the Extreme collaboration, innovation & technology laboratory
The ExTreme Collaboration, Innovation, and Technology, or xCITE, laboratory is a state-of-the-art software development and data/visual analytics innovation facility within the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC). xCITE is a multi-disciplinary collaboration space open to the UAlbany public as well as public and private partners. With a unique combination of atmospheric scientists and computer engineers, the lab equips the scientific community with the tools and resources they need to take their research to the next level.
With funding from the New York State Empire State Development, xCITE’s permanent home is in the University at Albany’s Emerging Technology & Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC).
ASRC realized and embraced the importance of a strong cyber infrastructure, including advanced data analytics systems, scientific visualization systems, and human resources to support the University at Albany’s Research & Development (R&D), Research to Operations, (R2O), and Research to Business (R2B) initiatives, as well as to maintain a competitive edge in the scientific research community. The genesis of the xCITE laboratory was to establish this cyberinfrastructure and create an environment that would promote and facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, software innovation, product development, advanced data analytics, visual analytics, and machine learning capabilities to develop the tools required to solve demanding weather related problems faced by society today and in the future.
The xCITE laboratory plays a critical role in the advancement of the University at Albany’s K-12 outreach programs such as the New York State Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP), and the Girls Inc. Eureka! program of New York’s Capital Region. In addition, xCITE also provides training as well as research into high performance computing, data analytics, machine learning, and advanced scientific visualization.
Installation of xCITE’s NVIDIA DGX-1 Deep Learning Server
NYSM detecting clouds
The xCITE Laboratory within the University at Albany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
helping the transportation sector using NYS mesonet images to detect precipitation
Understanding and quantifying forecast uncertainty associated with winter weather across New York State has presented a great challenge within the Atmospheric Science modeling and forecasting community. Detection of precipitation and especially precipitation type is particularly valuable for those in the transportation sector.
We use surface meteorological data and images from the New York State Mesonet to label and train a machine-learning model to detect ongoing precipitation within an image. Continued development will further resolve precipitation to the detection of snow and rain, which both have varied impacts on transportation.
weather forecasting and outage prediction dashboard in partnership with utility companies
This weather forecasting tool will offer real-time predictions on storm outages, electrical load and renewable energy generation, which will better equip utility companies to make important decisions on how to prepare for weather-induced power outages and variations in renewable energy production.
The xCITE Lab is partnering on the dashboard with UAlbany’s Center of Excellence in Weather & Climate Analytics, Electrical Distribution Design, Orange and Rockland Utilities, and Central Hudson Gas & Electric. The tool will produce a customizable dashboard using a combination of New York State Mesonet data, Integrated System Models, and other publicly-available weather data sources, including sensors that are being installed now through the project at large New York solar farms.