NOAA Testbeds and Proving Grounds: Increasing effective transitions between Research and NOAA Applications/Operations

NOAA's efforts to transition research into application, are increasing effectiveness at the eleven NOAA testbeds and proving grounds (www.testbeds.noaa.gov) through more engaged partnerships among operational and research communities. Implementing these capabilities into science information services, particularly in NOAA operations is a critical step for realizing broader societal benefits of this work , and the transition testing at NOAA testbeds and proving grounds provides a clear path toward adapting research developments for operational use. These eleven facilities, which are recognized as consistent with NOAA's guidelines for function, execution and governance, support competitively selected, collaborative transition testing projects to meet NOAA mission needs. Projects are supported through diverse means: dedicated or in-kind facility support for management and related activities (e.g. IT support), and programmatic support both internal and external to NOAA. Charters and additional information on these facilities, along with summaries of coordination activities, including recent workshops, and links to relevant federal funding opportunities are posted at the web portal.

NOAA scientists, in collaboration with public and private-sector partners, employ these facilities in conducting rigorous testing of prototype capabilities to evaluate performance and potential readiness for use in addressing all NOAA mission goals. NOAA programs including the Collaborative Science and Technology Applied Research Program, Climate Program Office, the US Weather Research Program, and the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program provide an important source of these candidate capabilities, and along with other partners, participate in sponsoring transition testing. Additionally, a recently launched initiative for advancing capabilities needed to develop NOAA's next-generation global prediction system is providing opportunities for coordinated efforts involving NOAA testbeds. The initiative involves connecting the R&D and operations communities early in collaborative testing of the many advanced components that will need to be systematically integrated in order to realize this next-generation capability.

The collective efforts of NOAA's testbeds and proving ground facilities are fostered by annual workshops that feature results from collaborative, multi-facility testing and topical science themes of high-impact mission objectives (e.g. advances on analyses and forecasts of intense precipitation, integrated environmental modeling). These venues also bolster use of operational capabilities in research, which greatly facilitates the adaptation and transition of high-value capabilities into operations. Highlights from this year's testbeds and proving grounds transition testing will be featured.