Dear Colleagues,
The end-to-end modeling systems in the NOAA operational numerical guidance suite are scientifically based, and research results must and do cross the “Valley of Death” into operations. However, the operational and research communities need to make this journey more efficient and cost effective. That’s one reason why we have testbeds like the DTC. During 20 years as a research scientist at NASA, I had the opportunity to work closely with NWS forecasters in Huntsville and offices across the Southeast. When I accepted a job at NOAA with EMC, I thought my understanding of what it takes to work in an operational environment was sound based on these earlier experiences. However, it soon became apparent that my perceptions about the transition of research into operations were woefully incomplete. I believe that there are many ways NOAA can build a better transition process between research and operations, and I would like to share my thoughts associated with the upgrade process at EMC in future releases of the DTC Newsletter.
