An Assessment of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System: Operational Test and Evaluation of the First System Build (1997)
Chapter: A STATEMENT OF TASK
APPENDIX
A
Statement of Task
The statement of task for the NWSM Committee's assessment of AWIPS, as approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council on May 14, 1996, is shown below. The fourth subtask will be addressed in a future report. The NWSMC will also continue to monitor and evaluate plans for and implementation of successive builds and system improvements. Additional details will be provided covering the fifth subtask and other subtasks as appropriate.
STATEMENT OF TASK
The NWSMC [NWSM Committee] will assess the adequacy of current plans and activities in the design, development, testing, and evaluation of AWIPS as an integral element of the modernization of the National Weather Service. Specifically, the NWSMC will assess whether the methodology used by the NOAA and NWS is sufficient to ensure that AWIPS will be able to integrate high-resolution data from multiple sources and provide fast-response interactive analysis and display of the data for weather forecast and warning operations.
Subtasks include:
Review the adequacy of AWIPS risk-reduction activities in mitigating risks associated with national deployment (Risks, as defined by NOAA, include problems with such factors as a system responsiveness and flexibility, communications linkages, and backup capabilities, that are associated with bringing a major new system online operationally without degrading forecast and warning services.)
Review the plans for AWIPS operational tests and evaluations to ensure that established criteria are being met.
Evaluate the adequacy of the conduct of the AWIPS operational tests and evaluations and the results or actions taken by NOAA and NWS in response to the tests and evaluations.
Assess the AWIPS system security and robustness in light of system designs and the results of the operational tests and evaluations.
Evaluate the planned evolutionary development processes for future improvements, considering system extensibility and the ability to evolve system components.
