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Acronyms and Abbreviations Used by the Statistical Modeling Branch
Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in the MOS Text Products
GFS MOS (MAV) GFS-based forecast guidance from 6 to 72 hours in advance, for over 1500 stations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. This message is generated four times a day, at 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC.
See Description of the AVN MOS Message for the abbreviations in this text message.
NAM MOS (MET) NAM-based forecast guidance from 6 to 72 hours in advance, for over 1600 stations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. This message is created twice a day, at 0000 and 1200 UTC.
See Description of the NAM MOS Message for the abbreviations in this text message.
GFS Extended MOS (MEX) GFS-based forecast guidance from 24 to 192 hours in advance, for over 1600 stations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. This message is created twice a day, at 0000 and 1200 UTC.
See Description of the MRF MOS Message for the abbreviations in this text message.
NGM MOS (FWC) NGM-based forecast guidance from 6 to 60 hours in advance, for over 500 stations in the United States, includes Alaska but does not include Hawaii. This is run twice a day at 0000 and 1200 UTC.
See Description of the NGM MOS Message for the abbreviations in this text message.

Additional Acronyms and Abbreviations
AFOS Automation of Field Operations and Services (obsolete)
AVN Aviation
AWIPS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
BUFR Binary Universal Format for Data Representation
CAFTI Committee for Analysis and Forecasting Techniques (Disbanded)
CONUS Contiguous United States (the lower 48)
DRG Data Review Group
Eta Eta Model
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FAN MOS Forecasts based on the Aviation model, AWIPS product category (obsolete)
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
FMR MOS Forecasts based on the Medium-Range model, AWIPS product category (obsolete)
FWC MOS Wind Cloud Forecasts (and other elements) based on the Nested Grid Model, AWIPS product category
GFS Global Forecast System
GMT Greenwich Mean Time (See also UTC)
GRIB Gridded Binary (Standard file format)
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization, standard used for 4-character station identifiers.
MAE Mean Absolute Error
MAV MOS - Aviation-Based Guidance, AWIPS product category
MDL Meteorological Development Laboratory (Formerly known as TDL)
MET MOS - NAM-Based Guidance, AWIPS product category
MEX MOS - Extended-Range Guidance, AWIPS product category
MOS Model Output Statistics
MRF Medium-Range Forecast Model
NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction
NOGAPS Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System
NAM North American Mesoscale model
NGM Nested Grid Model
NWS National Weather Service
OBVIS Obstruction to Vision
POP Probability of Precipitation
PTYPE Precipitation Type
QPF Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
RFC River Forecast Center
SHEF Standard Hyrdometeorological Exchange Format
SMB Statistical Modeling Branch
TDL Techniques Development Laboratory (Renamed to MDL)
TPB Technical Procedures Bulletin
USAF United States Air Force
UTC Universal Time, Coordinated (See also GMT)
X/N or N/X Maximum and Minimum Temperature
National Weather Service
Office Of Science and Technology
Meteorological Development Laboratory
Statistical Modeling Branch
1325 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
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Page last Modified: Friday, 12 December 2008 16:56 UTC