Transcript WRF Management Structure

6. Proposal for Discussion:
Development Test Center
WRF ExOB Meeting
U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C.
28 April 2006
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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.
New Science and Technology
Research
Community
DTC
DTC
Operational Codes
Operational
Community
Operational Codes
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DTC Goals - 1
1.
Link the research and operational NWP communities.
2.
Define and maintain WRF Reference codes.
3.
Develop and maintain verification tools and procedures for
conducting NWP model evaluations.
4.
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
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DTC Goals - 2
7.
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.
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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…
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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.
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Critical Issues Facing DTC - 2
• DTC Management: Needs clear management structure that…
- Supports DTC’s mission and strategic goals;
- Satisfies accountability requirements 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.
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Proposal - Scope of DTC - 1
Strategic Activity
Services & Functions Provided
1. Management of WRF
Community Software
(Maps to DTC Goals 1, 2)
• WRF system software version control
• CMI software support
• Prioritization of CMI development
• Definition of Reference code
2. Community Support
(Maps to DTC
Goals 3,4,5, 6)
• Ref. support/documentation/porting/tutorials
• Community workshops & WRF system prioritization
• Visiting scientist program (also maps to T&E of CC)
• Data and case archival, data flow
• Ensemble modeling & post-processing support
• Verification system development and maintenance
• Maintain operations-like test environment
3. Test & Evaluation of
Contributed Codes
(Maps to DTC Goal 7)
• Test contribut’d codes for elevation to reference status
• Establish interoperability for elevated codes
• NWP science support
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Proposal - Scope of DTC - 2
Continued from previous slide
Strategic Activity*
4. Test & Evaluation of
Ref. & Ops. Codes
(Maps to DTC Goal 8)
5. Test & Evaluation for
Transition to Ops.
(Maps to DTC Goal 9, 10)
Services & Functions Provided
• Testing & evaluation of Reference codes
• Testing & evaluation of operational codes
• Testing & eval. of ensemble modeling techniques
• Specific candidate improvements intended for possible
operational implementation undergo testing and
evaluations steps.
*NOTE – Administration is an additional required area for which DTC
has costs, but it is a non-strategic activity.
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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.
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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.
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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 ?)
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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.
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Possible DTC Staffing Plan for Expansion and
Resource Requirements (per year cost in thousands)
FTE
current FTE
Burdened $
Admnistration
Director+Deputy Director
Administrative Assistant III
Travel
Office space (5,613 sq ft)
Journal Publications
Office supplies
Computer workstations at DTC
HW/SW maintenance on computers
WRF Web Page Support
subtotal
1.50
1.00
1.25
0.50
0.25
2.75
1.75
555.00
95.00
50.00
198.00
15.00
2.00
20.00
10.00
40.00
985.00
Test and Evaluation
Testing & Evaluation of Cont/Ref code
Testing & Evaluation of Operatiional Code
Verification Development and Maintenance
Transition to Operations
subtotal
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
8.00
2.50
0.50
2.00
1.00
1.00
2.00
2.00
1.00
0.50
9.00
1.00
0.50
1.00
1.00
2.00
4.50
0.50
24.25
6.25
402.00
402.00
402.00
410.00
1616.00
3.00
WRF Support to the Community
NMM Support/Documentation/Port
Rapid Refresh
ARW Support/Documentation
Visitor Program Support
Data Flow and Archival
Ensemble Modeling and Postprocessing Support
Visiting Scientists Program
subtotal
404.00
202.00
202.00
312.00
312.00
207.00
500.00
2139.00
0.50
WRF Modeling System Support
Software Version Control
CMI Software Support
NWP Science Support
Assimilation System Support
subtotal
TOTAL Costs
80.00
200.00
200.00
400.00
880.00
0.50
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5620.00
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 highestpriority services & functions identified by member agencies.
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Backup
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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 evaluations for 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.
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