This paper describes a Cold Weather Ensemble Decision Aid (CoWEDA) that provides guidance for cold weather injury prevention, mission planning, and clothing selection. CoWEDA incorporates current science from the disciplines of physiology, meteorology, clothing, and computer modeling. The thermal performance of a cold weather ensemble is defined by endurance times, which are the time intervals from initial exposure until the safety limits are reached. These safety limits correspond to conservative temperature thresholds that provide a warning of the approaching onset of frostbite and/or hypothermia. A validated six-cylinder thermoregulatory model is used to predict human thermal responses to cold while wearing different ensembles. The performance metrics, model, and a database of clothing properties were integrated into a user-friendly software application. CoWEDA is the first tool that allows users to build their own ensembles from the clothing menu (i.e., jackets, footwear, and accessories) for each body region (i.e., head, torso, lower body, hands, feet) and view their selections in the context of physiological strain and the operational consequences. Comparison of predicted values to skin and core temperatures, measured during 17 cold exposures ranging from 0 to −40°C, indicated that the accuracy of CoWEDA prediction is acceptable, and most predictions are within measured mean ± SD. CoWEDA predicts the risk of frostbite and hypothermia and ensures that a selected clothing ensemble is appropriate for expected weather conditions and activities. CoWEDA represents a significant enhancement of required clothing insulation (IREQ, ISO 11079) and wind chill index-based guidance for cold weather safety and survival.

本文介绍了一种寒冷天气集合决策辅助 (CoWEDA)，它为寒冷天气伤害预防、任务规划和服装选择提供指导。CoWEDA 结合了生理学、气象学、服装和计算机建模等学科的当前科学。寒冷天气集合的热性能由耐力时间定义，耐力时间是从初始暴露到达到安全限制的时间间隔。这些安全限制对应于保守的温度阈值，这些阈值提供了即将来临的冻伤和/或体温过低的警告。一个经过验证的六缸体温调节模型用于预测人类穿着不同套装时对寒冷的热反应。性能指标、模型、一个服装属性数据库被集成到一个用户友好的软件应用程序中。CoWEDA 是第一个允许用户从每个身体部位（即头部、躯干、下半身、手、脚）的服装菜单（即夹克、鞋类和配饰）中构建自己的套装并在其中查看他们的选择的工具生理应变的背景和操作后果。在 0 到 -40°C 范围内的 17 次冷暴露期间测量的皮肤和核心温度的预测值的比较表明 CoWEDA 预测的准确性是可以接受的，并且大多数预测都在测量平均值 ± SD 之内。CoWEDA 预测冻伤和体温过低的风险，并确保选定的服装套装适合预期的天气条件和活动。