Product Usage Patterns at the AWIPS Build 4.2 OT&E Sites

Over the past decade, the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) has been under development for the field operations at National Weather Service (NWS) offices across the nation. The AWIPS communications network, software, and hardware provide the NWS with advanced datasets and capabilities that are integrated into a comprehensive system. A formal Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) began in the spring 1999 of AWIPS build 4.2 (the commissioning build) software and its related components. In addition to numerous hardware and software tests, product usage logs were collected to record what meteorological data and functions the forecasters were using to perform their routine forecasting and warning duties.

This paper presents an analysis of product usage logs that were collected from the workstations at each of the OT&E sites during May and June 1999. These log files will be evaluated in order to determine which products and workstation capabilities were selected by the forecasters to perform routine shift duties, as well as those duties prescribed for severe weather operations. These current results will be compared to previous warm-season studies from Denver and Norman, when the AWIPS-like workstations DARE and Pre-AWIPS were used.