I met with Amenda to discuss the problems inherent with maintaining our unique AWIPS
workstation to support VISIT training efforts: 1) the difficulty in obtaining up to date software
compatible with field forecasters; 2) the extensive manpower requirements involved in installing
and maintaining each build because of our unique hardware configuration and because we
receive data from the LDM NOAAPORT feed, which has format differences from the official
NOAAPORT feed.
Mark and Ken recommended discussing the feasibility of obtaining data directly from an FSL
AWIPS disk, bypassing decoding, formatting and data moving problems. They also
recommended that CIRA obtain the latest D2D builds directly from FSL, and in return, CIRA
would function as a satellite application beta test site, and could possibly channel to FSL funds
currently allocated to CIRA NOAAPORT procurement for support.
Having a CIRA machine access an FSL server is not feasible because of security issues.
Amenda will look into the possibility of FSL pushing the data to CIRA, and in the impact to the
FSL server. Tim and I also discussed the possibility of accessing gridded and point data from the
COMET server that provides data to WDTB. I plan to test this during the coming week. Data
latency is a concern in both of these configurations, as is impact to the COMET server from
routine polling for most recent data. A CIRA NOAAPORT would solve the formatting and latency
problems. However, Tim gave me a tour of the COMET 'official' AWIPS configuration, and, even
without redundant systems, manpower and $ required to implement and maintain such a
configuration would be significant.
Amenda recommended that CIRA pursue the software questions with Herb Grote, the Software
Division and Systems Development Division Chief. We discussed this briefly with Cliff, and will
use him as the focal once we have a better idea of data requirements.
Amenda and Tim, thanks for your time and expertise. I will let you know how the data pull from
COMET goes, and we can proceed from there. Please also let me know if I left anything out.