Meteorologist, oceanographer, Python solvem probler, experimenter, Raspberry Pi tinkerer, geek dad, manager, space enthusiast, ham radio lover, science columnist, ADHDer, synthetic intellect curious, linux admin cosplayer.

Image research: Fred Shuman and the National Meteorological Center (NMC) at Suitland, 1974-1981

Compiled 2026-05-13. License rule: only CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0, public domain (PD-USGov is the most common form here – NOAA/NWS federal-employee work). Fair use is rejected.

For each candidate I verified the license on the file’s own description page (Wikimedia Commons file page, NWS Heritage article, NOAA disclaimer).

The post covers Shuman’s NMC directorship (1964-1981), the move from FOB-4 Suitland to the World Weather Building at Camp Springs (1974-1975), the IBM 360/195 era (1973-1981), Joseph Sela’s spectral model (operational August 1980), John Hovermale (PE model co-author 1968), George Cressman (Shuman’s predecessor), and the AFOS field deployment (1976-1982).

Important factual finding for the post: Per WPC’s own September 2025 history PDF (https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/WPC_history.pdf, p. 5): the NMC machine chain went IBM 360/195 → Cray Y-MP8 (late 1980s). The Cyber 205 was NOT at NMC. The Cyber 205 was at the UK Met Office (Bracknell, 1981) and at Florida State and the Naval Research Laboratory. The user’s brief asked to verify – the verification is “Cyber 205 was not an NMC machine.” Treat as a clarification, not as a candidate image.

SUMMARY TABLE (most important results first)

# Subject Status Best asset
1 Shuman + Fuller at the IBM 701 (c.1955) HIGH (PD-USGov via NOAA200) NOAA200 Wayback URL
2 NCEP directors group photo (2000), incl. Shuman HIGH (PD-USGov via NOAA200) NOAA200 Wayback URL
3 George Cressman, NOAA portrait HIGH (PD-USGov) – already in repo Cressman_portrait.jpg
4 Cressman at Wallops Island GOES dedication HIGH (PD-USGov-NOAA) on Commons new candidate
5 World Weather Building exterior, late 1974 HIGH (PD-USGov, NOAA Magazine Jan 1975) NWS Heritage
6 Forecasters at WSFO Washington, c.1974 HIGH (PD-USGov, NOAA Magazine) NWS Heritage
7 “Sectorizor room”, NESS satellite facility, c.1974 HIGH (PD-USGov, NOAA Magazine) NWS Heritage
8 Meteorologist at IBM 7090 console, JNFU c.1965 HIGH (PD-USGov via Wikimedia Commons) – already in repo as IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg reuse / rename
9 Prototype AFOS workstation, 1975 HIGH (PD-USGov, NWS Heritage) NWS Heritage
10 AFOS terminal at WSFO Topeka, c.1980 HIGH (PD-USGov, NWS Heritage) NWS Heritage
11 February 7, 1978 blizzard weather map HIGH (PD-USGov-NOAA) on Commons new candidate
12 February 21, 1971 surface analysis (NWS) HIGH (PD-USGov) on Commons new candidate
13 September 17, 1971 NMC analysis – Tropical Storm Irene HIGH (PD-USGov, NMC explicit) on Commons new candidate
14 IBM System/360 Model 195 console (London Sci Museum) HIGH (CC BY 2.0) on Commons new candidate
15 GARP Leaders group photo with Shuman + Hovermale UNCERTAIN – claimed CC BY-SA 4.0 own-work upload of clearly older photo NOT recommended
16 Fred Shuman portrait alone NOT AVAILABLE under free license – prose only
17 Joseph Sela portrait NOT AVAILABLE under free license – prose only
18 John Hovermale portrait NOT AVAILABLE under free license – prose only
19 FOB-4 Suitland building photo NOT AVAILABLE under free license – prose only
20 Cyber 205 at NMC NOT APPLICABLE – Cyber 205 not at NMC; UK Met Office image is Crown copyright, not usable  

1. Fred Shuman + Otha Fuller at the IBM 701, c.1955

The strongest single find for this post. A black-and-white photograph of Shuman (standing, pointing at the IBM 701 console) and Otha Fuller (seated at the operator’s desk) – circa 1955 at JNWPU, in FOB-4 Suitland. This is the only widely-published portrait-grade image of Shuman at the actual JNWPU machine.

