Wyle Information Systems scientific programmers develop and implement numerous applications for the Office of Hydrologic Development (OHD), Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL), and the Systems Engineering Center (SEC). Programmers worked with Dr. Wilson Shaffer of the National Weather Service (NWS) Hurricane Storm Surge Group to develop the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) computer model, which is designed to predict the amount of flooding caused by hurricanes. SLOSH required Wyle scientific programmers to create a database of terrain features by importing digital terrain elevation information from various GIS sources. Staff enhanced and maintain RADCLIM software to build radar coverage maps based on rainfall climatology, and created software to display hybrid scan data using C and X-Window applications. Employing FORTRAN 90, C, and UNIX shell scripting in the development of Model Output Statistics (MOS) products. Wyle developed StormDat, a highly visible NWS system for verification of meteorological watches and warnings.
Wyle Information Systems provides a variety of software development and database administration support to several NWS offices. For example, in support of the Modernized System for Verification and Data Collection and Information Retrieval, developing the Web-based Stats on Demand applications, including the River Forecast Verification Systems, Marine Forecast Verification System, a prototype for the Gridded Forecast Verification, and Graphical presentations of Severe Weather Verification. For MDL, Wyle provides application development and database administration support for hurricane and extra tropical storm surge forecasting. Developing software applications and integrating new algorithms to better support weather forecasts and research. In a recent modernization effort, Wyle professionals implemented updates to the Precipitation Processing System (PPS) that allow it to process radar data streams from airport Terminal Doppler Weather Radars (TDWRs) and generate corresponding TDWR-based precipitation products. The overall effect is like adding several dozen new NEXRAD radars.
On Space and Earth Sciences Data Analysis (SESDA) II, Wyle Information Systems scientists and engineers at Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Center (GES-DISC), work closely with the NASA civil servants to develop and design algorithms for the processing of data for Earth Science research by providing easy to use web based tools that are readily available in most common computers today and eliminate the need for sophisticated computers or processing software. One such tool is the visualization software Giovanni: the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure. Giovanni is the underlying infrastructure for a growing family of Web interfaces that allows users to analyze gridded earth science data interactively online without having to download any data or have access to sophisticated computer systems beyond what is available in a common personal computer today. Through Giovanni, users can discover and explore environmental data using state of the art algorithms to produce data visualizations to support their inquiry. Wyle scientists provide specialized expertise with data formats and science processing to equip Giovanni with most requested functions for processing of these data.
Moreover, Wyle Information Systems personnel provide project management, system development, programming, operations, sustaining engineering, maintenance, and phase-out for applications that support Earth observation, solar exploration, and deep space missions. Software is developed using an iterative software release methodology, also providing full software life cycle development and support for Goddard’s High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). This support includes requirements development, system design and implementation, documentation, and user support for a variety of satellite-based observatories.
SESDA II staff works on sea ice concentration, polar ice loss and snow-on-ice analyses. Using the results, staff developed simulations for space borne laser and lidar measurements. Staff also developed additional refinements to the Northern Hemisphere sea ice melt from passive microwave products. The algorithm was improved with respect to how it determined melt in the marginal ice zones such as the Sea of Oktosk, and it was adapted to run with higher resolution data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer instrument.
Working with NASA engineers, Wyle Information Systems staff helped develop the Numerical Propulsion Simulation Software (NPSS), a modeling and simulation system that generates sophisticated computer simulations to analyze performance data from different jet engine parts. This system dramatically reduced the time, effort, and expense involved in designing and testing jet engines and received NASA’s 2001 Software of the Year award. The GE Aircraft Engines Company estimated that use of NPSS resulted in a 55 per cent reduction in engine analysis time. Wyle personnel also have supported scientific mission planning and execution by participating in the flight checkout of emerging air-to-ground and satellite communications systems, participating significantly in the mission planning, data processing, and data analysis, as well as assembly and checkout of the systems themselves. Wyle supports two system engineering development environments for the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) and the Virtual Computing Information Management (VCIM) systems’ algorithm and software development. This support includes tools administration, Linux-based test bed administration, interface management, prototype development, requirements definition, analysis, design, implementation, and testing.
To support characterization and modeling of airline flight recorded data, Wyle Information Systems is developing NPSS airline flight simulations. This task includes supporting the infrastructure to process CDs from airline flight recorders; developing statistical analyses and neural network processing of airline flight data; and developing trend analyses for engine health monitoring and prediction. Wyle provides and maintains for NASA the hardware and systems for gathering telemetry data and archiving it in various media forms for long-term archival storage and disaster recovery, also providing and maintaining tools used for data analysis.
Wyle Information Systems supports engineering, installation, and maintenance of data systems in each of the research laboratories across Glenn Research Center (GRC). Responsible for calibrating many pieces of equipment in these facilities and work with the Logistics and Technical Information Division’s (LTID) calibration labs for those pieces for which LTID has responsibility.