6. Proposal for Discussion: Development Test Center

1. 6. Proposal for Discussion: Development Test Center WRF ExOB Meeting U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C. 28 April 2006

2. Purpose of DTC • The fundamental purpose of DTC is to serve as a bridge between research and operations that facilitates the activities of both halves of the NWP Community in pursuit of their own objectives. DTC is not intended as a facility for performing either research or operations, although its activities may at times contain elements of both. DTC Operational Codes

3. DTC Goals - 1 • Link the research and operational NWP communities. • Define and maintain WRF Reference codes. 3. Develop and maintain verification tools and procedures for conducting NWP model evaluations. • Support WRF Reference codes for user community. 5. Maintain an archive of observations and model results. 6. Provide opportunities for NWP community to perform cycled or real-time tests of model and data assimilation systems. Note: Goals are based on DTC briefing 8, ExOB Meeting of Jan. 5, 2006

4. DTC Goals - 2 • Test and evaluate promising new NWP codes and techniques for inclusion as WRF contributed code and possible elevation to reference code. 8. Test and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of WRF Reference codes and current operational systems. 9. Accelerate the pace of transitioning new science from research to operations. 10. Accelerate improvement of weather forecasts.

5. Critical Issues Facing DTC - 1 DTC’s accomplishments are substantial, but serious shortfalls exist. • Current DTC is unprepared to meet range of NWP Community requirements. • - Needs to expand range of capabilities to… • > manage and support Reference codes & CMI to community, • > evaluate and support Operational codes to community, • > enable T&E of WRF for ensemble design, • > extend and support community verification system, • > establish capability for code transition to operations, • > provide opportunity for research investigators to perform cycled and/or real-time experiments using WRF • models and data assimilation systems . • - Needs staffing adequate to support the range and level of capabilities required by WRF partners and the community at large.

6. Critical Issues Facing DTC - 2 • DTC Management:Needs clear management structure that… • - Supports DTC’s mission and strategic goals; • - Satisfies accountabilityrequirements of participating agencies. • DTC Resourcing Profile: • - Needs to reflect broad community participation in WRF • to maintain DTC as a “neutral” test and support facility • for the entire mesoscale NWP community. • - Needs level of resourcing commensurate with scope and staff.

7. Proposal - Scope of DTC - 1

8. Proposal - Scope of DTC - 2 Continued from previous slide *NOTE – Administration is an additional required area for which DTC has costs, but it is a non-strategic activity.

9. Proposal – Management Plan for DTC - 1 • Accountability for Planning: The DTC will present an annual plan for approval to a Program Management Council consisting of one senior representative from each agency providing significant resources to DTC. • Accountability for Resources: The DTC must be accountable through the DTC Director to the participating agencies that provide its resources. • - Activities must satisfy and be mapped to DTC goals. • - Spending plan must provide evidence that funds have been directed according to agency priorities. • - DTC must provide deliverables or services that meet agency requirements commensurate with level of resources provided and documented in approved plans. • - Documentation of results/deliverables will be summarized in an annual report to the DTC Program Management Council.

10. Proposal – Management Plan for DTC - 2 • Accountability for Services: The DTC must be accountable to the entire user Community for the quality of support services it provides. • - Biannual review of services conducted by DTC Advisory Board, including separate sections written by representatives of research and operations branches of the community. • - Biannual review by DTC Advisory Board will be reviewed by the DTC Director and forwarded to the Program Management Council with comments as the Director considers necessary. • Accountability to the Director: All personnel of the DTC, whether located at the central facility in Boulder or at other nodes receiving DTC funds must be accountable to the DTC Director.

11. Proposal – Shared Resource Plan for DTC • Resource Allocation: Resources of participating agencies must be allocated by those agencies among the strategic and non-strategic DTC activities. • - Shared: Certain activities require shared responsibility for resourcing by all participants. (equal or by another formula?) • Non-Strategic activities (administration) • Strategic activities (e.g., software management) • - Targeted: Other activities may be suitable for each agency to assign or withhold its resources, according to its mission and requirements. • Strategic activities (e.g., visiting scientist program, code transition for operations) • Resources Commitment: Participating agencies must have an interagency agreement on DTC and its resourcing. (memorandum of understanding ?)

12. Vision for Completed DTC • The completed DTC will… • Provide a “full-range bridge” between research & operations. • Be better designed to serve the needs of WRF partners. • Build on early successes of WRF-DTC concept. • Further accelerate transition of new science to operations. • Provide for return of operations codes to research. • Be sustainable only on basis of shared agency resourcing.

13. Possible DTC Staffing Plan for Expansion and Resource Requirements (per year cost in thousands)

14. Summary • DTC offers the Community a way to efficiently increase its • harvest of R & D progress. • Recent DTC accomplishments have been encouraging. • DTC is currently under-resourced and inadequately staffed to meet Community requirements. • Flaws in DTC management structure must be corrected to ensure success in serving the WRF Community and to satisfy oversight requirements of member agencies. • Staffing plan must be developed to define minimum level of resources necessary to sustain a DTC providing highest- priority services & functions identified by member agencies.

15. Backup

16. Recent DTC Accomplishments • Developed tutorial and documentation for NCEP’s WRF-NMM. • (First tutorial held 27-29 Sept. 2005; continuing twice annually.) • Conducted 2005 DTC Winter Forecast Experiment at 5-km resolution & • disseminated model products to NWS via web, FX-Net, and AWIPS. • Outcome: NCEP implemented 5-km WRF in Hi-Res. Windows. • Made the NCEP and RTVS verification systems part of the suite of WRF • model components available through the DTC. • Released NMM code to the community as part of WRF Reference Code. • Completed and published model evaluationsfor real-time DTC winter • forecast experiment (DWFE). • Created and convened the DTC Advisory Panel for task selection and • prioritization. • Currently conducting first well-controlled experiments comparing role of • WRF dynamical cores in weather forecasts. Supports development • of Rapid Refresh WRF planned for NCEP operations. Accomplishments are substantial, but serious shortfalls exist.