Toward the Production Phase of NOAA´s Next Generation Water Level Measurement System

The National Ocean Service (NOS), within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), operates and maintains a National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) to accomplish its statutory responsibility for measuring, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating water level data. Because the equipment used to support the NWLON is aging and largely obsolete, NOS is replacing it with a modernized system--the Next Generation Water Level Measurement System (NGWLMS). The NGWLMS is a fully integrated system including new technology field sensors and storage/recording equipment, multiple state-of-the art data transmission options, and integrated central data processing, analysis, and dissemination subsystems. This paper will report on the results of an evaluation of 20 prototype field units and describe the progress to date on acquiring the overall system hardware and software. The production field units will be characterized and compared to the detailed specifications under which they were purchased. Final system requirements and capabilities will also be outlined.