Introduction

The Interactive Forecast Preparation System (IFPS) is an AWIPS based software application jointly developed by the Meteorological Development Lab (MDL), located at the National Weather Service Headquarters (NWSHQ) in Siver Spring, MD, and the Forecast Systems Lab (FSL) located in Boulder, Colorado.

IFPS is the result of the merger of the Interactive Computer Worded Forecast (ICWF) System, a matrix based text product preparation system, developed at MDL (circa 1980s) and the AWIPS Forecast Preparation System (AFPS), a grid based graphic product preparation system, developed at FSL (circa 1990s). The MDL portion of IFPS provides products text formatters and the FSL portion of IFPS provides gridded based graphical editors.

Presently, IFPS has taken the direction of moving toward grid based product formatters developed and used at local forecast offices and away from the use of digital forecast matrix based product formatters developed, centrally, at MDL. As this transition toward local product formatters is taking place, MDL has begun to focus more of its development resources on other tasks, such as providing higher quality guidance through IFPS ingest of gridded MOS and optimization of the WFO Service Backup process.

Operationally, IFPS provides forecasters with the capability to automatically generate forecast products (e.g., text, graphic, image, and voice), from gridded digital model forecast data.  This capability to automatcally generate forecast products represents a paradigm shift in how Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) prepare forecasts and guidance products for their County Warning Areas (CWA).

For example, with IFPS, forecasters have the opportunity to focus more of their attention on evaluating the atmospheric conditions and orographic features affecting the weather forecasts because there is less need to focus as much attention on the mechanics of generating their requisite operational forecast product suites.  With a wide range of available IFPS software tools, forecasters can interactively adjust model forecast data to more closely conform to what they believe best represents their expert analyses of expected weather conditions during upcoming forecast periods.

In summary, IFPS -

• provides forecasters with a variety of, temporally and spatially, high resolution gridded model forecast data
• provides forecasters with highly interactive software tools allowing them to display, analyze, manipulate, and modify the gridded model forecast data
• provides forecasters with an interface for selecting the forecast and guidance products they wish to generate
• provides forecasters with powerful software to automatically extract from the modified gridded model forecast data, the information needed to generate and properly format the forecast and guidance products selected