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 similar 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