Paul Hamer*

NOAA Research-Forecast Systems Laboratory Boulder, Colorado 80303

*[In collaboration with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado]

The data systems within the Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) Central Facility are required to acquire large volumes of conventional and experimental meteorological data in various formats from numerous sources. The challenge is to devise systems that support the acquisition, translation, distribution, and long-term storage of real-time and retrospective datasets that are required by researchers within and outside FSL.

FSL is trying to find answers to many issues. How can the Central Facility handle data being ingested such that scientists can consistenly access both known (already translated) and unknown (not yet analyzed) data? What tools can be adopted or developed to support internal ingest and external distribution of these data? How does metadata help reduce data processing costs as a function of software development, while combating inherent increases in data management overhead? What are the benefits of comprehensive metadata to FSL, the Central Facility, and outside data users?

In this paper, I will consider the problems faced, discuss the tools adopted, and describe the approaches taken to satisfy the requirements of ever-increasing data volume and more complex format schemes in an extensible fashion. I will also touch on some of the upcoming issues for the Data Systems Group at FSL and the future developments to deal with them.

Corresponding author:

Paul Hamer NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory R/FST 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303

Phone: 303-497-6342 FAX: 303-497-7259

e-mail: Paul.Hamer@noaa.gov