The Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) is one of the research laboratories in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The focus of the FSL is to conduct research, and then develop and apply new weather forecasting technologies and scientific advancements to the operational elements of the NOAA and other government agencies. In particular, FSL transfers new technology and research findings in atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences to NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and other users of environmental information. It conducts programs involving the following activities, to evaluate, integrate, and apply these developments to environmental information and prediction systems:
FSL consists of the Office of the Director and six divisions: the Forecast Research Division (FRD), the Demonstration Division (DD), the Systems Development Division (SDD), the Aviation Division (AD), the Modernization Division (MD), and the Technology Outreach Division (TOD).
The Office of the Director (OD) manages FSL, in addition to some special research programs conducted within the laboratory. Within the OD are two support organizations: the Office of Administration and Research (A&R), and Information and Technology Services (ITS). A&R provides management, budget, and administrative support led by an Administrative Officer, property procurement support, contract administration, and visitor and information services. ITS is responsible for the design, development, upgrade, operation, and maintenance of the FSL Central Computer Facility and the associated, lab-wide network.
A major component of the Central Facility is the High Performance Computing System (HPCS) that consists of a supercomputer and mass store system. The systems acquire and store a large variety of meteorological data, analyze and process the data into products, and distribute them to FSL and outside researchers and systems developers. ITS also supports research activities at several OAR, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and university laboratories by providing them data and products created by the Central Computer Facility.
The DD is the home of the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN), which consists of 32 major Doppler Radar Installations with three located in Alaska and the balance in the lower 48 states. The radars are a long-term demonstration of the ability of the Laboratory to support National Weather Service (NWS) needs for continuous, accurate and timely measurement of winds at altitude.
NPN data has been assimilated into the day-to-day operations of the National Weather Service, and is in the process of moving from DD to the NWS in its transition from experimental to operational.
There are two distinct tasks to this contract: 1) Information Technology Systems Support for Research and Development Activities and 2) Operation of the NOAA Profiler Network and Other Related Observing Technologies.
For the IT Support task, SRG provides specialized technical support in the areas of software and system support. We assess the changing technology and operational requirements and recommend hardware and/or software technology refreshments and enhancements related to the tasks, and we provide proactive day-to-day technical support for all hardware and software systems. We provide systems administration for desktop workstations, servers, HPCS clusters, and peripherals running on various operating systems including Linux, UNIX variants (HP-UX, Sun Solaris, SGI IRIX and IBM AIX), and Windows variants (98, NT, 2000, etc.).
In the area of Computer Operations, we provide operator support in the areas of system monitoring, restarts, backups, data transfers to/from tapes/disks, and servicing user requests to ensure reliable system functioning and proper user support. We monitor and operate the FSL Central Facility real-time meteorological data-acquisition and processing system, performing appropriate repairs and assuring fully functional capabilities. We are liaison to facility users, responding to and servicing FSLhelp requests and maintaining facility documentation.
SRG provides Systems Research and Development technical support, maintaining expertise about NWS's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) and its site and network architecture. We develop software for a Linux-based, distributed, collaborative system (FX-Collaborate) for AWIPS, assess promising advances in technology and computer science for distributed workstation environments, and assist with documentation, testing, and science infusion associated with the graphical forecast support system (Interactive Forecast Preparation System) for AWIPS.
For A&R, SRG provides technical support including assistance with the annual physical inventory to resolve serial number, property number, and location issues. SRG provides support for HAMS, a database system that employs the Oracle database management system to track computer, communications, and network equipment and software, including development, maintenance of the HAMS software and infrastructure, and preparation and maintenance of HAMS documentation and training.
Full documentation support includes writing, editing, layout, graphics, videotaping, hardcopy and softcopy publications, web publication, and other Technical Communications Services.
Special Projects Support serves broader NOAA goals such as educational outreach and public relations, integrated observing systems, technology transfer, science advancement in general, and technical and/or scientific assistance to other government agencies. These projects have included technical assistance for the Weather Discovery Center in Conway, New Hampshire; developing NOAA Science on a Sphere (a new approach to projecting scientific data sets on a spherical surface), developing an interface to provide outgoing calls to persons in harm's way from a weather phenomenon, and researching methods to monitor the oceans of the world. We provide expertise that can provide technical and/or scientific leadership, provide coordination for project development and implementation, work with a project team, resolve problems, and alert management to requirements for additional help. We provide project reports, presentations and briefings when requested.
SRG provides specialized programming and systems engineering support ranging from development of scientific software applications to development of Web sites providing scientific and administrative information. In the area of Meteorological Modeling, SRG provides modeling support for the development of the Weather Research and Forecasting model.
The second task, the operation of the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) and Other Related Observing Technologies, is the operation and maintenance of the NOAA Profiler Network, and support of the related observing technologies projects. SRG operates and maintains a facility to support the needs of the NPN and its users, controlling the entire NPN system, monitoring the status of system components, generating and maintaining assessment information, supporting special applications development, and maintaining upgrading and documenting all Network Hub software as needed.
SRG supports the development and implementation of the DD's (soon to be NWS's) World Wide Web services, supports the development, implementation, testing, and documentation of the distributed processing system, performs specialized tests and/or repairs, down to the component level, of LRUs, and coordinates all network logistic support activities. We support the assembly, testing, deployment, and documentation activities of additional or upgraded NPN systems and associated GPS Water Vapor Demonstration activity. SRG supports technical and coordination activities including computer software/hardware required for the DD's Boundary Layer Profiler cooperative data sharing program, provides configuration management of baseline system hardware and software, and provides document management and version control for all program documentation.
On the NPN Contract, SRG personnel operated and maintained the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN). SRG supports 79 GPS receivers in most states throughout the country, and gathers data from 36 Boundary Layer Profilers owned by a variety of agencies, which include 27 RASS (Radio Acoustical Sounding Systems). All upgrades and maintenance to the installations are performed either by SRG technicians or NWS electronic technicians working under the direction of SRG technicians. Over the last several years we have maintained better than a 97% in-service rate, commendable given the remote locations of the sites.
SRG has created and manages a Microsoft Access database called CMIST (Configuration Management Integrated Support Tool), a comprehensive database for the Profiler group, providing information on profiler performance and operations. SRG manages this database and provides all customer-requested upgrades and improvements.
As is true with many functions described in all of our contracts, cooperative effort within customer/service provider teams are crucial to the successful performance of our tasks.
SRG has been performing on these tasks since October, 1999, and has consistently received high marks for performance. Our initial two year contract has turned into a ten year relationship because we take care of our customers and our employees.
Our report cards are shown below in graphical format. The grades are given on a 4.0 scale. SRG was given a score above the top end of the scale for satisfaction in Research and Development. SRG has not scored less than perfect since the first year of the contracts.
SRG has received repeated recognition for excellence—to include recommendations for cash incentive awards for SRG members supporting this effort.
