About

The 2026 IOOS Community Modeling Workshop will bring together participants from NOAA, IOOS Regional Associations, academic institutions, industry, national centers, and other federal agencies to share modeling systems and technical advancements. Through interactive sessions, the workshop aims to develop a shared understanding of community and NOAA priorities, identify opportunities for alignment, and determine how to best support one another. Key discussions will focus on technological advancements and innovation, workforce development, and integrated modeling, while facilitating sustained collaboration and knowledge sharing. By building on the 2021 workshop’s outcomes, this event will transition from foundational discussions toward coordinated strategy, actionable pathways for research-to-operations and operations-to-research (R2O2R) integration, including with the Unified Forecast System (UFS), and implementable next steps for long-term community success.

This workshop will emphasize:

• Providing an avenue for the community to showcase systems, products, innovation, and engagement strategies.
• Discussing key focus areas: technological innovation, workforce development, and integrated modeling.
• Establishing a shared understanding of community and NOAA priorities, identifying opportunities for alignment or areas to support one another.
• Developing strategies for research-to-operations and operations-to-research (R2O2R) and integration with NOAA systems (e.g., UFS).
• Fostering sustained collaboration and knowledge sharing across NOAA, federal, academic, and industry partners.
• Defining implementable next steps to ensure long-term community success and effective support structures.

The workshop will include opportunities for community participation through showcases of projects, products, tools, applications, and lessons learned from across the coastal and ocean modeling community.

A pre-workshop webinar was held on July 9th. Materials and resources from the webinar include:

• Webinar Recording
• Webinar Summary
• Webinar Slides
• IOOS Modeling Terms & Definitions
• IOOS Community Models and Products
• NOAA NOS Model Evaluation Request for Information (RFI)
• NOS Modeling Priorities & Community Questions Google Form

When

July 28-30, 2026 

Where

Reservoir Center, 301 Water Street SE, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20003

Virtual participation is also available for this workshop. 

Agenda

Workshop draft agenda

This is a living document and will continue to evolve based on community input and planning committee discussions.

Expect an interactive workshop with session formats such as: 

• Plenary Sessions: Opening remarks, keynotes, and community updates.
• Thematic Breakouts: Facilitated discussions around major themes (e.g., data assimilation, cloud computing, R2O processes).
• Working Sessions: Small group problem-solving around specific challenges or future initiatives.
• Demos & Resource Exchanges: Stations showcasing model products, tools, or user applications.
• Community Forum: Collaborative board for sharing resources, needs, and takeaways.
• Social & Networking Elements: Icebreakers and end-of-day reflection sessions to build connections.

Registration

Workshop Registration. Please register by July 17th to assist with planning and logistics. On-site participation is limited, so please register early if you plan to attend in person. 

There is no registration fee for this workshop.

Travel Logistics:

Nearby Airports

Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)

Washington Dulles International (IAD)

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI)

Transportation

From DCA: Take the DC Metro yellow line, transfer at L’Enfant Plaza to the green line, take the green line to the Navy Yard Metro station. 

From IAD: Take the Silverline Express shuttle to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station, transfer to the DC Metro silver line, take the silver line to L’Enfant Plaza then transfer to the green line to the Navy Yard Metro station. 

From BWI: Take the Amtrak or Marc train to Union Station, transfer to the DC Metro red line to Gallery Place-Chinatown, then transfer to the green line to the Navy Yard Metro station. 

Parking:

There are three parking lots near the Reservoir Center. The Yards Lot Q at 425 Tingey St SE (one block away), SP+ Parking at 1275 New Jersey Ave SE, and Colonial Parking at 300 M St SE.

Weather

July in Washington, D.C. is hot and humid! Daytime highs are typically in the upper 80s while nighttime lows fall in the upper 60s and 70s. Short rainstorms are fairly common during this time of year.