Developmental Testbed Center

DTC is a distributed facility where the NWP community can test and evaluate new models and techniques for use in research and operations.

Fundamental Purpose of DTC

To serve as a bridge between research and operations to facilitate the activities of both halves of the NWP Community in pursuit of their own objectives:

• Research community gets a functionally equivalent operational environment to test and evaluate new NWP methods in retrospective extended period tests using advanced tools
• Operational community benefits from DTC testing and evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of new NWP advances prior to consideration for operational implementation

DTC's Goals are to:

• Link Research and Operational Communities
• Speed transition of research results into operations
• Accelerate improvement in weather forecasts
• Develop and test promising new NWP techniques
• Provide an opportunity for NWP community to perform cycled or real-time tests of model and data assimilation systems

Basic Structure of the DTC

DTC Governance/Advisory Board

The Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) Developmental Testbed Center (WRF DTC) Advisory Board will serve as the primary advisory body for the WRF DTC. It will be appointed by the Director with approval from the WRF Executive Oversight Board (WExOB), and will be composed of representatives drawn from the center’s potential user community, including members from NCAR, OAR, NCEP, NRL, AFWA, FNMOC, the academic community, and possibly the private sector.  The Board helps the Executive Committee shape the overall program of the WRF DTC, by advising on the selection of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) technologies for testing by the WRF DTC, computer resource issues, elevation of Contributed Codes to Reference Code, decommissioning of Reference Code and acting as a proposal review board.  The Advisory Board receives guidance from the WRF Program Coordinator, the WRF Research Applications Board and the Operational Requirements Board.

Charge

Provide advice to the Director of the WRF DTC and its Executive Board on the selection and prioritization of activities of the DTC.  This will include recommendations for testing Contributed Code for possible elevation to Reference Code, real-time/quasi-operational experiments, testing of various physics packages, ensemble techniques, data assimilation systems and DTC computer resources including a DTC web portal.  The Executive Board will advise the Director of the WRF DTC and the WRF Program Coordinator of codes they recommend be elevated to Reference Code status.   The Board may also recommend that portions of the reference code be discontinued, but final decision remains with the WExOB.

The WRF DTC will also issue Announcements of Opportunity (AO) for visitors from the broad NWP community to take part in DTC testing.  The AO process will be initiated and managed by the WRF DTC Director in consultation with the Executive Committee.   The Advisory Board will recommend the content of the AO, review the applications and provide written reviews and suggest which proposals to support to the Executive Committee.
When there is considerable disagreement on the Board for a particular recommendation, then the Board shall, in addition to a majority report, file a minority report.

Meetings

The board will meet twice per year, in the fall and spring, at the Boulder DTC or at one of the other of distributed locations (currently NRL DTC).  It may also conduct some of its business by e-mail or teleconference.

Membership

Members on the Advisory Board shall be taken from the various WRF organizations listed below.  The representatives are appointed by the WRF DTC Director in consultation with the WRF Program coordinator and the management of the organizations they represent, and are approved by the WExOB.  In addition representatives may be appointed from the academic community, the total number not to exceed one half of those representatives from the signatory organizations.  A representative should be someone very familiar with the development and testing of NWP models.  Representatives will be appointed for rotating three-year term appointments with the possibility of additional terms.  Initial membership will be as follows:

• NOAA/NCEP | Geoff DiMego and Naomi Surgi
• NOAA/OAR | Tom Schlatter
• NAVY/NRL | Simon Chang and Melinda Peng
• AFWA | Steve Rugg
• FAA | Roy Rasmussen
• ARL | Bob Dumais
• NCAR | Greg Holland
• Academic Community | Brian Colle (SUNYSB), Ming Xue (UOK), Paul Roebber (UWisM)

Members of the Board may not include regular full or part-time employees of NCAR, NRL/Monterey or FSL who are directly part of the DTC.  Other employees of those organizations can be members on the board.  Visitors to the DTC can serve as members of the board but must recuse themselves during funding deliberations related to their institution.

The Board will elect a chairperson from its membership for a term of one year with the possibility of renewal.

Primary Contacts

KUO, Bill — National DTC Director | PH: 303.497.8910 | EMAIL: kuoucar.edu
KOCH, Steve — DTC DEPUTY DIRECTOR | PH: 303.497.8945 |EMAIL: steven.koch@noaa.gov
NANCE, Louisa — JNT DEPUTY DIRECTOR | PH: 303.497.8921 | EMAIL: nanceucar.edu
BERNARDET, Ligia — PROJ SCIENTIST III | PH: 303.497.8184 |EMAIL: Ligia.Bernardet@noaa.gov

DTC Staff

BAO, Shaowu — VISITOR | PH: 303.497.8945 | EMAIL: shaowuucar.edu
BERNARDET, Ligia — PROJ SCIENTIST III | PH: 303.497.8184 |EMAIL: Ligia.Bernardet@noaa.gov
BULLOCK, Randy — SOFT ENG/PROG III | PH: 303.497.8444 | EMAIL: bullockucar.edu
CARSON, Laurie — JNT DEPUTY DIRECTOR | PH: 303.497.8408 | EMAIL: carsonucar.edu
FOWLER, Tressa — ASSOC SCIENTIST III | PH: 303.497.2859 | EMAIL: tressaucar.edu
GILLELAND, Eric — PROJ SCIENTIST I | PH: 303.497.2849 | EMAIL: ericgucar.edu
HALLEYGOTWAY, John — SOFT ENG/PROG II | PH: 303.497.2861 | EMAIL: johnhgucar.edu
HU, Ming — VISITOR | PH: 303.497.2864 | EMAIL: mhuucar.edu
JENSEN, Tara — ASSOC SCIENTIST III | PH: 303.497.8479 | EMAIL: jensenucar.edu
JOHNSON, Pam — ADMIN ASSISTANT III | PH: 303.497.8197 | EMAIL: johnsonpucar.edu
KOCH, Steve — DTC DEPUTY DIRECTOR | PH: 303.497.8945 |EMAIL: steven.koch@noaa.gov
KUO, Bill — National DTC Director | PH: 303.497.8910 | EMAIL: kuoucar.edu
NANCE, Louisa — JNT DEPUTY DIRECTOR | PH: 303.497.8921 | EMAIL: nanceucar.edu
SULLIVAN, Steve — SOFT ENG/PROG III | PH: 303.497.2823 | EMAIL: stevesucar.edu
SURGI, Naomi — VISITOR | PH: 303.497.8383 | EMAIL: surgiucar.edu
WOLFF, Jamie — ASSOC SCIENTIST III | PH: 303.497.2812 | EMAIL: jwolffucar.edu