The Department of Meteorology Computation and Visualization Laboratory (CVL) is a state of the art facility for education and research in numerical weather prediction, atmospheric visualization, dynamic meteorology, physical meteorology, and weather forecasting. Developed with funding from the National Science Foundation as part of the Unidata initiative with on-going support from the University of Utah and College of Mines and Earth Sciences, the CVL currently includes 15 Linux workstations with 19 inch flat-panel monitors, a JVC D-ILA high-resolution projector, and an instructor's console.

The CVL is located in room 490 of the Intermountain Networking and Scientific Computation Center (INSCC). It provides undergraduate access to department computing facilities and enhances the acquisition, processing, and archival of real-time meteorological datasets used for research and classroom instruction. Students access weather information generated at the University of Utah through menus and web portals as well as use specialized software developed as part of the Unidata program (GEMPAK and IDV).

The CVL is used for instruction, lab assignments, weather discussions, research seminars, and informal meetings between faculty, staff, students, and visiting scientists. Specific classroom applications include computer-based meteorological analysis, exercises in numerical weather prediction, and lectures examining the three dimensional structure and dynamics of weather systems. Undergraduate and graduate students utilize the lab to complete class assignments, perform thesis research, and participate in local and national forecast contests.