downed poles, trees, standing water, etc.)
• Condition of automobile.
• Behavior of other drivers.
• Gas tank level.

SECONDARY DATA
Non-critical, but still helpful while chasing.

• HAM chatter.
• Weather radio information (some may consider this critical).
• Locations of watch boxes and MDs.
• Desirable parking locations.
• Operation and condition of photo/video gear.
• Additional storm attributes (hail size, intensity, etc.)
• Atmospheric conditions and additional storm locations.
• Reporting software or contacts.
• Storm reports.

NON-ESSENTIAL
Unnecessary information.

• What other chasers are doing (some may consider this secondary).
• Internet chatter.
• Incoming phone calls.
• People who want to meet up.
• Data connection issues.
• Laptop problems.

Putting together a priority list of our own might help us make better decisions for ourselves next time we are out there and something unexpected happens, and it could help us become more efficient at multi-tasking.

I'm thinking if one or two other people are with you, assign them a specific set of tasks to keep track of. The more secondary data you can give to them, the more it frees the driver's mind to concentrate on driving and fast decision-making.

 

[Cris Schroeder]

Not to keep harping on "data" chasing, but losing the computer will greatly simplify things if you're chasing alone.

I understand what you are getting at. However, as an inexperienced chaser, I'm still making the transition from theory to field practice. I have yet to see the textbook isolated classic supercell. I considered the data connection a real safety item. Oddly enough, it is a useful situational awareness tool if used correctly. My problem was a lack of familiarity with the setup.

Maybe we should have stormchaser trainers similar to the requirements of flight training. My instructor used to lull me into concentrating on something new, then would pop open a door or yank a circuit breaker, just to see how I juggled the distraction. You could chase with an instructor who would randomly yell "deer!" or "debris cloud to the left!" or something, just to see how you handle it. It would make for entertaining video anyway...maybe stream it so everyone can enjoy.