Understanding Needs within the United Forecast System to Support the Creation of a Modeling Community

What is the best way to structure a modeling community that facilitates engagement, ensures equitable contribution, and encourages collaboration? An interactive session at the 2024 Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop (UIFCW24) sought to answer that question. Attendees were invited to in-person and virtual focus groups where they answered questions about how they engage in community modeling and provided their thoughts on how best to structure a modeling community. This talk will present the results of those conversations. Better code management, more documentation, and clearer community leadership were among the comments received about improving the current modeling community structure. The talk will end with potential solutions that support the development of a modeling community.