NOAA Testbeds and Proving Grounds: Coordinating and Transitioning Research to NOAA Applications/Operations

NOAA’s testbeds and proving grounds (TBPG; www.testbeds.noaa.gov) conduct testing to evaluate progress of new and advanced research capabilities toward readiness for transition to operations/ applications. Each year, the NOAA TBPG complete on average 100 capability tests, demonstrating readiness for NOAA operational use in approximately one-third of the candidate capabilities; nearly all of the remaining capabilities undergo further developmental testing toward eventual implementation. In addition to enhancing NOAA’s missions through these deployed capabilities, the NOAA TBPG community of practice actively builds more engaged partnerships among researchers, developers, and operational scientist and end-user communities. Incorporating appropriate operational systems/practices in development and testing is a key factor in speeding the integration of new capabilities into service and operations.

The twelve NOAA TBPG are recognized as consistent with NOAA guidelines for function, execution and governance, in supporting competitively selected transition testing to meet NOAA mission needs. They conduct rigorous testing of prototype capabilities to evaluate performance and potential readiness for use in addressing all NOAA mission goals. Readiness criteria consist of capability-specific metrics for objective and subjective performance, workplace/workflow impacts, utility, and engineering/production readiness. Formal coordination of the NOAA TBPG propagates best practices and enhances opportunities for collaborative testing. Charters and other information on these facilities, along with summaries of coordination activities including recent workshops, are posted at the web portal.

NOAA scientists at the TBPG, in collaboration with public and private-sector partners, are working to adapt and transition advanced, high-value capabilities into operations. TBPG testing projects, and infrastructure, are supported through dedicated or in-kind facility support, and programmatic resources both internal and external to NOAA. NOAA transition programs, including the Next Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS), Collaborative Science and Technology Applied Research Program, Climate Program Office, the US Weather Research Program, and the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program, the Joint Technology Transfer Initiative, and Research Transition Acceleration Program sponsor transition testing of dedicate, enhanced mission capabilities. For example, NGGPS-funded projects led by scientists from academia and NOAA’s testbeds and proving grounds are testing various potential service impacts that will result from this next-generation capability, with special emphasis on improved forecasts of high-impact and severe/extreme weather in the 0-3 day time frame, in the 6-10 day time frame, and for weeks 3-4.

Highlights from NOAA TBPG transition testing in 2017 will be featured.