  • Direct URL (Wayback stable, raw image bytes): https://web.archive.org/web/20231110213143im_/https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/numerical_wx_pred/701computer_650.jpg (verified 2026-05-13: HTTP 200, content-type image/jpeg, content-length 214941)
  • Original source (currently DNS-dead): https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/numerical_wx_pred/701computer_650.jpg
  • Source page: https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/dec_07/weatherprediction.shtml (NOAA Mariners Weather Log, December 2007, Figure 2) – still live
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). Published by NOAA on its 200th-anniversary “Foundations” site (a project of NOAA’s National Ocean Service). NOAA federal-employee work; published in the Mariners Weather Log (a NOAA NWS publication). NWS’s own disclaimer states: “The information on National Weather Service (NWS) Web pages are in the public domain, unless specifically noted otherwise, and may be used without charge for any lawful purpose.” (https://www.weather.gov/disclaimer)
  • Photographer: Unspecified; presumed Weather Bureau staff photographer
  • Date: c.1955
  • Dimensions: 650×464, 215 KB (the 650px version; a smaller 150×226 thumbnail is the one on the live MWL page)
  • Suggested caption (in Polish, attribution style): “Fred Shuman (po lewej) i Otha Fuller przy konsoli IBM 701 w jednostce JNWPU, około 1955 roku. Fotografia z archiwów NOAA (Mariners Weather Log, grudzień 2007), domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: Shuman_Fuller_IBM_701_1955.jpg
  • Where in the post: opening hero shot for the Shuman biography section (“the first JNWPU employee”). Cross-references to post 4 (the JNWPU founding) and post 12 (the IBM 701).
  • Confidence: HIGH. License is unambiguous (NOAA federal work, multiple NOAA-published copies confirm PD-USGov). Only caveat: the original photographer is uncredited; we have not located the original Weather Bureau accession number.

Download command

cd /home/michal/repos/michalbrennek.github.io/assets/images/
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o Shuman_Fuller_IBM_701_1955.jpg \
  "https://web.archive.org/web/20231110213143im_/https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/numerical_wx_pred/701computer_650.jpg"

2. NCEP Directors Day group photo, October 27, 2000

A color photo of all five permanent NCEP directors to date (as of 2000), photographed at NCEP Directors Day at the World Weather Building, Camp Springs. Left to right: Louis Uccellini, Ron McPherson, Fred Shuman, Bill Bonner, James Howcroft. This is the only widely-circulated photo of Shuman with his successors at the WWB he had run.

  • Direct URL (Wayback stable, raw image bytes): https://web.archive.org/web/20231110203731im_/http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/ncep/directors_650.jpg (verified 2026-05-13: HTTP 200, content-type image/jpeg, content-length 54371)
  • Source page: https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/dec_07/legacy.shtml (NOAA Mariners Weather Log, December 2007, Figure 3) – still live
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). Same provenance as #1 – NOAA federal-employee photography for a NOAA publication.
  • Photographer: Unspecified; NOAA/NWS staff
  • Date: 27 October 2000
  • Dimensions: 650×427, 54 KB
  • Suggested caption (Polish, attribution style): “Pięciu dyrektorów NCEP/NMC: Louis Uccellini, Ron McPherson, Fred Shuman (w środku, dyr. 1964-1981), Bill Bonner i James Howcroft, w sali operacyjnej World Weather Building w Camp Springs, 27 października 2000 roku. Fotografia NOAA, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: NCEP_directors_2000.jpg
  • Where in the post: the “Shuman’s legacy” closing beat. Note he is in the center of the lineup – the post can lean on that as a visual ratification.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NCEP_directors_2000.jpg \
  "https://web.archive.org/web/20231110203731im_/http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/ncep/directors_650.jpg"

3. George P. Cressman portrait (already in repo)

The repo already has Cressman_portrait.jpg (Apr 16 commit) – this is the canonical NOAA Cressman portrait, also used in Post 10 (“The machine that built IBM”) with the attribution: “NOAA portrait, public domain.”

