We develop these tools in tandem with the forecasters. They know what they're looking for from us to aid the forecasting problem.
What we're doing is fusing together images through the use of multiple satellites. Each satellite has its own view of the Earth, and we're piecing many of them together for a more complete picture.
We're grappling with how and where these waves originate, because about one in every ten will form into a named tropical storm. This shows us the amplitude and strength of these waves as they come off Africa and into the Atlantic.
This helps take the human guesswork out of it, and makes it totally computer-based.
It gives us an idea of exactly where they initiate over the African continent and their convective structure as they track over the ocean.
