Executive Summary

The National Weather Service (NWS) has been modernizing its observing systems, data processing and communications, and forecast tools and procedures for several years. This work will culminate in the mid-1990s in the deployment of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS).

A key element in the NWS modernization is the reorganization of forecast responsibility, both in geographic terms and in individual forecaster assignments. Part of the intraoffice job redistribution is predicated on the availability of new forecasting tools that will automate parts of the forecaster's job, providing increased opportunity for examining and forecasting the state of the atmosphere.

Described in this document is a system for forecast visualization and graphical editing, which will be developed within the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL). Also described are automated techniques for preparing text products, similar to those typed by today's forecasters. These product generators are being developed in the NWS Techniques Development Laboratory (TDL). Taken together, these parts constitute a system that will become an integral part of AWIPS approximately two years after initial system deployment. This system will be referred to in this document as AFPS.

At the heart of this system is a forecast database, containing weather elements that support forecast preparation, quality control, monitoring, and verification. Starting with first-guess fields "rolled over" from previous forecasts or based on numerical models, and drawing on their experience and training, forecasters will maintain this database, from which forecasts will be generated.

FSL will spend the initial two years in investigative work, examining techniques and building prototypes of the graphical depiction and editing system. Each prototype system will be tested by NWS forecasters, whose suggestions will be incorporated in the design of the next. During this period, TDL will continue developing product generators.

Once AWIPS equipment is delivered and familiarization is complete, a functional prototype system will be built to be used in Risk-Reduction (operational) tests at WFO Denver and a to-be-named marine WFO. Finally, an operations-ready system will be handed off to the NOAA Systems Program Office (SPO), for operational implementation by the AWIPS contractor.

Several significant assumptions have been made in planning this work, including the following:

a close working relationship will be established between the FSL/TDL development team and the AWIPS contractor;
software and documentation will be given to the AWIPS contractor for final integration;
AWIPS configuration controls may need to be relaxed at the Risk-Reduction WFOs; and
forecasters will forecast both general and service-specific weather elements, which will be kept as few in number as possible, consistent with final product quality.

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