Staff at the National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in Norman, OK have been exploring new approaches to forecast and warning operations through most of the 1990s using new technology deployed through the NWS modernization and restructuring (MAR). During an evolutionary process that began with installation of the first operational WSR-88D system in the spring of 1991, through the Norman Risk Reduction Project, to the recent implementation of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), the Norman staff have learned to take advantage of advanced data sets, improved data integration, and full distribution of data among the operational shift team.
As AWIPS becomes more completely integrated into the forecast and warning operation, the Forecast Office staff are able to place more emphasis on short-term, small-scale, event-driven services while maintaining the necessary focus on longer-term (five- or even seven- day) scheduled forecast products. During severe storm and flash flood events, AWIPS workstations contribute to more of a team approach to the forecast and warning operation, making critical radar, satellite, and other observational data available to all forecasters and technicians on the shift team, along with short-term model output.
During the national deployment of AWIPS, an interesting period of transition exists in NWS forecast offices. Comparisons can easily be made between more traditional operations and newer approaches which are possible in AWIPS-based operations, even though all forecast offices now have access to WSR-88D technology