This change will enable the use of more data in the variational framework. The solution strategy allows different data sources to be represented by different terms in the minimized functional. The functional can be automatically adjusted to match the datasets present. More important, this approach accommodates nonlinear functionals. 1.1 Brief History of LAPS Under development since 1990, LAPS combines nationally disseminated data with local data for real-time objective analyses of all data available to the local weather forecast office.
LAPS analyses are of suitable quality to initialize local-scale forecast models.
During the 1980s FSL conducted forecast exercises to test its workstation prototypes. Forecasters were burdened with the impossible task of reviewing all the incoming data made possible through new technologies, while producing timely forecasts. It became obvious that local data needed to be objectively analyzed in conjunction with nationally disseminated data. Conceived as a resolution to this challenge, LAPS was designed to analyze all local data in real time on an affordable computer workstation and use its own output fields to initialize local-scale forecast models. So far LAPS has been interfaced with RAMS and MM5, but it can function with any weather prediction model.