  • Repo file: /home/michal/repos/michalbrennek.github.io/assets/images/Cressman_portrait.jpg
  • Commons source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_P._Cressman.jpg
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov, NOAA work).
  • Confidence: HIGH. Already vetted and used.
  • Suggested caption (already approved style): “Dr. George Parmley Cressman (1919-2008), pierwszy dyrektor JNWPU i Narodowego Centrum Meteorologicznego (NMC) w latach 1954-1964, poprzednik Shumana. Fotografia NOAA, domena publiczna.”
  • Where in the post: the Cressman framing – Shuman’s predecessor and the man whose 1955 IBM 701 forecasts Shuman implemented.

4. Cressman at Wallops Island GOES receiver dedication

A second NOAA Cressman image – this one captures him in the public- ceremony context, not the studio portrait. Useful as a companion to the existing portrait, framing him as the public face of NMC → Weather Bureau in the mid-1960s.

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Dr_George_Cressman%2C_head_of_the_Weather_Bureau%2C_speaking_at_the_dedication_of_the_Wallops_Island_GOES_receiver_%282268-624%29.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr_George_Cressman,head_of_the_Weather_Bureau,_speaking_at_the_dedication_of_the_Wallops_Island_GOES_receiver(2268-624).jpg
  • License: Public domain (PD-USGov-NOAA), NOAA Central Library Historical Collections.
  • Author: NOAA
  • Date: Wallops Island GOES receiver dedication (1974-1975 era)
  • Dimensions: 3465×4829, 4.52 MB (very high resolution)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Dr George Cressman, szef Biura Pogodowego, przemawia na ceremonii oddania do użytku odbiornika GOES na Wallops Island. Fotografia NOAA, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: Cressman_Wallops_GOES.jpg
  • Where in the post: optional secondary use – if the post needs a Cressman shot showing him in his Weather Bureau / NOAA-leadership context rather than the stiff portrait, this is the cleaner image.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -o Cressman_Wallops_GOES.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Dr_George_Cressman%2C_head_of_the_Weather_Bureau%2C_speaking_at_the_dedication_of_the_Wallops_Island_GOES_receiver_%282268-624%29.jpg"

5. World Weather Building exterior, late 1974

The NMC’s headquarters from February 1975 onward (5200 Old Auth Road, Camp Springs, MD). Eight-story modernist building. Shuman moved into this building partway through his directorship and ran NMC from it for six of his seventeen years.

  • Direct URL: https://vlab.noaa.gov/image/journal/article?img_id=48140536&t=1764694908741&fileName=wwb1.png
  • Source page: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-world-weather-building
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). The article is by the “NWS Heritage Projects Editorial Team,” adapted from the January 1975 NOAA Magazine by Edwin P. Weigel – a NOAA staff publication. NOAA federal-employee work is PD-USGov by default. NWS disclaimer applies (https://www.weather.gov/disclaimer).
  • Author/photographer: Unspecified NOAA staff (NOAA Magazine, January 1975)
  • Date photographed: Late 1974 (caption states “late 1974”; building was dedicated October 22, 1974)
  • Dimensions: 416×448, 134 KB (PNG)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “World Weather Building, ośmiopiętrowy budynek przy 5200 Old Auth Road w Camp Springs (Maryland), oddany do użytku 22 października 1974 roku. Od lutego 1975 roku siedziba National Meteorological Center – z wyjątkiem maszynowni, która została w starym FOB-4 w Suitland, dwie mile dalej. Fotografia z NOAA Magazine, styczeń 1975, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: World_Weather_Building_1974.png
  • Where in the post: the “Shuman’s NMC moves” beat. Critical context for the 1974-1981 period.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o World_Weather_Building_1974.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/image/journal/article?img_id=48140536&t=1764694908741&fileName=wwb1.png"

6. Forecasters at WSFO Washington, c.1974

Eugene Hoover and Jerrold La Rue at the Washington D.C. Weather Service Forecast Office (located on the third floor of the World Weather Building, sharing space with NMC). One forecaster is at a chart-display screen, the other writing. Excellent stand-in for “operational meteorology of the 1970s” with no celebrity attached – meaning the post can use it without making promises about a specific individual it cannot name.

