Introduction

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Acronyms and Terms

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Design:
Wilfred von Dauster

ACARS – ARINC Communications Addressing and Reporting System (supplies automated aircraft reports) ACDWG – Atmospheric Center of Data Working Group
ACG – Advanced Computing Group (FSL)
AD – Aviation Division (FSL)
ADDS – Aviation Digital Data Service
AER – AWIPS Enhancement Research
AES – Atmospheric Environment Service (Canada)
AFOS – Automation of Field Operations and Services
AFPS – AWIPS Forecast Preparation System
AFWA – U.S. Air Force Weather Agency
AFWG – AFPS Forecaster Working Group
AGFS – Aviation Gridded Forecast Systems
AGL – Above Ground Level
AIDA – Archive 1 Data Analyzer
AIRMET – AIRmen METeorological information
AIV – Aviation-Impact Variable
ALERT – Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time
AMDAR – Aircraft Meteorological DAta Reporting
AMS – American Meteorological Society
AMVP – Aviation Model Verification Program
ANL – Argonne National Laboratory
AP – anomalous propagation
ARINC – Aeronautical Radio, Inc.
ARM – Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (a Department of Energy program)
ARPS – Advanced Regional Prediction System
ARRL – Amateur Radio Relay League
ARTCC – Air Route Traffic Control Centers
ASD – Aircraft Situation Display
ASOS – Automated Surface Observing System (an National Weather Service system)
ATC – Air Traffic Control
ATM – Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATMS – Advanced Traffic Management System
AVARs – Aircraft Vertical Accelerometer Reports
AVHRR – Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer
AVN – Aviation model at NCEP
AWC – Aviation Weather Center (National Weather Service)
AWDP – Aviation Weather Development Program
AWDS – Automated Weather Distribution System
AWGWC – Air Force Global Weather Center
AWIPS – Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
AWN – Aviation Weather Network
AWRP – Aviation Weather Research Program
BLP – Boundary Layer Profiler
BSU – Beam Steering Unit (component of profiling radar)
BUFR – Binary Universal Form
CAG – Convective Airspace Guidance
CAPE – Convective Available Potential Energy
CAPS – Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms
CARDS – Comprehensive Aerological Reference Dataset
CART – Cloud and Radiation Testbed (a heavily instrumented site in Oklahoma)
CDE – Common Desktop Environment
CD-ROM – Compact Disc-Read Only Memory
CGM – Computer Graphics Metafile
CIRA – Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
CIRES – Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
CIT – Convection-Induced Turbulence
CIn – Convective Inhibition
CLIP – Compressed Serial Line Internet Protocol
CM – Configuration Management
CMA – China Meteorological Administration
CMDL – Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (one of the Office of Atmospheric Research laboratories)
CMIST – Configuration Management Integrated Support Tool (developed at FSL)
COADS – Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Dataset
COAMPS – Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (U.S. Navy's regional weather model)
COMET® – Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training (NCAR)
CONUS – Continental (or conterminous) United States
CORBA – Common Object Request Broker Architecture
COSPAS – Cosmicheskaya Sistyema Poiska Avariynich Sudov (Russian equivalent of SARSAT)
COTS – commercial off-the-shelf software
CSU-RAMS – Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System
CWB – Central Weather Bureau in Taipei, Taiwan
DAM – Data Access Management (object-oriented software)
DARE – Denver AWIPS Risk Reduction and Requirements Evaluation
DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
DCC – Direct Connect Service
DCVZ – Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone
DD – Demonstration Division (FSL)
DDS – Domestic Data Service (NWS)
DGPS – Differential Global Positioning System
DIFAX – Digital facsimile map (a standard circuit of weather information produced by the NWS)
DLT – Digital Linear Tape
DMSP – Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (U.S. Air Force)
DMSP SPO – DMSP Systems Program Office
