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TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 04-65
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
320 PM EST WED DEC 15 2004

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/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...AND NWS 
	  EMPLOYEES

FROM:     GLENN AUSTIN
          ACTING CHIEF...DIGITAL SERVICES
          OFFICE OF CLIMATE WATER AND WEATHER SERVICES

SUBJECT:  UPDATE: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NATIONAL DIGITAL 
          FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/ STATUS

REFER TO: TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 04-49 SENT 
          SEPTEMBER 16 2004...SAME SUBJECT

THIS IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF MESSAGES TO UPDATE YOU ON THE 
STATUS OF THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/ 
ELEMENTS...AS PROMISED IN TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE /TIN/ 
04-49.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ REACHED A MAJOR MILESTONE ON 
DECEMBER 1 2004 AS WE TRANSITIONED THREE EXPERIMENTAL GRIDDED 
FORECAST ELEMENTS /MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE...MINIMUM 
TEMPERATURE...AND THE 12 HOUR PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION/ TO 
OPERATIONAL STATUS.

ON MARCH 15 2005...THREE ADDITIONAL NDFD ELEMENTS WILL TRANSITION 
TO OPERATIONAL STATUS. SPECIFICALLY...THESE THREE ELEMENTS 
INCLUDE:

	TEMPERATURE
	DEW POINT
	WEATHER

A TEAM OF NWS EXPERTS WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR A NUMBER OF 
FACTORS TO DETERMINE OPERATIONAL READINESS OF THE REMAINING 
EXPERIMENTAL GRIDS FOR THE CONUS.  THE FACTORS USED IN THE 
ASSESSMENT ARE:

	-  DATA QUALITY:
		SPATIAL CONSISTENCY
        	TIMELINESS
       		COMPLETENESS

        -  VERIFICATION SCORES:
        	FORECAST ERROR
        	FORECAST BIAS

        -  SUBJECTIVE FACTORS:
        	APPEARANCE
        	OTHER ISSUES

IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS...THE NWS PLANS TO IMPLEMENT THE 
FOLLOWING CHANGES IN FORECAST METHODOLOGIES:

	-  MANDATING USE OF A QUALITY ASSURANCE TOOL AT EACH 
                WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/
        -  INVESTIGATING SOURCES OF ERRORS AND INCONSISTENCIES
        -  SHARING BEST PRACTICES FROM HIGH-PERFORMING WFOS
        -  CLARIFYING DEFINITIONS IN POLICY DIRECTIVES

WE BELIEVE THESE CHANGES WILL LEAD TO MEASURED IMPROVEMENTS IN 
THE DIGITAL DATABASE...PARTICULARLY IN THE TEMPERATURE...DEW 
POINT...AND WEATHER GRID ELEMENTS.    

THE SIX REMAINING EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS FOR THE CONUS ARE:

	SKY COVER
	QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST /QPF/
	SNOW AMOUNT
	WIND DIRECTION
	WIND SPEED
	SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT

THE NWS WILL CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE OPERATIONAL READINESS OF ALL 
OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS.  WE WILL 
PROVIDE THE NEXT OPERATIONAL READINESS STATUS MESSAGE AS A 
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE NO LATER THAN MARCH 15 2005.  
USERS WILL BE GIVEN 30 DAYS ADVANCE NOTICE OF OUR DECISION TO 
DECLARE ANY NDFD GRID ELEMENT OFFICIAL.

USERS ARE REMINDED THAT ALL 12 OF THE ORIGINAL SET OF NDFD 
GRIDDED ELEMENTS FOR HAWAII...GUAM...AND PUERTO RICO CONTINUE IN 
EXPERIMENTAL STATUS.  THESE ELEMENTS ARE:

	MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE 
	MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
	PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION /POP12/
	SKY COVER
	QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST /QPF/
	SNOW AMOUNT
	WEATHER
	WIND DIRECTION
	WIND SPEED
	TEMPERATURE 
	DEW POINT
	SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT

NDFD VERIFICATION INFORMATION FOR USERS IS AVAILABLE AT:

	HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/NDFD/VERIFICATION/

MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE CONTENT OF THE NDFD GRIDDED DATA 
FILES AND FTP INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING THE OFFICIAL AND 
EXPERIMENTAL GRID ELEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE 
LETTERS/:

	HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/NDFD/TECHNICAL.HTM

USERS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GRID PRODUCTS ARE ASKED TO PROVIDE 
FEEDBACK ON WHICH ELEMENTS ARE MOST NEEDED AND WHICH APPEAR 
READY TO BE DESIGNATED OFFICIAL.  A BRIEF SURVEY AND COMMENT FORM 
IS AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

	http://www.weather.gov/SURVEY/NWS-SURVEY.PHP?CODE=NDFD-GRIDS

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE...PLEASE CONTACT:

         DOUG YOUNG
         PUBLIC AND DIGITAL SERVICES
         OFFICE OF CLIMATE WATER AND WEATHER SERVICES
         NWS HEADQUARTERS
         EMAIL:  DOUGLAS.YOUNG@NOAA.GOV

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

         DAVID RUTH
         CHIEF...MESOSCALE PREDICTION BRANCH
         OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
         NWS HEADQUARTERS
         EMAIL: DAVID.RUTH@NOAA.GOV

THIS INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE NWS DATA MANAGEMENT 
CHANGE NOTICES WEB PAGE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
	
	HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/DATAMGMT/NOTICES.SHTML

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

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

$$
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