Transcript NWS - Unidata

NOAA’s National Weather Service
National Digital Forecast Database:
Status Update
LeRoy Spayd
Chief, Meteorological Services Division
Unidata Policy Committee February 5-6, 2004
National Digital Forecast Database
(NDFD) Accomplishments Since 9/11/03
Establishment of Digital Services Program in Office of Climate,
Water, and Weather Services
NWS Instruction 10-506, Digital Data Products/Services
Specification
 http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/010/010.htm
 Effective on January 2, 2004
Update to Instruction 10-102 in draft form, New or Enhanced
Products and Services
 Includes proposed criteria for implementation of new official NDFD
products
Unidata Policy Committee
NWSI 10-506 Highlights
Provides a framework for products and services
generated from the digital forecast database prepared
by the NWS
Specifies definitions, collaboration thresholds, and
minimum grid production times for digital forecast
elements
Establishes collaboration responsibilities to achieve
forecast consistency
Defines and describes the National Digital Forecast
Database (NDFD)
Unidata Policy Committee
Draft NWSI 10-102 Highlights
Proposed criteria for transition of products from
internal to experimental and then to official
Objective Quality Assessment
Spatial consistency
Inter element consistency
Objective verification
Operational Readiness
Availability
Timeliness
Completeness
Service product retention
Continuity of operations
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Plans for Product Implementation
Period of public comment on these elements ended
December 2003:
Maximum Temperature
Minimum Temperature
Probability of Precipitation (12 hr forecast)
Weather
Wind speed and direction
Significant wave height
Public comments on NDFD graphics 95% positive
Decision on implementation of these elements will be
made by March 31, 2004
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Plans for Product
Implementation (continued)
Public comment period on these elements continues
until March 2004
Temperature
Dewpoint
Quantitative precipitation (QPF)
Snow Amount
Decision on implementation of these elements will be
made by June 30, 2004
Will continue this 3-6 month process with additional
experimental NDFD elements
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Verification Activities
Prototyping NDFD verification capabilities
Comparison to point observations
 Metar
Comparison to point based guidance
 Global Forecast System MOS
Comparison to gridded analyses
 Rapid Update Cycle (RUC)
Unidata Policy Committee
National Digital Forecast Database
Point Based Verification
Unidata Policy Committee
National Digital Forecast Database
Point Based Verification
Unidata Policy Committee
National Digital Forecast
Database Gridded Verification
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Verification Trend by
Forecast Period
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Weather Elements Over
Marine Zones
Some parameters such as
maximum temperature
may not be required by
mariners
Complexity of preparation
of products over marine
zones -limited
observational sites for
validation of skill
Unidata Policy Committee
NDFD Issues of Concern to NWS
Customers and Partners
Limited feedback from customers on use of
gridded data
Need for customer and partner feedback on
requirements for criteria to make NDFD grids
elements operational
Gridded Elements over Marine Zones may
have separate implementation time frames
Unidata Policy Committee
NWS Partner Comments for NDFD
January 2004
 Majority of respondents prefer:
1. Data formats in addition to GRIB 2:
 XML
 netCDF
2. Additional dissemination system
 NOAA’s Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS)
3. Additional protocols
 Non-ftp access
 Open Source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP)
 Unanimous request for NDFD Verification Statistics
to be made available on public web site
Unidata Policy Committee