DNS – Domain Name System
DOD – Department of Defense
DOE – Department of Energy
DOT – Department of Transportation
DSAT – Distributed System Administration Team
DSRS – Data Storage and Retrieval System
DTF3 – Diagnostic Turbulent Flux algorithm
ECMRWF – European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
EMC – Environmental Modeling Center (one of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction)
EMDS – Emergency Management Decision Support system (the dissemination component of LDAD)
EOS – Earth Observing System
EOSS – Edge Of Space Science
EOSDIS – EOS Data and Information System (the data management component of EOS)
ESDIM – Environmental Science Data Integration and Management
Eta model – A hydrostatic model that employs the eta vertical coordinate (operational at NCEP)
ETL – Environmental Technology Laboratory
FAA – Federal Aviation Administration
FAME – FSL's Assimilation Model Experiment
FD – Facility Division (FSL)
FDDA – Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation
FIRE – First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Projects Regional Experiment
FRC – Front Range Consortium
FRD – Forecast Research Division (FSL)
FSL – Forecast Systems Laboratory (one of NOAA's 12 Environmental Research Laboratories)
FTP – File Transfer Protocol
FTSC – FSL Technical Steering Committee
FX – FSL's X-window workstation
GAINS – Global Air-ocean IN-situ System (shear-directed balloon project at FSL)
GCIP – GEWEX Continental-scale International Project
GDAS – Global Data Assimilation System
GDP – Government Development Platforms
GEMPAK – General Meteorological Package
GEWEX – Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment
GFE – Graphical Forecast Editor
GFS – Global Forecast System
GFV – Graphical Forecast Viewer
GIMPAP – GOES I-M Product Assurance Plan
GINI – GOES-I NOAAport Interface
GIS – Geographic Information Systems
GLOBE – Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment
GLGS – GOES Local Groundstation System
GOES – Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (a NOAA weather satellite)
GIMPAP – GOES I-M Product Assurance Plan
GPS – Global Positioning System
GPS CORS – Global Positioning System Continuously Operating Reference Stations
GPS-IPW – Global Positioning System-Integrated Precipitable Water
GTS – Global Telecommunication System
GTS – Geophysical Telecommunications Service
GRIB – Gridded Binary
GSOS – GPS Surface Observing System
GUI – Graphical User Interface
GVAR – GOES Variable (data)
HADS – Hydrometeorological Automated Data SystemHARS - High-Altitude Route Structure workstation (FAA)
HCSN – High-Capacity Satellite Network
HDS – High-resolution Data Service
HMS – Hungarian Meteorological Service
HPCC – High-Performance Computing and Communications
HPCS – High-Performance Computing Section (Aviation Division)
HPD – Hourly Precipitation Data
HRS – High-Resolution Data Service
HSM – Hierarchical Storage Management
HTML – HyperText Markup Lanaguage
http – Hypertext Transfer Protocol (the protocol used to create the World Wide Web)
ICWF – Interactive Computer Worded Forecast, developed at the NWS Techniques Development Laboratory
IDD – Internet Data Distribution (a Unidata software system for distributing real-time data over the Internet)
IDS – International Data Service
IFPS – Interactive Forecast Preparation System
IFR – Instrument Flight Rules
IIPS - International Conference on Interactive Information and Processing Systems (an annual AMS conference)
IO – Input/Output
IP – Internet Protocol
ISCCP – International Satellite Cloud Climatology Projects
ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network
ISP – Internet Service Provider
IT – Information Transport
ITFA – Integrated Turbulence Forecasting Algorithm
IVVS – RTVS Interactive Verification and Visualization System
JFSP – Joint Forecast System Project
JVNTSC – John Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
KMA – Korean Meteorological Administration
LAPB – Local Analysis and Prediction Branch (FSL)
LAPS – Local Analysis and Prediction System (developed at FSL)
LARC – Limited Area Remote Collector
LDA – Local Data Acquisition
LDAD – Local Data Acquisition and Dissemination (a component of AWIPS)
LDM – Local Data Management