  • Direct URL: https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/wwb2.png/48207f54-2004-56b8-fd8f-418174b69d18
  • Source page: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-world-weather-building
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). NOAA Magazine, January 1975, by Edwin P. Weigel.
  • Date: Late 1974
  • Dimensions: 822×764, 464 KB (PNG)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Meteorolodzy Eugene Hoover i Jerrold La Rue w sali operacyjnej Weather Service Forecast Office w World Weather Building, około 1974 roku. Fotografia z NOAA Magazine, styczeń 1975, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: WSFO_Washington_forecasters_1974.png
  • Where in the post: the “1970s operational meteorology general scene” beat. Pairs well with the prototype AFOS image (#9 below).
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o WSFO_Washington_forecasters_1974.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/wwb2.png/48207f54-2004-56b8-fd8f-418174b69d18"

7. “Sectorizor room” at NESS, c.1974 (NOT directly NMC, but adjacent)

The National Environmental Satellite Service (NESS) facility at the World Weather Building, where operators extracted regional sections from GOES full-disk images. NESS occupied floors 3, 5, 6, 7 of the WWB; NMC occupied 2, 3, 4, 6 – they shared the building during Shuman’s tenure. The post may want this as context for “what else was in the building.”

  • Direct URL: https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/ness.png/e29e9bc5-3dfb-6a06-e796-73f52d5e09e3
  • Source page: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-world-weather-building
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA), NOAA Magazine January 1975.
  • Date: Late 1974
  • Dimensions: 851×386, 284 KB (PNG)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Pokój sektoryzacji w NESS (National Environmental Satellite Service) na piętrach 3, 5, 6 i 7 World Weather Building, około 1974 roku. NESS dzielił budynek z NMC podczas dyrektury Shumana. Fotografia z NOAA Magazine, styczeń 1975, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: NESS_sectorizor_room_1974.png
  • Where in the post: OPTIONAL – only if the post wants to illustrate the broader NOAA computing campus around NMC.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

8. Meteorologist at IBM 7090 console, JNFU/JNWPU c.1965 (ALREADY IN REPO – file is misnamed!)

The repo already contains this image as IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg. It is not at Goddard – it is the JNFU (Joint Numerical Forecast Unit / JNWPU) at NMC Suitland, c.1965. The Wikimedia Commons file (uploaded August 2024) confirms this:

  • Repo file: /home/michal/repos/michalbrennek.github.io/assets/images/IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg (MD5 5f30960c167fd4125cf4a3e8156caa25, 1504×1180, 1.16 MB)
  • Wikimedia Commons file page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_7090_console_used_by_a_meteorologist,_1965.jpg
  • Direct upload URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/IBM_7090_console_used_by_a_meteorologist%2C_1965.jpg
  • NWS Heritage caption: “A meteorologist at the console of the IBM 7090 electronic computer in the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit. This computer was used to process weather data for short and long-range forecasts, analyses, and research.”
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). Source: U.S. Weather Bureau, Historic NWS Collection, image ID wea01830.
  • Date: c.1965
  • Suggested action: Rename the existing repo file (or save the Commons-canonical file under the correct name) to avoid the “Goddard” misnomer:
cd /home/michal/repos/michalbrennek.github.io/assets/images/
cp IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg IBM_7090_JNWPU_1965.jpg
# (then update any post that uses IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg to point to the new file)

The image is currently unused in any committed post (verified 2026-05-13). So it can simply be renamed once.

  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Meteorolog przy konsoli IBM 7090 w Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit (JNWPU) w Suitland, około 1965 roku. Maszyna zastąpiła IBM 704 w 1960 roku i pracowała w NMC do połowy lat sześćdziesiątych. Fotografia U.S. Weather Bureau, Historic NWS Collection (wea01830), domena publiczna.”
  • Where in the post: the “JNWPU computing history” beat – this is the pre-Shuman-directorship machine (Shuman was JNWPU chief modeler in this era; he became director only in 1964). It fits the “Shuman’s career arc” framing.
  • Confidence: HIGH (the image is already vetted and downloaded; only the filename is wrong).

9. Prototype AFOS workstation, 1975

A photograph of an early AFOS (Automation of Field Operations and Services) prototype workstation, 1975. Multiple displays. The AFOS Experimental Facility was established in Silver Spring, MD in 1974 under the Department of Commerce. The CRAB experiment (Chesapeake Region AFOS/Satellite Weather Broadcast) ran in 1975 to evaluate it. Aeronutronic Ford got the development contract in January 1976.

