The Central Switching System
The Source for Hydro Meteorological Data & Products
What is the Central Switching System
The central communications switching system (called the Gateway) is a major component of
the Telecommunications Operations Center's, National Weather Service Telecommunication
Gateway (NWSTG). The organizational management is through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) National Weather
Service (NWS), Office of the Chief Information
The Gateway is the primary data communications switching system of the NWS. It is a global destributor of weather messages in support
of the NWS commitment to the WMO World-Wide data
exchange structure, therefore, the Gateway maintains a recognition system for all weather
data and products for purposes of exchange to global customers. This Center is a Region Telecommunication Hub (RTH) of the WMO
Global Telecommunication System (GTS) communications network. The Gateway is the World
Area Forecast Center (WAFC) distribution system for the World Area Forecast System (WAFS). The WAFS distribution is through a satellite
broadcast to geographical areas located over two-thirds of the globe.
The Gateway provides national and global near real-time data exchange services using
automated communication resources, transmitting a wide variety of environmental data types.
The Gateway is operated twenty four hours a day to acquire, process observations, construct
messages, and disseminate messages and files of observations, model analysis, and forecast
products. The time-perishable products are disseminated cyclically according to fixed
schedules. The Gateway is committed to maintaining a timely and reliable transmission of
products at the highest level.
The Gateway is the data source for the Family of Services (FOS) data distribution and the data broadcast to the Emergency Managers
Information Network (EMWIN).