LDS – Loral Defense Systems (formerly Unisys Corporation)
MAB – Meteorological Applications Branch (FSL Forecast Research Division)
MAPS – Mesoscale Analysis and Prediction System
MAPS/RUC – MAPS is the research version of the Rapid Update Cycle, the operational version running at NCEP
Mbps – Megabits Per Second
MCCs – Mesoscale Convective Complexes
MCS – Mesoscale Convective System
MD – Modernization Division (FSL)
MDCRS – Meteorological Data Collection and Reporting System
METAR – METeorological Aviation Reports
MHR – Mile-High Radar
MHz – Megahertz (unit of frequency: one million cycles per second)
MM5 – Version 5 of the Pennsylvania State/NCAR Mesoscale Model
MM90 – The parallelized version of MM5
MMAC – Multi-Media Access Center (Cabletron repeater)
MPI – Message Passing Interface
MPIF – Message Passing Interface Forum
MPOA – Multi-Protocol Over ATM
MPP – Massively Parallel Processor
MRF – Medium-Range Forecast (refers to a global prediction model run at NCEP)
MSAS – MAPS Surface Analysis System
MSC – Multiple Successive Correction
MSS – Mass Storage System
NAOS – North American Atmospheric Observing System
NAS – National Airspace System
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
N-AWIPS – National Centers Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
NCDC – National Climatic Data Center
NCEP – National Centers for Environmental Protection
NDBC – National Data Buoy Center
NEM – NWP Explicit Microphysics (model developed at FSL)
NEWS – NOAA Earth Watch Service
NESDIS – National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (a line office of NOAA)
NetCDF – Network Common Data Form
NEXRAD – Next-generation Radar
NFS – Network File System
NGDC – National Geophysical Data Center
NGI - Next Generation Internet
NGM – Nested Grid Model (a limited-area prediction model run at NCEP)
NGS – National Geodetic Survey
NIC – Network Interface Card
NIMBUS – Networked Information Management client-Based User Service
NNT – Nearest Neighbor Tool (developed at FSL)
NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S. Department of Commerce)
NOAAPORT (not an acronym) - Access to NOAA real-time database systems
NOAASIS – NOAA Satellite Information System
NODC – National Oceanic Data Center
NOGAPS – U.S. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System
NOWrad – National Operational Weather radar (a tradename of WSI Corporation)
NOWrad-6 – A new product derived from WSI Corporation national radar reflectivity data.
NPI – NEXRAD Product Interface
NPN – NOAA Profiler Network (previously known as the Wind Profiler Demonstration Project)
NPOESS – National Polar Orbiter Environmental Satellite System
NPS – Numerical Product Service
NRC – National Research Council
NREL – National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NSDA – National Space Development Agency of Japan
NSF – National Science Foundation
NTP – Network Time Protocol
NTRANS – metacode translator
NWP – Numerical Weather Prediction
NWS – National Weather Service (a NOAA line office)
NWSFO – National Weather Service Forecast Office
NWSTG – National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway
OAR – Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (a NOAA line office)
OPTRAN – Optical Test Transmittance model
ORB – Object Request Broker (software package)
OSS – Observation System Simulation
OSSE – Observation System Simulation Experiment
OSPF – Open Shortest Path First (routing algorithm)
OT&E; – Operational Test and Evaluation
PACJET – Pacific Jetstream Experiment
PACS – Pan-American Climate Studies
PCC – Profiler Control Center (FSL)
PCMS – Process and Change Management System
PDAM – Point Data Access and Management
PDT – Product Development Team
Perl – Practical Extraction and Report Language
PHIGS – Portable Hierarchical Image and Graphic Standard
PIREPs – Pilot Reports
PMP – Possible Maximum Precipitation
POD - probability of detection
POES – Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite
POSIX – Portable Operating System Interface for Computer Environments
PPO – Profiler Program Office (Boulder, CO)
PPP – Point-to-Point Protocol
PPP – Parallelizing PreProcessor
PPS – Public Products Service, one of the NWS Family of Services.
