1. NWS – Office of Science and Technology
Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS II) Extended Overview for NOAA Technology Summit November 3, 2010
Steve Schotz
NWS – Office of Science and Technology

2. AWIPS Background and History AWIPS II Technology Infusion Scope
AGENDA
AWIPS Background and History
AWIPS II Technology Infusion Scope
AWIPS II Migration
Approach and Status
AWIPS II Extended Projects
Milestones
Project Description, Benefits and Status

3. Overview AWIPS Impact AWIPS Used at 122 Weather Forecast Offices,
AWIPS is absolutely critical not only for tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods, but also for man-made and terrorist disasters where our services are called upon to defend our homeland security.
It was AWIPS that allowed WFO New Orleans to provide 4187 Spot Forecasts for the go-no-go decisions related to what the President declared was a "Spill of National Significance".
-- Kenneth Graham; Meteorologist-In-Charge,
New Orleans WFO
Forecasts
Warnings
Advisories
Watches
AWIPS Used at
122 Weather Forecast Offices,
13 River Forecast Centers, & 6 National Centers 3 3 3 3

4. AWIPS Overview Enterprise Architecture Context4 4

5. AWIPS Overview Information Architecture
Systems Legend
NSOF/
ESPC
Follow up on the previous enterprise chart, this is a drilled down and more detailed data/information architecture picture.
Point out where GOES and satellites data come in, and that AWIPS integrates other observation data and model output, and allow forecaster to display the data, apply their expert knowledge in issuing weather products and providing services
Dissemination
Modeling & Product Generation
Observing
“AWIPS is the Integrating Element of the Weather Service”
* Note some systems perform multiple functions, e.g. LDAD disseminates information and receives observations 5 5

6. AWIPS Tech Infusion Background
Late 80s – Early 90s: AWIPS I developed
1997: AWIPS I deployed
2004: NWS review identified AWIPS software as major obstacle to meeting future mission requirements
Costly to maintain
Challenging to infuse new science and applications
2006: NWS executed contract option for AWIPS II-related projects
Extend Unified
Baseline & Continue Functional
Improvement
AWIPS
AWIPS II
Migration
Extended
and
S&T Infusion
Port Functionality
to Flexible
Architecture 6 6 6 6

7. AWIPS Tech Infusion Background
AWIPS II Migration: Migrate current AWIPS functionalities to a “Service Oriented Architecture” (SOA)
Improve maintainability and stability via streamlined, extensible software
Reduce time to transition from 18 months to 9 months
Reduce software development time for new products by 50%
Increase software release frequency from 2 to 4 per year
AWIPS II Extended: Implement on-going pre-planned, major infrastructure enhancements
Extend AWIPS II architecture to the entire NWS weather enterprise
Enables more seamless product suite among NWS operational centers, e.g., National Centers, WFOs
Improves efficiencies in developing new capabilities that can be used across the NWS weather enterprise
Implement system-wide infrastructure enhancements
Smart Push/Pull technologies to enable AWIPS to handle increased data volumes associated with major agency initiatives, e.g., GOES-R, Higher resolution models, etc.
Real-time collaboration among NWS operators and between NWS operators and partners, e.g., Emergency Managers to support improved product consistency, quality and decision assistance
Streamlined information generation dissemination and access for partners to support decision assistance
Improve data visualization to support situational awareness and decision assistance 7 7

8. AWIPS II Migration Re-Architecture Approach and Status
Perform “black-box” conversion
Preserve existing functionality, look and feel on top of new infrastructure
Thorough field validation and acceptance before deployment
No loss of functionality
Deployed system current with deployed AWIPS capability (i.e., OB9)
Use open source projects - No proprietary code
Objective is to make AWIPS II available for collaborative development
Status
Operational Test and Evaluation (OTE) - In progress
Deployment Begins – Fall 2011

9. AWIPS II Extended Projects
High-Level Objective
Project
Target Completion
Extend AWIPS II Infrastructure to Entire NWS Forecaster Enterprise
NAWIPS Migration Deploy
Fall 11
Thin Client Deploy
3Q12
WES Bridge Deploy
WES Integration Deploy
Fall 11 (Deployed with AWIPS II)
4Q12
Implement System-Wide Enhancements to Benefit Entire AWIPS Enterprise
Data Delivery – IOC
Data Delivery - FOC
2Q13
FY13-14
Collaboration – Phase I
Collaboration – Phase II
Collaboration - Phase III
FY14-15
Information Generation FOC
FY14
3D Visualization IOC

10. AWIPS II Extended - NAWIPS Migration
Objectives
Incorporate NAWIPS capabilities into AWIPS SOA
Key Benefits
Enables more cost-effective software development environment for common requirements across the NWS enterprise; Helps enable software agility
Lays ground work for more effective collaboration and seamless products across NWS enterprise (NCs, WFOs, RFCs, CWSUs) by providing common infrastructure
Strengthens NWS partnership with University Community by providing entire suite of AWIPS capabilities – Helps enable more efficient R to O and O to R
Improves support for OCONUS Regions by providing common software infrastructure for NAWIPS and AWIPS functionality
Enables opportunity to provide NAWIPS capabilities to NWS enterprise
Status
Software Migration nearly complete
Pre-OTE begins in November 2010
OTE Testing to occur at Centers Winter-Summer of 2011
Deployment – Fall 2011

