


"We basically worked on it, expanded it and did more and more things to its limit," said Matt Davis, information technology officer for the La Crosse office. "We were pretty much stuck."

Developed by Raytheon in cooperation with the weather service, the new system -- known to weathermen as AWIPS II -- underwent more than a year of beta testing at eight weather service offices. It will now be installed at all 122 offices in three-month waves, Davis said.


The average user won't notice anything different with the website or NOAA weather radio, Davis said, but the system will allow forecasters to begin producing new products -- such as more detailed or customized maps.

The system will also make it easier to incorporate new research and methodologies as they come along, Davis said. "Forecasting is a pretty young science ... there's always new developments."