NOAA’s Coast Survey Development Laboratory is a world leader in the application of hydrodynamic models and the development of operational forecast systems in estuaries and the coastal ocean. These model-based forecast systems have applications in the support of safe and efficient navigation and emergency response, as well as marine geospatial and ecosystem applications. Operational forecast systems provide hourly nowcasts and short-term (one to two day) forecasts that are updated every six hours of water levels and currents, and in some cases temperature and salinity. Because these predictions are based on a hydrodynamic model, they are considered to be computer-generated forecast guidance.

Before a forecast system is transitioned to operational status at NOS’ Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), it must be tested, fully evaluated and deemed accurate by NOS standards in CSDL.

In an attempt to streamline the entire process of taking a model from the research environment, through development, and transitioning it to operations, we are developing a standardized Coastal Ocean Modeling Framework .  The COMF includes the essential operational management of inputs (observations and forecasts of atmospheric, ocean and riverine inputs) as well as the operational quality control of outputs and the dissemination of results. The COMF is intended to stimulate a community approach to coastal modeling, providing tools, methodologies and protocols, and to abide by Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) standards.

FORECAST MODELING SYSTEMS


  OPERATIONAL

EXPERIMENTAL