MINIATURE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVING TERMINAL (MMOT)

ENTRY, TRANSFER, PROCESSING, AND ARCHIVE OF LOCALIZED AVIATION, HYDROLOGICAL, AND COOPERATIVE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS REMAINS A LABOR INTENSIVE PROCESS. EXISTING COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY FOR LOW COST, POCKET COMPUTERS INCLUDESDISPLAY, PROGRAMMING, STORAGE, AND INTERFACE CAPABILITIES TO ECONOMICALLY AUTOMATE THESE OBSERVATIONS. DEVELOPMENTS REQUIRED INCLUDE: APPLICATION SOFTWARE WHICH BOTH PROMPTS AND PROVIDES FEEDBACK SOFTWARE; INTEGRATION OF COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE TRANSMISSION, STORAGE, AND ARCHIVE OVER COMMERCIAL TELEPHONELINES COMPATIBLE WITH EXISTING AND PLANNED NWS SYSTEMS. THE MINIATURE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATION TERMINAL PROJECT WILL CONFIRM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING COOPERATIVE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. A PROTOTYPE DESIGN TO MAXIMIZE NWS PERFORMANCE WILL BE DEVELOPED. MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING MINIATURE COMPUTER SYSTEMS WILL BE ENGINEERED TO MEET THE SYSTEM'S REQUIREMENTS. AN EVALUATION OF THE PROTOTYPE AND MODIFIED COMMERCIAL SYSTEM DESIGNS WILL BE CONDUCTED AGAINSTTHE REQUIREMENTS. THE EVALUATION WILL INCLUDE: HARDWARE ANDSOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS, MAN-MACHINE INTERFACE, QUALITY CONTROL, LOGISTICS, AND PERFORMANCE FOR EACH SYSTEM. EVALUATIONS WILL QUANTIFY SYSTEM COST AND PERFORMANCE. A SYSTEM MEETING NWS REQUIREMENTS AT AN ACCEPTABLE COST WILL BE SELECTED FOR DEVELOPMENT AND FIELD TEST IN PHASE 2.