[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 48488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20009]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

[Docket No. 000712204-0204-01]


SUBJECT: Further Extension of NEXRAD Information Dissemination 
Service (NIDS) Agreement until December 31, 2000

AGENCY: National Weather Service (NWS), NOAA, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The NWS is in the process of replacing the NIDS with a 
Government operated Radar Product Central Collection/ Distribution 
Service (RPCCDS). Once the RPCCDS is operational, it will be accessible 
by all users. To allow for a successful transition to this service, the 
NIDS Agreement with three private vendors distributing WSR-88D products 
to external users, will be extended through December 31, 2000.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 8, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Carelli, NWS NIDS 
Administrator, at (301) 713-1724 ext. 184, or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NWS is in the process of replacing the 
NIDS with a Government operated Radar Product Central Collection/
Distribution Service (RPCCDS). Once the RPCCDS is operational, it will 
be accessible by all users. The NIDS Agreement with three private 
vendors distributing WSR-88D products to external users was extended 
through September 30, 2000. The amended NIDS Agreement provides for 
additional extensions, beyond September 30, 2000, in 90-day increments, 
as necessary, until the NWS has completed the transition to the 
replacement RPCCDS.
    The RPCCDS has been developed by the NWS and preliminary testing is 
in progress. The NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System 
network is used to collect the WSR-88D products from the NWS, Federal 
Aviation Administration, and Department of Defense WSR-88D sites and 
deliver them to central radar collection servers that are integrated in 
the NWS Telecommunication Gateway in Silver Spring, Maryland. The NWS 
has developed a Demonstration Plan for the RPCCDS to validate the 
operational readiness of the RPCCDS. The Demonstration Plan is 
available in ``pdf'' format on the NWS RPCCDS web page at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oso/rpccds.html.
    In order to provide an adequate period of operational testing and 
sufficient advance notification to all users of the transition to the 
RPCCDS, the NIDS Agreement is further extended until December 31, 2000. 
Once the RPCCDS is operational, the NIDS Agreement will be terminated, 
but no sooner than December 31, 2000. Once operational, the NWS RPCCDS 
will provide an open distribution of radar products to all users 
without data redistribution restrictions.

    Dated: July 31, 2000.
John E. Jones, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.
[FR Doc. 00-20009 Filed 8-7-00; 8:45 am]
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