The Model Analyses and Guidance (MAG) website showcases the National Weather Service’s observational database and graphical suite of numerical model analysis and guidance. The data is presented in standard Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) including static images and looping images. The processing, which creates these forecast graphics uses the General Meteorology PAcKage (GEMPAK) software to convert forecast model output into images to be transferred from the Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS) to the MAG website. The forecast graphics are available on the MAG website at nearly the same time products from the models are available to the National Weather Service and private users. The graphical model guidance is updated as each model forecast hour becomes available. It is a well known fact that the MAG is a computer resource hog in order to generate hourly gif images for all the Model Guidance, Observations and Analyses, Tropical Guidance, Forecast Soundings. MDL is prototyping the use of OGC web services (combination of WCS, WMS, and REST-based API calls to our data API) to transform the need to use of computer resources for these gif images. In addition, we've also built in the ability for users to save the resulting graphics out as PDF or PNG output, and support zooming in and out of the data. This is particularly important if a user is examining higher resolution data. This work has begun, but currently on hold at the direction of the Office of Dissemination Director
