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National Weather Service: Building a Better Forecast Model: Page 5 of 6

Randy Chambers, 49, runs the NCF, the main site for the NWS' massive Advanced Weather Information Processing System network and systems. Chambers heads up NWS' operations, analysis, engineering and product support. He also oversees the primary contractor that runs the NCF and the new IFPS and NDFD systems, Northrop Grumman Information Technology. Chambers has been with the NWS, which is part of the federal government's National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, for 21 years; he has worked in the IT field for 30 years. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Arizona.

Why weather forecasters get the forecast wrong: I don't think NWS forecasters get the forecast wrong. I believe that media newscasters do.

Seriously, though, NWS is continuing to improve the accuracy of its forecasts. We've shortened the lead time for issuing severe storm watches and warnings, and the meteorological models contain more information, which improves precision.

What you can't predict about the weather: Budgets for the systems that collect weather data.

Biggest mistake made in technology: Falling in love with bleeding-edge technology and forgetting the process for implementing it.