I'm a software engineer working on the FAA/NASA Center/TRACON Automation System(CTAS) at NASA's Ames Research Center. For the last couple of years we've been using 60km GRiB grid 87 data for wind, temp, and pressure data. We've gotten this data from the oso server and one of the nic machines.

There's a bit of a panic going on here since we found the websites and the March 9 deadline for RUC-2 going operational *yesterday*... and you know how panic (like other things) rolls down hill. To me or onto me.

Forgive me if these questions have been answered elsewhere... and please point me to that elsewhere if possible.

I have a few of specific questions:
1) Will GRiB grid 87 files remain available through a transition period or will they be unavailable after 9 March? If so, where and for how long?

2) Will GRiB grid AWIPS 211 files remain available through a transition period? If so, where and for how long?

3) In reading through posts to this forum, I've seen reference to the 60km grid data and the 80km data being "mimicked" in RUC-2. Are these refering to the Grid 87 and AWIPS grid 211 files I'm used to seeing? And does "mimicked" mean that files containing records on those grids will remain available, or does it mean that all the variables will be available in the new RUC-2 files, but on the new 40km grid?

Thanks very much in advance,
Paul Decker
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Sterling Software/SSD
NASA Ames Research Center
650/604-6124