PRC, Inc. – Also called Litton PRC, Inc. (AWIPS contractor)
PSOS – Profiler Surface Observing System
PUP – Principal User Position workstation
PWV – precipitable water vapor
QCMS–- Quality Control Monitoring System
QG – Quasi-Geostrophic Analysis
QNH – Quasi-nonhydrostatic model
RAID – Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks
RAMS – Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (developed at the Colorado State University)
RAOB – Radiosonde Observation
RAPB – Regional Analysis and Prediction Branch (Forecast Research Division, FSL)
RASS – Radio Acoustic Sounding System
RCM – WSR-88D Radar Coded Message
RDAM – Radar Data Access and Management format
RECOURSE – Revision Control Unifying Related Environments
RFC – River Forecast Center
RIDDS – Radar Interface and Data Distribution System
RINEX – Receiver Independent Exchange format
RISC – Reduced Instruction Set Computer
RPG – Radar Product Generator
RPS – Routine Product Set
RSA – Range Standardization and Augmentation project – a weather system at the U.S. Space Center
RSAS – Rapid Update Cycle Surface Assimilation System
RTTOV – Radiative Transfer (RT) model for Television Infrared Orbiting Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS)
RTVS – Real-Time Verification System (developed in FSL's Aviation Division)
RUC – Rapid Update Cycle (an FSL-developed numerical weather prediction model running operationally at NCEP)
RUC-2 – Second version of the RUC model
SAO – Surface Aviation Observation
SARSAT – Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System
SAV – State-of-the-Atmosphere Variable
SDAM – Satellite Data Access and Management format
SDBE – Shear-Directed Balloon Experiment
SDD – Systems Development Division (FSL)
SDHS – Satellite Data Handling System
SDM – Scientific Data Management
SGI – Silicon Graphics, Inc.
SIGMET – Significant Meteorological Information
SIO – Scripps Institution of Oceanography
SLIP – Serial Line Internet Protocol
SMS – Scalable Modeling System (developed at FSL)
SNMP – Simple Network Management Protocol
SOO/SAC – Science and Operations Officer/Scientific Applications Computer
SOPAC – Scripps Orbit and Permanent Array Center
SPC – Storm Prediction Center
SREF – Short-Range Ensemble Forecast project
SRS – Scalable Runtime System (component of the Scalable Modeling System)
SST – Scalable Spectral Tool (component of the Scalable Modeling System)
SWE – Snow-Water Equivalent
TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TDL – Techniques Development Laboratory (NWS headquarters)
TDWR – Terminal Doppler Weather Radar
TIP – TIROS Information Processor
TIROS – Television and Infrared Operational Satellite
TKE – Turbulent Kinetic Energy
T-LAPS – Terminal LAPS
TOVS – TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
TSC – Technical Steering Committee (FSL)
UCAR – University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
UEDS – Unidata Experimental Data Service (UCAR)
UNAVCO – University NAVSTAR [not an acronym] Consortium (UCAR Office of Programs)
Unix – (not an acronym) A computer operating system.
URL – Universeral Resource Locater
UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply
USACE – United States Army Corps of Engineers
USCG – United States Coast Guard
UTC – Coordinated Universal Time
VAD – Velocity-Azimuth Display
VAFB – Vandenberg Air Force Base (in California)
VAS – VISSR Atmospheric Sounder
VHF – very high frequency
VIL – Vertically Integrated Liquid
VISSR – Visible and Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer
VMS – Virtual Memory Systems
VNTSC – Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (FAA)
VORTEX – Verification of Tornadoes Experiment
WFO – Weather Forecast Office
WFO-Advanced – The core software of AWIPS.
WMO – World Meteorological Organization
WPM – Well-Posed Model
WRF – Weather Research and Forecast Model
WSO – Weather Service Office
WSR-88D – Weather Surveillance Radar
WSR99 – NOAA's 1999 Winter Storm Reconnaissance program
WVIOP – water vapor intensive observing period
ZTD – Zenith Tropospheric Signal Delay

FSL Staff