[nws-changes] 20070817: wind gust element in NDFD-Fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC]

[Linda Miller]

-------- Original Message --------

329 
NOUS41 KWBC 171733
PNSWSH

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 07-XX
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
135 PM EDT FRI AUG 17 2007

TO:       FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
          WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS
          WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...
          NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
          /NWS/ PARTNERS AND USERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:     ELI JACKS
          CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH

SUBJECT:  WIND GUST ELEMENT TO BECOME OPERATIONAL IN THE
          NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/ ON
          SEPTEMBER 20 2007 AT 1400 UTC /SEPTEMBER 21 2007 AT
          MIDNIGHT LOCAL TIME IN GUAM/

EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 20 2007 AT 1400 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME 
/UTC/...SEPTEMBER 21 2007 AT MIDNIGHT LOCAL TIME IN GUAM...THE 
WIND GUST ELEMENT IN THE NDFD WILL BE UPGRADED FROM EXPERIMENTAL 
TO OPERATIONAL STATUS.  WIND GUST HAS BEEN AN EXPERIMENTAL 
ELEMENT IN THE NDFD SINCE SEPTEMBER 2006.

THE WIND GUST ELEMENT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE NDFD AT A 5 KILOMETER 
SPATIAL RESOLUTION FOR THE ENTIRE CONTERMINOUS U.S. /CONUS/...THE 
16 PRE-DEFINED NDFD CONUS SUBSECTORS...PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN 
ISLANDS...HAWAII AND GUAM.  FORECASTS ARE ISSUED FOR 3 HOUR 
PERIODS OUT TO 72 HOURS.  WHEN WIND GUSTS ARE NOT EXPECTED FOR A 
PARTICULAR PERIOD...THE WIND GUST FORECAST IS THE VALUE OF THE 
SUSTAINED WIND FORECAST FROM THE NDFD.

USERS OF THE NDFD IN EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE /XML/ VIA WEB 
SERVICE...NDFD IN GEOGRAPHIC MARKUP LANGUAGE /GML/ VIA WEB 
FEATURE SERVICE...AND/OR NDFD GRAPHICS VIA INTERNET ARE NOT 
DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THIS IMPLEMENTATION.  THOSE USERS CAN USE 
THE SAME METHODS THEY CURRENTLY USE TO ACQUIRE WIND GUST FOR THE 
DOMAIN/S/ OF INTEREST AND THIS CHANGE WILL BE TRANSPARENT TO 
THEM.  FOR XML AND GML USERS...THERE IS NO DISTINCTION IN THE 
DATA ITSELF BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND OPERATIONAL ELEMENTS.  FOR 
GRAPHICS USERS...THE ONLY CHANGE WILL BE THE REMOVAL OF THE 
EXPERIMENTAL LABEL CURRENTLY ON THE WIND GUST GRAPHICS ON THE 
ABOVE EFFECTIVE DATE.

THIS CHANGE PRIMARILY AFFECTS USERS WHO PULL THESE ELEMENTS IN 
GRIDDED BINARY 2 /GRIB2/ FORMAT FROM THE NWS FILE TRANSFER 
PROTOCOL /FTP/ SERVER...EITHER VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA THE FAMILY 
OF SERVICES /FOS/ SERVER ACCESS SERVICE...AND USERS WHO PULL HTML 
FILES FROM THE NWS HTTP SERVER.  THOSE USERS WILL NEED TO PULL 
THE WIND GUST ELEMENT FOR THE DOMAIN/S/ OF INTEREST FROM A 
DIFFERENT URL/S/ AND MAY NEED TO UPDATE PROCEDURES AND/OR SCRIPTS 
TO ENSURE CONTINUED RECEIPT OF THE DATA.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THIS IMPLEMENTATION...INCLUDING SPECIFIC 
INFORMATION FOR FTP AND HTTP USERS...ARE AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER 
CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/WGUST_OPNL_IMPLEM.HTM

IF SEPTEMBER 20 2007 IS A CRITICAL WEATHER DAY...THIS 
IMPLEMENTATION MAY BE POSTPONED.  IN THAT CASE USERS WILL BE 
NOTIFIED OF THAT DECISION VIA A TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 
AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE.

DETAILED INFORMATION ON OPTIONS FOR ACCESSING AND USING THE NDFD 
IS AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://NDFD.WEATHER.GOV/TECHNICAL.HTM

USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK 
ON BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND OPERATIONAL NDFD ELEMENTS VIA ONE OF THE 
BRIEF ONLINE SURVEY AND COMMENT FORMS POSTED AT /USE LOWER CASE 
LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/CUSTOMER.HTM

FOR GENERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NDFD...PLEASE EMAIL:

     NWS.NDFD at NOAA.GOV

IF YOU HAVE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NDFD DATA...PLEASE 
CONTACT:

     DAVID RUTH
     CHIEF...MESOSCALE PREDICTION BRANCH
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
     OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
     1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
     SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
     EMAIL:  DAVID.RUTH at NOAA.GOV

FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE...PLEASE CONTACT:

     ANDY HORVITZ
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
     OFFICE OF CLIMATE WATER AND WEATHER SERVICES
     FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH
     1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
     SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
     EMAIL:  ANDY.HORVITZ at NOAA.GOV

ALL TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE 
NDFD ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/TINS.HTM

THIS AND ALL NWS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES ARE POSTED AT 
/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

$$