A GIS site selection methodology for the National Weather Service’s COOP Modernization Program is being prototyped using New England states. The process employs cartographic modeling techniques to find sites suitable for historical COOP measurements of temperature and precipitation as well as expanded measurements, such as soil moisture and wind speed and direction. Sites are evaluated based on various parameters such as surface slope, vegetation and land cover, proximity to adequate roadways, distribution of sites, etc. Coop Modernization plans to employ the National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (NLETS) as well as state LETS agencies for its communication infrastructure. Because this will require a radio link from COOP sites to a nearby LETS terminal, the proximity of COOP sites to LETS agencies will be examined. To verify and improve the GIS methodology, field surveys are being conducted during the summer of 2004. The results from these surveys and the GIS methodology will be presented.