ROSA 1983 - 2005

ROSA quietly passed away July 6, 2005.

The last remaining ROSA PC in the Central Region at WFO-Milwaukee/Sullivan was turned 
off on July 6, 2005. This signals the end of an era. ROSA (Remote Observation System Automation)  
was originally implemented in 1983.  The original ROSA used an encoder (PAD) which was 
a portable data storage and transmission device.  Stored messages, manually entered via 
a keypad, were transmitted to a remote computer via the telephone. Each encoder had a 
telephone mouthpiece coupler, AC charger, DC charger, and a carrying case.  These devices 
were custom built for the National Weather Service.  A few were still being used up to the 
very end.

A new concept for ROSA observations was developed in 1989.  The use of a touch-tone 
telephone (TOUCH) for observation transmission was devised and implemented. The telephone 
adapted the same code used by the encoder and there was minimum change to coop observer 
procedures. The touch-tone telephone allowed the observation to be stored and transmitted 
in an easier fashion.  The software at the host computer was written to allow voice command 
functions to guide the cooperative observer with their observation transmission. The 
touch-tone telephone implementation began slowly and procurement of additional touch-tone 
telephones began in 1992.  There were 30 touch-tone phones in operation prior to 1992. And 
then from 1992 until 1998, over a thousand touch-tone telephones were procured.

After the touch-tone concept was developed, two PC programs were developed for entry of 
weather observations into the NWS ROSA computer system; CompuROSA and CompuB91. These 
programs automatically entered the ROSA Codes and used communications software to transmit 
the observations.  CompuB91 also prepared an observations form (B-91).

The driving force in developing ROSA was to facilitate the flow of hydrologic information 
into AFOS (Replaced by AWIPS). The concept was for the cooperative observer to take the 
observation, record it, and then transmit the observation unaided by NWS personnel.  Once 
the observation was received, it became operationally important on a near real-time basis.  
Up until that time, the cooperative observer had long been regarded as a climatology type 
observer, but new requirements followed by new technology, catapulted the cooperative 
observer into the operational end of meteorology.

ROSA is survived by WxCoder and IV-ROCS.