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Visiting Scientist Software Developer

NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS)/Office of Dissemination (DISS) and National
Ocean Service (NOS)/Coast Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL) - Durham, NH

Initial consideration will be given to applications received prior to
4:00 p.m. (MST), Friday 18 November, 2016.

Where You Will Work

This position will be located in the NOAA-UNH Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC)/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping on the beautiful campus of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Visiting Scientist Programs (VSP), in cooperation with NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS)/Office of Dissemination (DISS) and National Ocean Service (NOS)/Coast Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL), is seeking applications for a Visiting Scientist – Software Developer.

VSP partners with federal agencies and universities across the nation to recruit, hire and provide administrative management to scientists who are working on cutting-edge research of benefit to society. Visiting Scientists become employees of UCAR, which is based in Boulder, Colorado. Many scientists are hosted at NOAA research and operational settings located throughout the U.S.

The Visiting Scientist will become a part of NOAA’s nowCOAST Development Team.  nowCOAST (https://nowcoast.noaa.gov) is a web-based GIS portal which provides users and partners with near-real-time coastal intelligence on recent past, present and future environmental conditions.  This is accomplished by integrating and disseminating surface observations, imagery, watches/warnings, forecasts, and model forecast guidance from NOS, NWS, NESDIS, and other federal and state agencies.  nowCOAST has become a critical data source for users in emergency management, coastal management, maritime operations, etc., many of whom provide 24 x 7 decision support functions to their own users.  nowCOAST is hosted in the NOAA Integrated Dissemination Program (IDP) infrastructure and is monitored 24 x 7 by NCEP Central Operations.

What You Will Do

The Visiting Scientist position involves helping with 1) the enhancement of NOAA’s nowCOAST data ingest system, web mapping services, and map viewer to improve efficiencies, implement additional features and functionality, and incorporate the processing and display of additional NOAA datasets, 2) the development of an interactive web-based map viewer application to fulfill NWS mission requirements using the nowCOAST framework, and 3) the development of a prototype common data ingest system based on the nowCOAST framework and open source software. The specific responsibilities associated with the position are:

• Work with the nowCOAST lead developer to create a JavaScript-based web map viewer application for NWS using the nowCOAST framework that meets NWS functionality and content requirements.

• Modify and extend the nowCOAST Python-based data ingest system to process additional near-real-time datasets while optimizing resource usage efficiency and framework reusability, scalability, and performance.

• Create new web mapping services and modify existing nowCOAST map services to include additional datasets and improve map service performance, cartography, and organization. 

• Identify test cases and work with other team members to develop automated test suites to verify the quality, correctness, and reliability of new nowCOAST versions prior to release.

• Work with other nowCOAST team members to design and develop a prototype common data ingest system to meet the requirements of both nowCOAST map services and IDP GIS map services in the future.  The common data ingest system will be based on open source software and the present nowCOAST data ingest framework.

• Assist NCO System Administrators to restore nowCOAST (ArcGIS Server stack) and IDP GIS web map services (ArcGIS Server stack and GeoServer stack) back to normal operations following unplanned outages.  This will require occasional on-call technical response during non-business hours when the primary responder is not available.

Minimum Job Requirements – What You Need

• Strong knowledge of and experience with software development and debugging, including database and web service programming and performance optimization.

• Experience in the implementation, monitoring, and troubleshooting of applications in an operational Linux environment.

• Familiarity with the manipulation and visualization of GIS spatial data sets (e.g. raster and vector) in different formats (e.g. Shapefile, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF, NetCDF, HDF, GRIB2, BUFR).

• 2 or more years of experience with several of the following software technologies related to processing and display of geospatial data:

·       GIS Software – ArcGIS Desktop and Server, GDAL/OGR, QGIS, GeoServer

·       Databases – PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension, ArcSDE

·       Languages/Technologies – Python, JavaScript, SQL, Subversion/Git, Apache, Tomcat

Education

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science or Information Technology with 2 or more years of software development experience, OR

• Bachelor of Science Degree in related field such as Meteorology or Atmospheric Sciences with significant course work in Computer Sciences or Information Technology along with 2 or more years of software development experience, OR

• Equivalent combination of education (e.g. Master’s Degree) and software development experience

Desired Skills

• Strong knowledge of software design principles and version control best practices.

• Familiarity with the implementation and maintenance of GIS map services.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision and as part of a team.

• Partial relocation costs paid per UCAR’s relocation policy.

• U.S. Citizenship, Permanent Residency, or other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) is required for this position.  UCAR/NCAR will not sponsor a work visa (e.g., J-1, H1-B, etc.) for this position.

For information on how to apply, please visit:

http://vsp.ucar.edu/opportunities/visiting-scientist-software-developer

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer that strives to develop and maintain a diverse workforce. UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is an EO/AAE who values and encourages diversity in the workplace.