SILVER SPRING, Md., 18 August 2005. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Weather Service has awarded a performance-based contract to Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC for the operations and maintenance, optional product improvements, and software maintenance and support of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS).
The contract is for five years, with five one-year award terms for a potential of a 10-year contract. The contract has the potential value of $300 million.
AWIPS is the computerized system that processes and overlays multiple data sources to allow local Weather Forecast Offices and River Forecast Centers to generate weather and water forecasts and warnings. It is a cornerstone technology of the modernized National Weather Service.
AWIPS continually evolves to accommodate new science and technology to meet National Weather Service, NOAA and Department of Commerce strategic goals. This contract represents a new phase in the operation and maintenance of AWIPS, increasing system performance and functionality and improving forecasts and warning timeliness to support the National Weather Service mission.
NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA's National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes. For more information, see www.noaa.gov or www.weather.gov.