One thing that all models have in common is the establishment of analyses and initial conditions that models use to describe the current state of the atmosphere. Also, all models strive to forecast the future state, and all models disseminate the analyses and present a useful forecast to a wide variety of users. Models are unable to continously take in new data. For this reason a stopping point must be established. Each model has its own data cutoff and schedule.
Scheduling refers to how often a model is run.
This allows them to update and include new observations. The more recent the meteorological data is, the more precise the model is able to depict the current weather situation. Data cutoffs and scheduling are integral parts of a model's input and output. The data cutoff stops the input of current information. The schedule denotes the time when the model uses the data to make its runs.