  • Direct URL: https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/0/afos-prototype.png/4c1b9b79-92a4-d216-816f-9a56b2c6cfef
  • Source page: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-weather-office-of-the-future-introducing-afos
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA). Article by Chris Geelhart of NWS Heritage Projects Editorial Team. NWS disclaimer applies.
  • Date: 1975
  • Dimensions: 1148×481, 912 KB (PNG)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Prototyp stanowiska AFOS (Automation of Field Operations and Services) z eksperymentu CRAB, 1975 rok. Departament Handlu podpisał kontrakt z firmą Aeronutronic Ford na 213 systemów AFOS w styczniu 1976 roku; instalacje rozpoczęto w 1978 roku. Fotografia NWS Heritage, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: AFOS_prototype_1975.png
  • Where in the post: the “Shuman’s field deployment vision” beat – AFOS was the local-office computer system that complemented the NMC mainframes during his last years as director. Strong as illustration that operational meteorology was being computerized end-to-end during his tenure.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o AFOS_prototype_1975.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/0/afos-prototype.png/4c1b9b79-92a4-d216-816f-9a56b2c6cfef"

10. AFOS terminal at WSFO Topeka, c.1980

A color photograph of an operational AFOS terminal at the Topeka Weather Service Forecast Office. Used as the header of the NWS Heritage AFOS article. Captures the “AFOS in the field” deployment that began in 1978.

  • Direct URL: https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/top_afos2.jpg/55bb8b89-31d8-4003-0cd5-6942e51b8699
  • Source page: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-weather-office-of-the-future-introducing-afos
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA).
  • Date: Late 1970s – early 1980s
  • Dimensions: 603×405, 81 KB (JPEG)
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Terminal AFOS w biurze prognoz WSFO w Topeka (Kansas), po 1978 roku. AFOS rozprzestrzenił się na 52 biura WSFO w ciągu ostatnich trzech lat dyrektury Shumana. Fotografia NWS Heritage, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: AFOS_Topeka_WSFO.jpg
  • Where in the post: alternative to #9; or use both if the post wants both the prototype-Maryland angle and the deployment-field angle.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

11. February 7, 1978 blizzard weather map (NMC era, peak Shuman)

The “Northeast Blizzard of ‘78” surface analysis. This is the most visually iconic forecast chart from Shuman’s NMC era that is freely licensed – a sharp synoptic snapshot of one of the most destructive winter storms of the decade. The map’s typography matches NMC’s standard Daily Weather Map style of that era.

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_weather_map%2C_February_7%2C_1978.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_weather_map,_February_7,_1978.jpg
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov-NOAA).
  • Source: NOAA Library U.S. Daily Weather Maps (https://library.noaa.gov/weather-climate/daily-weather-maps)
  • Author: NOAA Library / National Weather Service
  • Date: February 7, 1978
  • Dimensions: 1198×1374, 385 KB
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Mapa synoptyczna NWS dla 7 lutego 1978 roku, w środku Wielkiej Burzy Śnieżnej ‘78 – jedna z bardziej znanych map operacyjnych z okresu dyrektury Shumana w NMC. Źródło: NOAA Library U.S. Daily Weather Maps, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: NWS_surface_analysis_19780207_blizzard.jpg
  • Where in the post: the “operational forecast chart of the Shuman era” beat. Critically: this is the kind of product NMC was generating on the IBM 360/195 mainframe; the chart itself represents the human-NMC interaction with model output.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NWS_surface_analysis_19780207_blizzard.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_weather_map%2C_February_7%2C_1978.jpg"

12. February 21, 1971 surface analysis (NWS, Gulf Coast)

A less iconic but cleaner-typography surface analysis from earlier in Shuman’s directorship. Useful if the post wants two charts (early and late) of the Shuman era.

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/February_21%2C_1971%2C_1200_UTC_surface_analysis.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:February_21,_1971,_1200_UTC_surface_analysis.jpg
  • License: Public Domain (PD-USGov).
  • Author: National Weather Service
  • Date: February 21, 1971 at 1200 UTC
  • Source: NWS via NOAA’s U.S. Daily Weather Maps Digital Collection
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Analiza synoptyczna NWS dla 21 lutego 1971 roku o 12:00 UTC, warunki nad Gulf Coastal Plain. Wczesny okres dyrektury Shumana w NMC. Źródło: NWS, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: NWS_surface_analysis_19710221.jpg
  • Where in the post: optional second chart, paired with the 1978 blizzard map.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

13. September 17, 1971 NMC analysis – Tropical Storm Irene

A portion of an actual NMC North American Surface Analysis chart, showing Tropical Storm Irene. Explicitly attributed to “National Meteorological Center” on the file page.

