The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) is a National Weather Service modernization program, contracted from NOAA to PRC Inc. In true partnership spirit, the Government and PRC completed a rigorous development process and are now in full-scale deployment of AWIPS throughout the conterminous 48 States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
To date, the Government and PRC have worked together to deploy Government Development Platforms (GDPs) in 1993 and 1994, Pathfinder systems in 1995, and initial Build 1 systems in 1996. Several software and hardware upgrades have been provided to these systems, further refining the field installation process. Full-scale AWIPS production and deployment is approaching its peak. The Government and PRC have joined in a major deployment acceleration effort to bring AWIPS to all of the planned NWS field offices and National Centers by June 1999. Over half of the planned AWIPS will have been fielded by the time of the IIPS conference.
This paper will discuss what a future AWIPS site can expect, from first
contact with a site survey team through actual installation and acceptance
of the system and full training on how to use it. Readers of this paper
will have a solid appreciation for what to expect with AWIPS at a site.
They also will understand how to prepare for this major change in the
operations environment so that the installation impact is minimized
and the transition to AWIPS operations is most efficient