The Use of METplus in Testbeds for Research to Operations Activities

With the evolution of weather and climate prediction using the Unified Forecast System (UFS), verification and validation activities are critical for the success of these activities across the UFS community. The enhanced Model Evaluation Tools (MET) framework (METplus) is at the core of an expanding cross-section of the community evaluation activities. It is a community tool designed to assist researchers and forecasters across the public, private, and academic sectors with their testing, evaluation, and diagnostics activities.

The METplus system consists of several components, including the MET, for the computation of verification statistics based on gridded forecasts and either a gridded analysis or point-based observations. The system also incorporates an analysis system for aggregating statistics and plotting graphical results. These tools are designed to be highly flexible to allow for quick adaption to meet additional evaluation and diagnostic needs. A suite of python wrappers have been implemented in METplus to facilitate a quick set-up and implementation of the system, and to enhance the pre-existing plotting capabilities.

This presentation will focus on the use of METplus at National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Forecast Centers and associated testbeds with a focus on the Research to Operations (R2O) process. These responsibilities of the Centers are vastly different, but the community evaluation framework allows for exploration and understanding of model biases and the consistency of forecasts and simulations. This aids forecasters in understanding how to use the models and derived products, and model developers in how to address systematic errors and model deficiencies.