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Irene1971sep1718z.gif
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Irene1971sep1718z.gif
  • License: Public domain (U.S. government work from NOAA).
  • Author: National Meteorological Center
  • Date: September 17, 1971
  • Source: NOAA Central Library
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Fragment Analizy Synoptycznej Ameryki Północnej z 17 września 1971 roku, godz. 18 UTC, sporządzonej przez NMC i pokazującej burzę tropikalną Irene. Źródło: NOAA Central Library, domena publiczna.”
  • Suggested filename: NMC_analysis_19710917_Irene.gif
  • Where in the post: strongest “NMC explicitly identified as producer” chart available freely. Useful if the post wants a chart that says “NMC” rather than just “NWS Daily Weather Map.”
  • Confidence: HIGH.

14. IBM System/360 Model 195 console at London Science Museum

A high-resolution color photograph of an actual IBM System/360 Model 195 console preserved at the London Science Museum. The user’s brief notes NMC ran three Model 195s 1973-1981; the user also notes “we likely already have an image from Post 31” – which is true (Post 31 uses IBM_360_91_Goddard.jpg and IBM_360_91_CHM.jpg). However, those are Model 91 images, not Model 195. The Model 195 is visually distinct (different console layout). This is the cleanest free-licensed Model 195 photo available.

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/IBM_System360_model_195_console_in_London_Science_Museum.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_System360_model_195_console_in_London_Science_Museum.jpg
  • License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
  • Author: Victor R. Ruiz
  • Date taken: 25 May 2015
  • Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rvr/21920744983/
  • Dimensions: 5184×3456, 8.13 MB
  • Suggested caption (Polish): “Konsola IBM System/360 Model 195 zachowana w Science Museum w Londynie. NMC eksploatował trzy egzemplarze Modelu 195 od 1973 do 1981 roku – maszyna ta przez prawie całą drugą połowę dyrektury Shumana stanowiła operacyjny rdzeń amerykańskiej numerycznej prognozy pogody. Fotografia: Víctor R. Ruiz, CC BY 2.0.”
  • Suggested filename: IBM_360_195_London_Science_Museum.jpg
  • Where in the post: the “the machine NMC actually had” anchor. This is the only freely-licensed Model 195 photo, period.
  • Confidence: HIGH.

Download command

curl -sL --max-time 60 -o IBM_360_195_London_Science_Museum.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/IBM_System360_model_195_console_in_London_Science_Museum.jpg"

15. GARP Leaders group photo with Shuman + Hovermale – NOT RECOMMENDED

A group photograph of GARP leaders (Global Atmospheric Research Program). The caption identifies Frederick G. Shuman (#3), John Hovermale (#41), André Robert (#8), Manabe (#9), Smagorinsky (#2), Lorenz (#34), Phillips (#31), Bourke (#22), and many other principals. The lineup includes virtually everyone in 1970s NWP, including two of the four people the user’s brief specifically wants photos of.

  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leaders_of_the_Global_Atmospheric_Research_Program_(GARP).jpg
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Leaders_of_the_Global_Atmospheric_Research_Program_%28GARP%29.jpg
  • Claimed license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, uploaded by Bfinston on 1 June 2024 as “own work.”
  • Date photographed: Unknown (clearly a 1970s-1980s GARP meeting; date not specified by uploader)
  • Why NOT recommended: The CC BY-SA 4.0 license is asserted on an “own work” claim by the uploader. But the photograph plainly predates the uploader’s account (it shows people aged in their 40s-60s who were active in GARP, with several already deceased by 2024 – Lorenz d. 2008, Smagorinsky d. 2005, Asselin d. 2007). An “own work” claim on what is clearly a vintage archival photo is facially implausible. Wikimedia Commons sometimes accepts such uploads for years before they are challenged on copyright grounds. The license is therefore not reliably free. We’ve made a strict rule of rejecting fair use; we should likewise reject implausible free-license claims, particularly where the uploader has not identified the original photographer or publication.

