SCIENCE

Global Science & Technology, Inc. (GST) is a subcontractor on the CSC team awarded a Research and Development High Performance Computing (HPC) System indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). GST’s role as a subcontractor is to perform Data Storage Services, Engineering Services, Operations and Maintenance, Systems Administration, and Scientific Visualization as required by the contract.

The IDIQ contract has a four-year base period, one four-year option and one one-year transition option, bringing the estimated contract value to $317 million if all options are exercised. The first year will be funded at $49.3 million by NOAA using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

NOAA’s HPC program must provide a broad continuum of information products based on computer models for weather, climate, and ecological predictions. In order to accommodate this new large-scale supercomputing approach to modeling, NOAA has determined that it requires a new, more flexible HPC architecture. This target architecture must span a vast array of technical and product delivery requirements to meet the needs of millions of diverse stakeholders, including NOAA scientists, academic researchers, private sector planners, Federal partners, and the general public, particularly when life and property are threatened.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with CSC on this contract,” explained GST President Chieh-san Cheng. “GST can help NOAA support critical performance capabilities that ultimately will increase climate and weather information accuracy and drive shorter lead times and local detail of model simulations.”

NOAA is recognized as a world leader in understanding and predicting the Earth’s environment, through advanced modeling capabilities, climate research and real time weather products. The threat and growing concern of global climate change and its impact on national security, hurricanes, and other natural disasters has spurred growing public demand for climate and weather information with increased accuracy, shorter lead times and local detail of model simulations.