NOAA and NCAR to partner on computer modeling

The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration are have formed a partnership in an effort to better computer modeling for weather and climate forecast systems.

The two organizations, which have locations in Boulder, signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing a new state-of-the-art framework that would design common modeling infrastructure. The goal is to make a system that is transparent and is easy to access and use by public and private researchers. The two institutions hope that by creating shared model repositories and reducing the duplication they have, they will be able to produce quicker and better weather and climate forecasts.

“Historically, different architectures for developing weather and climate models across the public and private sector created challenges for implementing the very best systems quickly,” Neil Jacobs, NOAA assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction, said in a prepared statement. “This new framework streamlines the entire process and gives both researchers and forecasters the same tools across the weather enterprise to accelerate the development of forecast models.”

The agreement establishes the governance for NOAA and NCAR to prioritize and coordinate existing and ongoing investments, but does not replace existing governance structures or commit new funding for collaborative work. The agreement is also a shift toward community modeling, which allows weather agencies to accelerate the transition of new approaches from research into operations. NOAA is transitioning to a Unified Forecast System, a community-based climate modeling system. NCAR has extensive experience in community modeling, as it has worked with the research community for years.

“By combining NCAR’s community modeling expertise with NOAA’s excellence in real-time operational forecasting, this agreement will accelerate our ability to predict weather and climate in ways that are vital for protecting life and property,” said Antonio Busalacchi, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which manages NCAR on behalf of the National Science Foundation. “This will enable the nation to produce world-class models that are second to none, generating substantial benefits for the American taxpayer.”

NOAA is also establishing a new Earth Prediction Innovation Center, which will enable the research community to develop new and emerging model technology that can be used by NOAA.

on Facebook on LinkedIn