Sec. 4. Initiative on development of advanced weather models using advanced computing techniques
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The Administrator, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall carry out an initiative that may leverage advanced computing techniques and the expertise of the Department to develop and deploy advanced weather models to conduct proof of concept scenarios in comparison with current issued models (in this section referred to as the Initiative ). The Administrator, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall carry out the Initiative through a competitive, merit-reviewed process and consider applications from Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate entities (or a consortia thereof).
In carrying out the Initiative, the Administrator, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall prevent duplication and coordinate research efforts in advanced computing techniques across the Administration, and may— leverage related efforts and data from the National Science and Technology Council, the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services, and other relevant interagency entities; provide sufficient capacity for long-term archive of and access to model output to support research and long-term study; determine computing decisions based on an agile requirements framework; support the training, recruitment, and retention of the next generation weather, water, and climate computing workforce through incentives and pathways for career development and employment opportunities; support maintenance of and improvements to scientific computing infrastructure that the Administrator and the Secretary determine appropriate; conduct comparative research between forecasts issued by the National Weather Service and operational models of the National Weather Service as compared to predictions and models developed to run using advanced computing techniques; and share relevant modeling system and application innovations developed through the Initiative, including applications based on the Unified Forecast System, through community-based activities.
The Secretary, in collaboration with the Administrator, may establish at National Laboratories not more than 3 centers of excellence to support advanced weather models by researching, developing, and deploying advanced computing techniques in collaboration with research laboratories of the Administration and other relevant entities. Each center established under paragraph
(1)may carry out activities that include the following: Leveraging robust public-private partnership models to provide access to training, experience, and long-term development of workforce and infrastructure. Developing and optimizing tools, libraries, algorithms, data structures, and other supporting software necessary for specific applications on high-performance computing systems. Applying advanced computing techniques to improve the accuracy and resolution of advanced weather model predictions and to address current and future mission challenges. In selecting National Laboratories at which to establish a center of excellence under subsection (b), the Secretary, in collaboration with the Administrator, shall give priority to Laboratories that— have existing partnerships or relationships with the Administration; host significant artificial intelligence enabled high-performance computing systems; have a workforce with experience in advanced computing techniques; are geographically proximate to one of the research laboratories of the Administration; and have a workforce with experience in weather and climate modeling or computation. The Administrator and the Secretary may enter into multi-year contracts in accordance with section 3903 of title 41, United States Code, and shall ensure compliance with all provisions of that section, to support operational research and development related to advanced computing techniques. Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report evaluating the following: The effectiveness of the Initiative, including applied research discoveries and advanced modeling improvements achieved through the Initiative. Potential opportunities to expand capabilities of the Department and the Administration with respect to advanced computing techniques. The need for collaboration on advanced computing techniques between the Department and the Administration. The authority under this section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.