 |
||||
| You are here: Home | ||||
|
Introduction The Forecast Application Branch performs high resolution analyses and forecasts of the weather using both locally and centrally available meteorological observations. The FAB Branch is a component of NOAA's Global System's Division.FAB has been developing and running a high resolution portable analysis and forecast software package called LAPS over the past two decades. The Local Analysis and Prediction System (LAPS) integrates data from virtually every meteorological observation system into a very high-resolution gridded framework centered on a forecast office's domain of responsibility. Thus, the data from local mesonetworks of surface observing systems, Doppler radars, satellites, wind and temperature (RASS) profilers (404 and boundary-layer 915 MHz), radiometric profilers, as well as aircraft are incorporated every hour into a three-dimensional grid covering a 1040km by 1240km area. LAPS has analysis and prediction components. The analysis component has three options, "traditional" LAPS, Space-Time Mesoscale Analysis System (STMAS), and Gridded Statistical Interpolation (GSI). The prediction component is being configured using the RAMS, MM5, WRF, and ETA models. Any or all of these models, usually being initialized with LAPS analyses, are run to provide short-term forecasts. We produce ensemble forecasts using multiple models and initialization methods, with verification. We have several online LAPS presentations. LAPS Real-time Analyses and Forecasts The following LAPS products are online:
Figure: Current 24-hour cloud forecast loop from LAPS using MM5 as the forecast model. LAPS has been ported to many locations, including academic institutions such as Univ. of Oklahoma ("OLAPS"), Univ. of North Dakota, and Univ. of Hawaii's Mauna Kea Weather Center. LAPS is running on-site at each National Weather Service Forecast Office (WFO) as an integral part of AWIPS (the main computer system that weather forecasters use). We are also running the system externally to AWIPS at WFOs in Seattle, Atlanta (Olympics), Lubbock, Fairbanks, Sterling, Monterey, Reno, and Davenport. Our software is being ported and/or being run at ESRL to support various US government agencies such as Atlantic Oceanographic and Meterological Laboratory, Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) at the U.S. Space Centers, National Ocean Service, U.S. Forest Service, as well as state and local government agencies like the California Dept. of Water Resources. We also work with international government weather bureaus in countries such as China, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, and Korea. Publications | ||||
| ||||