The mission of the Observing Systems Branch is centered on the following major components:

• Leads on a programmatic level the upper air and surface observing systems operational programs
• Provides operational support for new and existing systems through the activities of the Sterling Field Support Center
• Focal Point for the deployment of new observing systems and upgrades
• Maintains system configurations and the reporting of stations through the collection of meta-data
• Produces operational procedures for observing systems

SURFACE OBSERVATIONS - OPS22 manages the planning and implementation of new/improved surface observing equipment/systems. This includes:

• Writing Implementation plans
• Coordinating and managing the execution of these implementation plans
• Provide limited supporting documentation for implementation such as Ready Reference Guide, Software User's Manual, Release Notes, Diagrams, etc.;
• Perform meteorological and functional analysis of operational problems and provide suggested solutions
• Conduct interagency coordination, assessment, and manage resolution of surface observation issues through scheduled and ad-hoc meetings, conferences, etc.
• Manage remote data access and update site specific R-values information,
• Manage configuration changes to surface observing systems.