Recommendation: Prose-attribute Shuman, Hovermale (and Sela, who is not in the GARP photo anyway). Do not use this image. The Shuman + Fuller IBM 701 photo (section 1) does the same biographical work without the license uncertainty.

16-19. NOT AVAILABLE under a clean license

16. Fred Shuman portrait alone (no machine)

  • Wikipedia article on Shuman has no image.
  • The English Wikipedia article notice (“This biographical article needs additional citations for verification”) would normally invite an image upload but none has occurred.
  • Findagrave, Washington Post obituary, Seattle Times, Penn State alumni records, MIT alumni records: all have copyrighted images with no CC release.
  • The two NOAA-published photos of Shuman (sections 1 and 2 above) are the only freely-licensed images of him. Both are group shots.

17. Joseph Sela portrait

  • NCEP commemoration page (June 29, 2010 retirement event) – no photo.
  • AMS papers, retirement seminars (metforum.org), Yale LUX archive: no photographs released under a free license.
  • Washington Post obituary (2010): copyrighted, no CC release.

18. John Hovermale portrait

  • Findagrave (1938-1994): biographical entry exists but the photograph there is editorial use only.
  • Penn State faculty memorial pages, Naval Environmental Prediction Research Facility (NEPRF) personnel pages: no CC-released photos.
  • The GARP group photo (section 15) identifies Hovermale as person #41, but as noted that file’s license claim is not reliable.

19. FOB-4 (Federal Office Building 4) Suitland

  • The Census Bureau has photos of FOB-3 (a different building) at the Suitland Federal Center – those are PD but not relevant.
  • NARA has Federal Records Center, Suitland (1967) photos – those are PD (NARA #23855321) but the Records Center is a different building from FOB-4, where NMC actually operated.
  • I could find no freely-licensed photo of FOB-4 specifically. This is the building where Shuman started in 1954, where NMC was founded in 1958, and where the IBM 360/195s lived until 1999 (the computer staff stayed in FOB-4 even after the rest of NMC moved to the WWB in 1975, per the NOAA Magazine 1975 article).

Recommendation: Prose-attribute all four. The post should describe Shuman, Sela, Hovermale, and FOB-4 in words, anchored visually by images from sections 1 (Shuman at the 701), 5 (the WWB exterior), 8 (meteorologist at IBM 7090 at JNWPU = at FOB-4 c.1965), and 14 (the Model 195 console). This is a graceful workaround for FOB-4 specifically: image #8 is literally inside FOB-4, even though the brief’s caption was previously misattributed to NASA Goddard.

20. Cyber 205 at NMC – DOES NOT EXIST

The user’s brief asked to verify whether NMC acquired a Cyber 205 in

  1. Per the WPC’s own history PDF (https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/WPC_history.pdf, p. 5):

“The accuracy of NMC’s numerical guidance continued to increase into the 1970s, but especially significant gains were noted with the introduction of the high resolution PE model on an IBM 360/195 in 1978. By the late 1980s, a Cray Y‐MP8 Class VII supercomputer served as NMC’s mainframe system.”

The chain went IBM 360/195 → Cray Y-MP8, not via Cyber 205. The 1981-1986 gap before the Cray Y-MP8 was filled by the existing 360/195s plus the AFOS-supported field operations. There is no Cyber 205 in NMC’s history.

(The Cyber 205 was operated by the UK Met Office at Bracknell from 1981, by Florida State University, by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and a few other customers – but not by NMC. The Met Office Cyber 205 photograph is Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence, which is not a Creative Commons or public-domain license under our rule, so it is unusable.)

Recommendation: Remove the Cyber 205 mention from the post or clarify in the text that NMC bridged the gap between the 360/195 and the Cray Y-MP8 without an intermediate Cyber, in contrast to the Met Office, which adopted the Cyber 205.

