NOAA forecasts need for 100G for Washington, DC, metro science network

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is building a private fiber-optic network under its N-Wave umbrella that will connect four facilities in the Washington, DC, metro area. The new 100-Gbps fiber infrastructure will leverage the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform from Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN) according to the communications technology provider.

NOAA's nationwide N-Wave science network, initially founded via funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), provides connectivity among NOAA programs, line offices, research facilities, and other scientific centers across the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. It supports as much as 5 PB of data transfer each month. The new metro DC network will link facilities in McLean, VA, with three others in Maryland, located in Suitland, Silver Spring, and College Park. The high-speed network will support such NOAA programs as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series R (GOES-R) and the next-generation national weather observation satellite initiative.

"NOAA is an innovative agency of science, stewardship, and service with scope and responsibility ranging from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the sun. NOAA scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers, and other decision makers with reliable information," explained Robert Sears, N-Wave manager, chief IT manager, NOAA/OAR/ESRL-DO. "NOAA's networks need to be inline with, if not ahead of, the scientific innovation in order to enable NOAA's mission. The Ciena 6500 platform will help us create a reliable, agile next-generation infrastructure that plays a significant role in our ability to support advanced environmental scientific research and discovery."

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