Raytheon completes rollout for national weather service

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Raytheon has distributed its next-generation weather system across the United States, aiming to help the U.S. National Weather Service in making more accurate predictions.

The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System II (AWIPS II) is a complex network of weather systems that ingest and integrate meteorological, hydrological, satellite, and radar data. The upgraded system includes new capabilities designed to help weather forecasters make predictions more quickly and more accurately.

Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information, and Services, praises the upgrade, saying the added data ingestion capabilities will make a significant difference.

"The development and rollout of AWIPS II builds on Raytheon's 10 year partnership with the NWS to maintain and operate the weather predicting capabilities that are so critical to commerce, safety and quality of life across the country," Wajsgras said in a statement. "The modernized AWIPS II processes significantly more data from even more sources than the previous system, enabling better, more accurate forecasts."

More than 130 National Weather Service offices use AWIPS for their forecasts. Raytheon says AWIPS II simplifies the code to strengthen the system's performance, while also reducing maintenance.