June 3, 2009
Dear Unidata GEMPAK/NAWIPS users:
In an effort to keep the Unidata community informed about developments
surrounding GEMPAK/NAWIPS transition to AWIPS II, we are pleased to
inform you that the National Weather Service (NWS) has notified us that
Unidata is free to distribute AWIPS II software, including migrated
NAWIPS functionality, to its community. As you know from our previous
messages, Unidata has been in ongoing discussions with NWS to make AWIPS
II software available under an open source licensing arrangement. As
Don Berchoff, Director, Office of Science and Technology states in his
letter "One of our primary objectives as we move forward is to
strengthen our partnership with the university community to enable
faster and more effective infusion of new science from research to
operations in AWIPS. We look forward to our continued partnership with
Unidata to meet this objective." The AWIPS II software, including source
code and binaries, will be made available to the public. Current AWIPS
and NAWIPS development schedules show that the AWIPS II software will be
available at the start of FY 2011. We believe this is an important step
forward for the Unidata community.
The Unidata Policy Committee was briefed at its recent meeting by NWS
and NCEP staff on the progress of AWIPS II and NAWIPS migration and the
committee and UPC staff have begun discussing the next steps for
Unidata. The UPC is currently evaluating AWIPS II software and its
suitability and resource implications for an eventual deployment in our
community. Meanwhile, we are also working with our governing committees
to develop plans for migrating GEMPAK users to AWIPS II and IDV.
We take this opportunity to reaffirm our support for GEMPAK until
suitable replacements are available. Please be assured of Unidata's
commitment to a smooth and orderly transition of GEMPAK users as we
continue to work closely with AWIPS II developers at NWS and NCEP in
bringing AWIPS II to the Unidata community.
You can find additional information, including previous announcements
and FAQ on GEMPAK migration, at:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/gempak/nawipsmigration/
We will continue to keep you all updated on our plans and any new
developments as they occur. Please feel free to provide input on this
process by sending an e-mail to nawipsmigration@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:nawipsmigration@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
Sincerely,
Mohan Ramamurthy, UPC Director (mohan@xxxxxxxx <mailto:mohan@xxxxxxxx>)
Steven Businger, Chair, Unidata Policy Committee (businger@xxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:businger@xxxxxxxxxx>)
Gary Lackmann, Chair, Unidata Users Committee (gary@xxxxxxxx
<mailto:gary@xxxxxxxx>)