Suggested wget / curl commands (consolidated)

cd /home/michal/repos/michalbrennek.github.io/assets/images/

# 1. Shuman + Fuller at IBM 701 (1955) -- via Wayback im_ URL (raw bytes, no HTML wrapper)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o Shuman_Fuller_IBM_701_1955.jpg \
  "https://web.archive.org/web/20231110213143im_/https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/numerical_wx_pred/701computer_650.jpg"

# 2. NCEP directors 2000 group photo (Shuman in center) -- via Wayback im_ URL
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NCEP_directors_2000.jpg \
  "https://web.archive.org/web/20231110203731im_/http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/ncep/directors_650.jpg"

# 4. Cressman at Wallops Island (Commons, NOAA PD)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o Cressman_Wallops_GOES.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Dr_George_Cressman%2C_head_of_the_Weather_Bureau%2C_speaking_at_the_dedication_of_the_Wallops_Island_GOES_receiver_%282268-624%29.jpg"

# 5. World Weather Building exterior (1974, NOAA Magazine via NWS Heritage)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o World_Weather_Building_1974.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/image/journal/article?img_id=48140536&t=1764694908741&fileName=wwb1.png"

# 6. Forecasters at WSFO Washington (1974)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o WSFO_Washington_forecasters_1974.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/wwb2.png/48207f54-2004-56b8-fd8f-418174b69d18"

# 7. NESS sectorizor room (optional)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o NESS_sectorizor_room_1974.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/ness.png/e29e9bc5-3dfb-6a06-e796-73f52d5e09e3"

# 8. Rename existing IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg -> IBM_7090_JNWPU_1965.jpg (preserve old)
cp IBM_7090_Goddard.jpg IBM_7090_JNWPU_1965.jpg

# 9. AFOS prototype (1975)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o AFOS_prototype_1975.png \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/0/afos-prototype.png/4c1b9b79-92a4-d216-816f-9a56b2c6cfef"

# 10. AFOS at Topeka WSFO (post-1978)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -A "Mozilla/5.0" -o AFOS_Topeka_WSFO.jpg \
  "https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/5512867/5515801/top_afos2.jpg/55bb8b89-31d8-4003-0cd5-6942e51b8699"

# 11. NWS Feb 7, 1978 blizzard surface analysis (Commons)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NWS_surface_analysis_19780207_blizzard.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_weather_map%2C_February_7%2C_1978.jpg"

# 12. NWS Feb 21, 1971 surface analysis (Commons; optional)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NWS_surface_analysis_19710221.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/February_21%2C_1971%2C_1200_UTC_surface_analysis.jpg"

# 13. NMC Sept 17, 1971 Tropical Storm Irene fragment (Commons; optional)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o NMC_analysis_19710917_Irene.gif \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Irene1971sep1718z.gif"

# 14. IBM 360/195 console at London Science Museum (Commons, CC BY 2.0)
curl -sL --max-time 60 -o IBM_360_195_London_Science_Museum.jpg \
  "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/IBM_System360_model_195_console_in_London_Science_Museum.jpg"

Attribution block (append to post bottom)

  • Fred Shuman and Otha Fuller at the IBM 701, c.1955. NOAA, public domain. Source: NOAA Mariners Weather Log, December 2007 (https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/dec_07/weatherprediction.shtml).
  • NCEP Directors Day 2000, with Shuman in center. NOAA, public domain. Source: NOAA Mariners Weather Log, December 2007 (https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/dec_07/legacy.shtml).
  • George P. Cressman portrait. NOAA, public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_P._Cressman.jpg
  • George Cressman at Wallops Island GOES dedication. NOAA, public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr_George_Cressman,head_of_the_Weather_Bureau,_speaking_at_the_dedication_of_the_Wallops_Island_GOES_receiver(2268-624).jpg
  • World Weather Building exterior, late 1974. NOAA Magazine (January 1975), public domain. Source: NWS Heritage (https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-world-weather-building).
  • WSFO Washington forecasters, c.1974. NOAA Magazine (January 1975), public domain. Source: NWS Heritage (same URL as above).
  • IBM 7090 at JNWPU/JNFU, c.1965. U.S. Weather Bureau, Historic NWS Collection (wea01830), public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_7090_console_used_by_a_meteorologist,_1965.jpg
  • AFOS prototype, 1975. NOAA NWS Heritage Projects, public domain. Source: https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-weather-office-of-the-future-introducing-afos
  • AFOS terminal at WSFO Topeka, post-1978. NOAA NWS Heritage Projects, public domain. Source: same NWS Heritage AFOS article URL.
  • February 7, 1978 Northeast blizzard surface analysis. NOAA Library, public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_weather_map,_February_7,_1978.jpg
  • IBM System/360 Model 195 console at London Science Museum. Photo by Víctor R. Ruiz, CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_System360_model_195_console_in_London_Science_Museum.jpg