A pre-operational Data Targeting System (DTS) was developed to assess the feasibility of operational adaptive control of the observing system and as a facility to aid research projects using data targeting. The DTS was developed and hosted at ECMWF. The work was jointly funded by EUCOS and the EC as part of the PREVIEW Integrated Project (work package WP3320) of the EU 6th Framework Programme.
The real-time trial of the DTS ran from 4 February until 19 December 2008. The trial was focused on improving short range (1–3 day) forecasts of potentially high-impact or high-uncertainty weather events in Europe. The DTS was used on a daily basis by forecasters across Europe to request Sensitive Area Predictions (SAPs), which predict locations where additional observations may reduce the uncertainty of potential severe weather events in subsequent forecasts. The DTS displayed SAP results from ECMWF, the Met Office and Météo-France.