Quality Control and Monitoring System (QCMS)

The Quality Control and Monitoring System is being developed at the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory to supply end-users and suppliers of hydrometeorological observations with readily-available quality control information and statistics. Two types of QC checks are considered: static checks, which are single-station and single-time checks such as climatological checks and validity checks; and dynamic checks which take advantage of other hydrometeorological information, such as temporal and spatial consistency checks. QCMS runs quasi-operationally in the FSL Central Facility, and runs operationally at modernized NWS Weather Forecast Offices as part of the AWIPS workstation (build 4.1 or greater).

The current QCMS version is a partial implementation of the overall requirements for the quality control of surface observations, and contains both subhourly and hourly QC processing. The subhourly processing consists of the application of validity, internal consistency, and temporal consistency checks to surface observations of sea-level pressure, temperature, dewpoint temperature, wind, station pressure, altimeter setting, pressure change, relative humidity, visibility, and precipitation observations; the hourly consists of the application of validity, internal consistency, temporal consistency, and spatial consistency checks to observations of sea-level pressure, temperature, wind, and dewpoint temperature. With the subhourly processing, the QCMS checks every 5 minutes for newly arrived observations. Observations not previously checked, are then immediately quality controlled.

To perform the automated quality control checks, the QCMS relies on the Mesoscale Analysis and Prediction System (MAPS) Surface Analysis System (MSAS). It also provides the capability for users to override the results of these checks through subjective intervention procedures.

Enhancements are under development for future versions of the QCMS system.

Information

Current QC Summary Messages

Hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly text messages for various surface observing networks.

Current Subjective Intervention Lists at FSL

Change log, and accept and reject lists currently in use at FSL.

NPN Surface QC Monitoring

Graphs showing 90-day and yearly time series of errors, also text monthly error statistics.

Sea Level Pressure
Altimeter

Staff

Comments?

Patricia.A.Miller@noaa.gov
Michael.F.Barth@noaa.gov

Last updated 30 January 2004.