Developers prerogative.
*Stonie Cooper*
Software Engineer III
NSF Unidata Program Center
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
*I acknowledge that the land I live and work on is the traditional home of
The **Chahiksichahiks (**Pawnee), The **Umoⁿhoⁿ (**Omaha), and The **Jiwere
(**Otoe).*
On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 4:54 PM Sebenste, Gilbert <sebensteg@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Stonie,
>
> I am not lobbing grenades at those in the trenches. I’m just trying to
> find out what is going on in the trenches…and I would like to know the
> reasons why.
>
> Gilbert
>
>
>
> Gilbert Sebenste
>
> Meteorology Support Analyst
>
>
>
> *From:* Stonie Cooper <cooper@xxxxxxxx>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 7, 2024 4:51 PM
> *To:* Sebenste, Gilbert <sebensteg@xxxxxxx>
> *Cc:* ldm-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; mcidas-x@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; NOAAPORT <
> noaaport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; mcidas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
> conduit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> *Subject:* [External] Re: [mcidas-x] Concerns about the future of UNIDATA
>
>
>
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside of COD’s system. Do not click
> links, open attachments, or respond with sensitive information unless you
> recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
>
>
>
> Development in LDM continues, but not in github. That is for a lot of
> reasons, but lobbing grenades at those still in the trenches will get you
> next to nowhere.
>
>
> *Stonie Cooper, PhD*
>
> Software Engineer III
>
> NSF Unidata Program Center
>
> University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
>
> *I acknowledge that the land I live and work on is the traditional home of
> The Chahiksichahiks (Pawnee), The Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), and The Jiwere (Otoe).*
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 4:04 PM Sebenste, Gilbert <sebensteg@xxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> Good day everyone,
>
>
>
> With the recent loss of 3 extremely valuable UNIDATA staff members, I
> wanted to inquire UNIDATA concerning several disturbing trends that I have
> been seeing with the organization. And quite frankly, what I discovered is
> disconcerting.
>
>
>
> Over the past several years, UNIDATA has been moving away from what it was
> funded to do, namely: provide weather data, software, and support to the
> University community for teaching, and also for research:
>
> “Unidata is a diverse community of education and research institutions
> with the common goal of sharing geoscience data and the tools to access and
> visualize that data.” – https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/about
>
>
>
> With this stated goal, excellent software packages used to support the
> educational and research communities have either been retired. or
> development has stopped…with minimal input from the user community. These
> software packages include GEMPAK, McIDAS, LDM (which hasn’t been touched on
> GitHub since Steve Emmerson retired), as well as others. In fact, McIDAS
> was sunset without any announcement or input from universities.
>
> When I brought these concerns to the Unidata User Committee chair, Victor
> Gensini, I found out that he had resigned nearly a month ago. This, again,
> was done without any announcement to the community. The User’s Committee is
> much more than an advisory board; it is one of shared governance. And the
> decisions made over the past several years have now culminated in an utter
> lack of transparency with the recent loss of staff. In a scientific
> community, the governing process must involve transparency to the highest
> extent possible to maintain integrity of the staff, community, services
> they provide, data, and success for end users.
>
> This is already starting to have a profoundly negative effect at the
> College of DuPage, which prompted me to write this. Even though we are a
> community college, we believe in UNIDATA’s stated vision and have shared
> our data via our website to all. Our setup here shares the weather data as
> much as we are able. Without UNIDATA’s McIDAS, GEMPAK, WXP and other
> software packages, we will not be able to share this data with others;
> additionally, we will not be able to teach the next generation of students
> with adequate software tools in a time where interest in the atmospheric
> sciences is about to peak. As a result, we have started to migrate towards
> commercial solutions to fill in the gaps. In the first 20 years of UNIDATA,
> that would be unthinkable.
>
> What is being supported? IDV is being built on a dying platform (Java),
> with apparently very few users, and one of the two AWIPS developers was one
> of the three people let go. What is left? Two of these staff members were
> the future of UNIDATA, and the other took care of critical systems and
> engagement with underserved communities. Who is doing that now? Nobody has
> answered these questions.
>
> Complete transparency has been and continues to be absolutely critical to
> the success that highlighted UNIDATA’s efforts over many years. These
> decisions have been made in darkness. Where leadership has been required,
> silence has occurred. It should not have been left to a terminated employee
> to make that announcement on his own free will.
>
> I am saying this with all sincerity because I believe that UNIDATA is
> going off-mission. I am speaking out like this because I am gravely
> concerned that UNIDATA has lost it’s way, delving into areas beyond what it
> was supposed to be, while failing to maintain and flourish what it’s
> mission statement demands. The end result has been the loss of critical
> software and support that we need, as an educational institution. And let’s
> be blunt here: if the https://weather.cod.edu site went down, a lot of
> Universities who use us would be in trouble. We know, because we see the
> number of “hits” from them in our web logs. And, if the LDM isn’t
> maintained, especially with major NOAAport/SBN feed changes on the horizon,
> the very backbone of the NWS data feed is in jeopardy. If McIDAS isn’t
> maintained, our satellite imagery goes away. And despite requests for
> Canadian radar data and other datasets that can be helpful (several
> Canadian radars cover portions of the border states reasonably well), not a
> yes or a no has been spoken to me.
>
>
>
> UNIDATA, as a DeSouza award winner, I beg that you turn back to what made
> you great: tried and true, as well as new software…data and software for
> all of us, and unquestionable, excellent support.
>
> With respect,
>
> Gilbert Sebenste
>
> Meteorology Support Analyst
>
>
>
>
>
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