NDFD Status and Plans

1
NDFD Status and Plans

• Lynn Maximuk
• MIC WFO Pleasant Hill, MO
• NDFD IWT Team Member

2
NDFD IWTTucson Meeting 1/27-30/2003

• Findings and Recommendations
• Highlights

3
NRC Feb 2003 Report

• Recommendation 5 under Enhancing the
  Contributions of the Three Sectors
• The NWS should make its data and products
  available in Internet-accessible digital form.
  Information held in digital databases should be
  based on widely recognized standards, formats,
  and metadata descriptions to ensure that the data
  from different observing platforms, databases,
  and models can be integrated and used by all
  interested parties in the weather and climate
  enterprise.

4
External Grid Dissemination

• Phase national grid dissemination
• Feb 10, 2003 Max/Min Temps
• Apr 2, 2003 Wx, Temp, Dew Pt,
• June 15, 2003 Sky, POP, QPF, Snow, Wave Ht, Sfc
  Wind
• Initial customer focus will be on mechanics of
  getting and using grids, not accuracy or
  consistency

5
Collaboration

• What tools are needed
• ISC Grids
• Chat capability national deployment mid Feb
• Whiteboard/drawing capability after IOC
• Voice communication meet-me calls - Now
• New Day 7 added to database by 1745Z
• Meteorological consistency across boundaries
  versus personality
• Working as a team inter-office science sharing
  including NCEP centers HPC 12Z discussion with
  guidance by 16Z.

6
Collaboration

• 12Planet Chosen as national baseline
  collaboration tool
• Inside AWIPS firewall
• Large national chat room architecture
• IOC software available now start use after
  minimal guidance provided
• SPC will join HPC in participation around Mar 1

7
Weather Grids

• Weather grid will be populated for all non-zero
  PoPs
• Associated QPF/snow issues
• Processes
• Evaluate implementation at NDFD Clusters
• Team developing initial procedure now

8
Legacy Product Preparation in the Future

• Legacy type products should be prepared by
  formatters from NDFD rather than local database
  for economy and consistency
• Evaluate relevance of legacy products and
  eliminate those that are no longer relevant

9
Daily Forecast Critique

• NDFD IWT strongly endorses higher emphasis on
  development of this important feedback tool
• Used in conjunction with gridded verification to
  improve accuracy

10
Methodology Consistency

• Methodology used to prepare grids has major
  impact on consistency/collaboration
• OS sponsored workshops
• WR already done
• Combined CR/SR due 3/4-6
• Share best practices and provide leadership for
  consistency
• Smart tools to derive all but basic fields

11
Internal/External NDFD/IFPS Outreach

• Outreach has been weak and needs to be improved
  immediately
• Internal Outreach
• OS outreach plan updated and reinvigorated
• Reinforcement of vision from multiple levels in
  agency
• Feedback to forecasters

12
Internal/External NDFD/IFPS Outreach

• External Outreach
• Educate potential customers
• Market data product
• WCMs lead effort
• Develop resources for effort
• Pro actively improve feedback mechanism
• AMS workshop and display

13
NWSI 10-506 Overview

• Provides how-to instructions
• Timeliness
• Collaboration
• Technology
• Thresholds
• Provides descriptions (via Product Description
  Documents) of non-text, digitally-based products
• Graphics
• Interactive products

14
Directive 506 Summary

• NWSI 10-506 is a critical directive formally
  launching the NWS into the digital era
• Strategy Take recommendations from the NDFD IWT
  as a first draft, then
• Dialogue, debate, achieve consensus

15
Schedule

• Week of February 3rd Team Kickoff
  Teleconference
• February 28th First Draft
• March 14th Regional/OD/NCEP Concurrence
• March 14th to 28th NWSEO GC Review
• March 31 Signed Directive

16
Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Mission Connection
• NDFD
• Definition
• Preparation
• Element Definition Table
• Consistency
• Timeliness

17
Table of Contents (cont.)

• Digital Forecast Products Specification
• Base Digital Forecast Data
• Local Digital Forecast Products
• Regional Digital Forecast Products
• National Digital Forecast Products
• Intersite Coordination/Collaboration
• Thresholds
• Technology
• Responsibilities

18
NWSI 10-506 Team

• Doug Young, OS22 Team Leader
• Mike Coyne, SR CWWD
• Don Miller, ER MSD
• Jeff Manion, CR SSD
• Carl Gorski, WR MSD
• Ken Waters, PR
• Aimee Devaris, AR
• Kevin McCarthy, NCEP
• ?, OST

19
Some Things To Look At

• Temporal workload distribution
• Division of forecast responsibility
• Collaboration versus coordination
• How can WFOs get more meteorological information
  to our customers now!
• Product quality feedback to staff

20
NDFD Grids

• Multiple owners Time and Space
• WFOs
• National Centers HPC/SPC/CPC/AWC/NHC etc.
• NWS product not local office product
• Offices produce a piece of the product
• Meteorological consistency a must
• One stop shopping

21
Event Driven Updates

• Scheduled Issuances of legacy prods?
• No Updates always current NWS products you
  can count on
• Whats an event?
• New model guidance that changes thinking
• Dropping first period adding new day 7
• Local customer needs
• Observed weather doesnt match forecast