11. AWIPS II Extended - AWIPS II Thin Client
Objectives
Develop enterprise solution for remote access to AWIPS capabilities
Key Benefits
Incorporate FX-Net capabilities into baseline
Provides common solution to address remote access requirements to support Incident Meteorologists, e.g., Fire Wx, Weather Service Offices, etc.
Allows remote users to have access to latest set of AWIPS capabilities
Provides partial solution for COOP scenarios at NCs and RFCs
In combination with Data Delivery Project, allows us to begin to analyze future opportunities for utilizing cloud computing
Status
ConOPS defined
Prototyping and system analysis of AWIPS II SOA conducted
Production design – In progress

12. AWIPS II Extended - Weather Event Simulator (WES)
Objectives
Develop enterprise solution to support NWS training requirements
Phase I: Provide bridge for current WES capability into AWIPS II. Also serves as a pathfinder for Phase II
Phase II: Develop integrated solution for AWIPS enterprise
Key Benefits
Provides robust, sustainable baseline solution to support NWS training requirements
Allows training users to have access to latest built set of AWIPS capabilities
Provides training solution for all AWIPS applications
Status
WES Bridge development in progress; on target with AWIPS II deployment

13. AWIPS II Extended - Data Delivery
Objectives
Develop robust data delivery system within AWIPS II infrastructure that enables efficient access to high volume datasets
Develop operational robust infrastructure to support “intelligent” access to non-local datasets
Data Discovery
User defined sub-setting by space, time, and parameter
Subscription or Ad-hoc access methods based on weather events
Key Benefits
Supports high impact based forecast and decision assistance processes by allowing users to access just the data they need by space, time, parameter; Enables more efficient data mining
Enables effective on-demand access to Weather Information Database
Enables synergy and interoperability with NextGen technologies, e.g., data discovery services, data access services and data providers.
Mitigates high growth in data volume e.g. ensembles, high-resolution models and GOES-R
Multi-Phase Implementation
IOC Focus – NWS data providers, e.g., NOMADS, MADIS, possibly with basic services only, discovery, sub-setting – Target FY13
Status
ConOPS for IOC defined
Prototyping in AWIPS II in progress
High-level Architecture/Design in progress

14. AWIPS II Extended - Collaboration
Objectives
Develop capabilities to support real-time collaboration
Phase I: Develop/Enhance internal NWS collaboration capabilities
Phase II: Develop/Enhance IOC collaboration capabilities with external partners
Phase III: Improve collaboration capabilities with external partners
Key Benefits
Enables more effective collaboration across all levels of NWS promoting a more coordinated and seamless set of products and services – Fosters consistency of NWS products and services
Enables interoperability between NWS and decision makers, e.g., emergency managers to support Decision Support Services
Status
ConOPS for Phase I defined
Prototyping in AWIPS II in progress

15. Phase I Collaboration ConOps
Data display sharing
This capability will allow participating NWS offices to view each other’s AWIPS data displays during collaboration sessions
Telestrator Functions
Simple line drawing capabilities, that will allow forecasters to draw and erase temporary lines and polygons on their AWIPS displays that can be viewed by participating collaborators.
Telestrator functions will help forecasters identify and discuss specific features of interest, e.g., satellite and radar storm signatures, etc.
Creation and editing of hydrometeorological objects
Creation, editing and exchange of geo-referenced objects and products such as fronts, areas of severe weather, troughs and ridges, etc. and graphical products such as watches and warnings.
Meteorological objects and products will be displayed and/or exchanged among the participating collaborators allowing participants to import these graphics and display them in AWIPS applications. The display and exchange of meteorological objects and products will allow sites to collaborate in real-time on object or product features such as location, shape, and intensity.
Object and product attributes such as front type, product type, etc; will also be saved so that they are available for forecaster access and editing.
An integrated text chat capability that will allow forecasters to chat during the collaboration session.

16. AWIPS II Extended – Information Generation
Objective
Develop infrastructure to support common set of information generation services and tools to support decision assistance
Key Benefits
Enables AWIPS tools and Decision Maker tools for decision support
Streamlines generation of products to support emerging industry standards, e.g., CAP and GIS
Reduces development time associated with the introduction of new products and services
Enables generation of NWS products from both local data bases and the 4-D weather Data Cube
Opportunities for synergy with IRIS project
Status
Initial capabilities encapsulated in Integrated Hazard Services (IHIS) Project
Overall Objective - Consolidate watch/warning/hazard product generation and provide information to external partners
Exploratory development in progress

17. AWIPS II Extended - Advanced Visualization
Objective
Develop advanced visualizations techniques, e.g., 3-D visualization that can be utilized by AWIPS baseline applications
Key Benefits
Enables more effective forecaster visualization of datasets to support forecast and decision making processes.
Methods to improve situational awareness
Methods to improve identification of factors that affect high impact events
Status
Requirements definition/exploratory development to begin in FY12

18. QUESTIONS ????