The Unidata-NCEP Partnership:  Transferring Model Output and Software to the

University Community

Dr. Louis W. UccelliniDirector

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Unidata 25th Anniversary Event

Boulder, CO

October 16, 2009

Outline

• Historical time line of NCEP involvement with Unidata

• CONDUIT • Software Support (GEMPAK to NAWIPS)

for the University Community• Model Implementation process • Summary

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Historical Time Line of NCEP Partnership with Unidata

• Providing model data – CONDUIT started in 1997– Bringing high resolution model data and software

to the university/research community for over a decade.

– Supporting the R2O effort through “O2R”• Providing workstation application software

support – provision of NAWIPS began in 1990s

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CONDUIT

• Historical Perspective– USWRP sponsored project (initiated in 1997)– highest priority of the USWRP/Science Steering

Committee– Serves the University Community with reliable

real-time global and regional model data for running local mesoscale models and supporting educational functions (e.g., synoptic labs)

Cooperative Opportunity for NCEP Data Using IDD Technology

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CONDUIT (cont.)

• Importance to NCEP recognized– Ensures delivery system is timely and reliable– Research done with operational models helps

improve those models• Today: data provided to hundreds of Unidata

customers in the US and other countries– Includes university and research users, as well as

some from the private industry

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CONDUIT (cont.)

• More recently expanded to include access to higher resolution gridded operational model data:– GFS– NAEFS– GDAS– NAM– SREF– RUC

Reproduced from Holton, 3rd Edit. Fig 10.19Photo by Dave Fultz

NAM 48h forecast of 500 mb heights,and absolute vorticity, valid 012500Z

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CONDUIT InventoryCurrent Data Sets per Community Requirements – • GFS

– 0.5 deg. – 00-180 hours– 1.0 deg. – 00-180 hours – 2.5 deg. – 192-384 hours

• NAM (All grids 00-84 hours)– 12 km CONUS (Surface

fields only)– 40 km CONUS– 90 km North American– 45 km Alaska

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CONDUIT Inventory• NAEFS (NCEP GFS Component)

– Both NAEFS and TIGGE data sets for 21 members per cycle

• RUC – hourly time steps to forecast hour 12– 20 and 40 km Surface, Pressure, and Hybrid level files– 80 km files removed after survey with customers

• SREF – Regional Ensembles over North America– 40 km bias corrected output plus ensemble means, spreads,

and probability products

Data sets available to CONDUIT

ModelApplication

CFSClimate

GFSGlobal/Wx

GEFS/ NAEFS

Global Ensembles

NAMRegional/ SevereWx

SREFRegional Ensembles

Domain Global Global Global No. Am. No. Am.

Resolution T62 (~200km) 64 levels

MOM31 deg40 lev

T382(~35km) to 7.5days

T190(~70km) to 16 days64 levels

T126(~105km) 28 levels

12 km 60 levels

32-45 km/28-60 lvls

Forecast length

9 months4/day

16 days4/day

16 days4/day

84 hrs4/day

87 hrs4/day

# of Members

120/month N/A 84/day N/A 84/day

Data sets available to CONDUIT

ModelApplication

RUCDomestic Aviation

& Severe Wx

Air QualityDomestic Sfc Ozone [Smoke]

HiRes-Window

Severe Weather

Fire Wx/ IMET

Support [Homeland Security]

Hurricanetrack & intensity

Domain CONUS CONUS[CONUS &

Alaska]

2/3 CONUSAlaska

Hawaii & PR

Selectable 4-8 State[1-3 state]

StormMovable

nest

Resolution 13 km50 levels

CMAQ12 km / 22 levels[HYSPLIT off the

12 km NAM]

WRF-NMM4.0 km 35 lvls WRF-ARW 5.1 km 35 lvls

NMM[+ HYSPLIT] 8 [4] km

50 lvls

HWRF & GFDL9 km

42 levels

Forecast length

12 hours24 / day

12-48 hours2 / day[4/day]

48 hours1 large nest + 1

small nest4/day when no

hurricanes

48 [30] hrs4/day

120 hrs4 storms

4/day

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FY10 Planned Model Changes• Implement SREF upgrade with resolution increase to 32 km, 10 WRF

members, increased physics diversity and improved BUFR output• Implement GENS/NAEFS upgrade with resolution increase to T190,

stochastic forcing, concurrent generation and extension to 35 day forecast once per day

• Implement HWRF capability upgrade• Implement RTOFS SSH data assimilation and other upgrades• Implement GSI data assimilation in GDAS with assimilation of RARS

data, EUMETSAT-9 winds, improved use of GPSRO data and GFS model bug fixes

• Implement GFS shallow convection and other physics• Implement HYCOM-Navy global model at 1/12 degree• Upgrade HWRF system with HYCOM ocean model• Upgrade GFS resolution to 27 km

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Software Support

From GEMPAK to NAWIPS to AWIPS-II• Late 1980’s - GEMPAK software came to

NMC/NCEP from the Severe Storms Branch at Goddard Spaceflight Center

• Mid 1990’s – NCEP AWIPS system (NAWIPS) developed with GEMPAK at core– Supports NCEP Forecast Centers

• 2009-2010– NAWIPS transitioning to AWIPS-II Architecture

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Software Support• Unidata has taken the NAWIPS software system

and packaged it for use by the university/research community (real-time modeling and research)

• Unidata provides software, documentation, training and support to its participating universities

• Unidata participants provide bug fixes, software optimization, new application software, all of which are worked into future releases by NCEP/NCO

• NCEP will continue rely on Unidata to do the same as we enter the AWIPS-II era

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Software Support

Unidata Involvement in the AWIPS-II Program• Monthly migration telcons• IV&V, OT&E (baseline + NAWIPS extensions)

– Test plans, cases and execution• User training (limited) – web based• Developers conference held July 15-16 2009• Design and development collaboration• Liaison with University community

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Model Implementation Process

Feedback to Model Implementation Process • NCEP model improvement process includes peer

review of impending upgrades:– Via the model evaluation mailing list, members are notified

of upcoming major model upgrades– Members can register to participate in the evaluation– Participants are told where to access model data for the

evaluation period and how and when to provide feedback– Feedback is considered in implementation decision process– https://lstsrv.ncep.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/

ncep.list.modelevalinfo • Participation in model evaluations is

encouraged and appreciated

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Summary• NCEP/Unidata Partnership

– Remains vibrant with both groups benefitting from CONDUIT– Focused on provision of operational model data to the research community

(O2R!)– Application software support and exchange ongoing – from NAWIPS to

AWIPS II• Future

– Processes established through CONDUIT allow users to provide requirements for model access, especially as we enter the Ensemble Era

– Expanded applications possible as operational models expand to support climate services, ecological forecast systems and ocean and space weather prediction models

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Appendix

CONDUIT Inventory/Data Sets FY10 Planned Model Changes