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GFE in RFCs

This overview discusses the history, components, strengths, weaknesses, and performance issues of the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GFE) Suite. It delves into the tools, climatology, inter-site coordination, and offers recommendations for improvement. There's a focus on addressing the challenges presented by Rapid Prototyping Project, GFE ifpInit, and performance bottlenecks. Solutions like utilizing SmartTools and optimizing hardware for better efficiency are explored. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of incorporating climatological data sets, improving inter-site coordination, and enhancing text formatters to elevate weather forecasting accuracy.

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GFE in RFCs

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  1. Tom LeFebvre ESRL/Global Systems Division GFE in RFCs

  2. Overview • History • GFE Components • Strengths and Weaknesses • Performance Issues • Tools • Climatology • Inter-site Coordination

  3. GFE History • Project started in 1992 • Worked closely with NWS field forecasters • Rapid Prototype Project started in 1999 • Prototype software delivered to the field

  4. GFE Components (GFESuite) • GFE primarily a grid editor • GFE software also generates products • NWS Legacy Text Products • Graphics • Images (PNG) • Digital (netCDF, AsciiGrid)

  5. Other GFESuite Components • ifpInit – Converts model 3-D cubes into sensible surface weather elements • Inter-site Coordination (ISC) - Moves gridded data between sites to enhance collaboration • Graphical Hazards Generator (GHG) – Makes graphical versions of long-fused watches/warnings and formats text products with VTEC codes

  6. GFESuite - Strengths • Highly configurable / flexible • Weather elements • Domain / Projection / Resolution • User Interface • Products • Fully Programmable Framework (SmartTools) • Interpretive language (Python) • Easy to learn and use, very powerful • Over 500 tools in the Smart Tool Repository

  7. GFESuite - Weaknesses • Architected more than 15 years ago • Core is C++ based • Compiled language, difficult to maintain • Performs inefficiently for some operations (e.g., ISC) • ifpServer is a bottleneck GFE ifpInit ifpInit GFE ifpServer Text Formatter GFE ISC

  8. Performance Issues • GFE was originally designed for a 35 x 35 grid (20km) 1225 gridpoints • WFOs now running at ~300x300 domain (2.5km) at most offices ~90,000 gridpoints • RFCs want ~500x500 grid (2.5km) 250,000 grid points!

  9. AWIPS ifpInit Statistics

  10. Performance (cont.) • Bottom Line: 250K grid won’t work on AWIPS hardware • Not enough memory (4Gb) • CPUs not fast enough

  11. Performance (cont.) • However, better hardware exists! • 64 dual core, dual xeon (4 processors) • 8 Gb memory Note: 64-bit 250K test used all 8GB and required 250Mb of swap space

  12. Performance (cont.) • Recommendation: • Use 64-bit processors (minimum of 4) • 12 Gb memory • Option: Faster CPUs • Limited testing demonstrated this hardware will likely support an RFC domain of ~250K grid points

  13. Performance (cont.) • Text Formatters also exhibited performance problems • Hundreds of basins sampled • ~40 grids (6 hourly for 10 days) • But…formatter logic is simple (just too many basins) Gridded Database C++ Samplers Text Formatter Data structures must be copied for every sample

  14. Performance (cont.) • Possible Formatter Solution: • Rewrite formatters in Python as SmartTools • Avoid C++ sampling • RFC products generally simple formats and don’t require text formatter infrastructure • Potentially much better performance

  15. Tools • GFE SmartTools perform reasonably well even on a 250K grid point domain • AWIPS hardware ~ 2 seconds per grid • 64-bit hardware < 1 second per grid

  16. Precipitation Climatology • GFE contains monthly climatological data sets (CONUS only) • PRISM and NCDC • Precipitation • Maximum Temperature • Minimum Temperature • Spatial resolution: 4km for both PRISM and NCDC • Baseline tools calculate daily values using spline technique.

  17. Precipitation Climatology PRISM Precip.

  18. Inter-site Coordination • ISC will work at RFCs • Small amount of configuration at both RFCs and WFOs • Problem: RFC domains overlap with WFO domains • Solution: SmartTools that copy ISC grids into RFC forecast grids

  19. Conclusions • RFCs present challenges for GFESuite software • Most, if not all, problems can be solved with new hardware and new software • Amount of software required is relatively small • Some configuration • A few tools to: • Incorporate climatology in tools • Assimilate ISC data into the forecast • Implement text formatters as SmartTools

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