870
NOUS41 KWBC 161920
PNSWSH
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 06-07
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
220 PM EST THU FEB 16 2006
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
DIGITAL SERVICES TRANSITION MANAGER
OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES
SUBJECT: NWS NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/
IMPROVEMENTS: RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND APPARENT
TEMPERATURE ELEMENTS TO BECOME OPERATIONAL ON
MARCH 15 2006 /MARCH 16 LOCAL GUAM TIME/
REFER TO: TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE /TIN/ 06-04 SENT
FEBRUARY 6 2006...MOST RECENT NDFD OPERATIONAL
READINESS STATUS MESSAGE
THIS IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF MESSAGES TO PROVIDE MORE
SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE MARCH 15 2006 IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/ ELEMENTS...AS
PROMISED IN TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE /TIN/ 06-04.
ON MARCH 15 2006 AT 1400 UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME /UTC/...
/MARCH 16 AT MIDNIGHT LOCAL GUAM TIME/...THE APPARENT
TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY EXPERIMENTAL FORECAST ELEMENTS
IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE /NDFD/ WILL BE
UPGRADED TO OPERATIONAL STATUS. IF THE IMPLEMENTATION DAY IS A
CRITICAL WEATHER DAY...THE IMPLEMENTATION MAY BE POSTPONED. IN
THAT CASE...USERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THAT DECISION AS FAR IN
ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE.
THE NDFD FORECAST ELEMENTS BEING UPGRADED COVER THE COTERMINOUS
U.S. /CONUS/...THE 16 REGIONAL SUBSECTORS OF THE CONUS...PUERTO
RICO/ VIRGIN ISLANDS...HAWAII...AND GUAM.
THIS CHANGE AFFECTS USERS WHO PULL THESE ELEMENTS IN GRIDDED
BINARY /GRIB2/ FORMAT FROM THE NWS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL /FTP/
SERVER...EITHER VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA THE FAMILY OF SERVICES
SERVER ACCESS SERVICE. THOSE USERS WILL NEED TO PULL THESE
ELEMENTS FROM A DIFFERENT URL/S/ TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND APPARENT TEMPERATURE DIGITAL FORECASTS.
PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS WHO ACCESS THESE ELEMENTS VIA FTP MAY NEED
TO UPDATE PROCEDURES AND/OR SCRIPTS TO ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND APPARENT TEMPERATURE. SPECIFIC INFORMATION
FOR FTP USERS REGARDING THIS CHANGE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE
LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/OPER_IMPLEM.HTM
THIS CHANGE WILL BE TRANSPARENT TO USERS OF THE NDFD NATIONAL
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FORECASTS/GRAPHICAL/SECTORS/
AND USERS OF THE NDFD EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE /XML/ VIA WEB
SERVICE:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/XML/
THESE CUSTOMERS CAN USE THE SAME METHODS THEY ARE CURRENTLY USING
TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND APPARENT TEMPERATURE
ELEMENTS FROM THE NDFD.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND APPARENT TEMPERATURE WERE ADDED AS
EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS TO NDFD IN JUNE 2005. THESE ELEMENTS ARE
DERIVED FROM THE OPERATIONAL TEMPERATURE...DEWPOINT...AND WIND
NDFD ELEMENTS.
FORECAST ELEMENTS REMAINING IN EXPERIMENTAL STATUS FOR THE
CONUS... THE 16 REGIONAL SUBSECTORS...PUERTO RICO/VIRGIN
SLANDS...HAWAII...AND GUAM ARE:
SKY COVER
SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT
QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST
SNOW AMOUNT
USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK
ON BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND OPERATIONAL NDFD ELEMENTS VIA THE BRIEF
ONLINE SURVEY AND COMMENT FORM POSTED AT /USE LOWER CASE
LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SURVEY/NWS-SURVEY.PHP?CODE=NDFD-
GRIDS
IN DECEMBER...WE COMPLETED A REVIEW OF MORE THAN 2000 RESPONSES
NWS RECEIVED FROM NDFD USERS VIA OUR ONLINE SURVEYS. WE
APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS AND ARE USING THEM TO PLAN SUGGESTED
IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH THE REMAINING EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS AS WELL
AS THE OPERATIONAL ELEMENTS. MEANWHILE TECHNICAL REVIEWS OF EACH
OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS CONTINUE. ALTHOUGH SPECIFIC DATES
FOR UPGRADING THESE ELEMENTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL TO OPERATIONAL
STATUS HAVE NOT BEEN SET...IT WILL LIKELY BE SOMETIME THIS YEAR.
USERS WILL RECEIVE A MINIMUM OF 30 DAYS NOTICE OF A DECISION TO
DECLARE ADDITIONAL NDFD ELEMENTS OPERATIONAL OR TO ADD MORE
EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS TO NDFD.
RELATED NDFD WEB SITES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS FOR THESE URLS/:
CONTENT OF THE NDFD GRIDDED DATA FILES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR
ACCESSING THE OPERATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL GRID ELEMENTS IN
EITHER GRIDDED BINARY /GRIB2/ FORMAT OR EXTENSIBLE MARKUP
LANGUAGE /XML/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/TECHNICAL.HTM
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/XML/
STATUS OF NDFD ELEMENTS:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/RESOURCES/OPER_STATUS_TABLE.PDF
NDFD VERIFICATION INFORMATION:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/NDFD/VERIFICATION/
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION DOCUMENTS /PDD/ FOR THE NDFD FORECAST ELEMENT
DATA FILES AND GRAPHICS:
HTTP://PRODUCTS.WEATHER.GOV/VIEWLISTE.PHP
NDFD VARIABLE DEFINITIONS:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/DEFINITIONS.HTM
THE 16 REGIONAL SUBSECTORS OF THE CONUS:
GIF IMAGES /PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING URL IS CASE
SENSITIVE AND SHOULD BE ENTERED EXACTLY AS SHOWN BELOW/:
http://www.weather.gov/mdl/NDFD_GRIB2Decoder/dataloc.php
FLASH APPLICATION /ROLLOVER DISPLAY/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/COVERAGE.HTM
FOR GENERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NDFD...PLEASE EMAIL:
NWS.NDFD@xxxxxxxx
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE...PLEASE CONTACT:
CHRIS ALEX
DIGITAL SERVICES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES
1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
EMAIL: CHRISTINE.ALEX@xxxxxxxx
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@xxxxxxxx
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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