diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8f701dd1b8..34c1f2e631 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ aether_to_dart
 dart_to_aether
 test_aether_grid
 create_identity_streamflow_obs
+create_obs_grid
+obs_data_denial
+obs_info
+obs_remove_dups
+obs_sort
+obs_timejitter
 
 # Observation converter exectutables
 convert_aviso
@@ -217,6 +223,32 @@ test_kde_dist
 test_window
 test_force_bounds
 test_parse_variables
+correl_error
+full_error
+obs_sampling_err
+sampling_error
+sys_sim101
+sys_sim101a
+sys_sim102
+sys_sim102b
+sys_sim103
+sys_sim104
+sys_sim104b
+sys_sim105
+sys_sim2
+sys_sim201
+sys_sim202
+sys_sim203
+sys_sim3
+sys_sim301
+sys_sim302
+sys_sim4
+sys_sim401
+sys_sim402
+sys_sim5
+sys_sim501
+sys_sim502
+test_sampling_err_table
 
 # Directories to NOT IGNORE ... same as executable names
 # as far as I know, these must be listed after the executables
@@ -227,6 +259,7 @@ test_parse_variables
 !compute_error/
 !create_fixed_network_seq/
 !create_obs_sequence/
+!create_obs_grid/
 !fill_inflation_restart/
 !filter/
 !gen_sampling_err_table/
@@ -236,18 +269,23 @@ test_parse_variables
 !obs_common_subset/
 !obs_diag/
 !obs_impact_tool/
+!obs_info/
 !obs_keep_a_few/
 !obs_loop/
+!obs_remove_dups/
 !obs_selection/
 !obs_seq_coverage/
 !obs_seq_to_netcdf/
 !obs_seq_verify/
 !obs_sequence_tool/
+!obs_sort/
+!obs_timejitter/
 !obs_total_error/
-!obs_utils/
+!obs_data_denial/
 !perfect_model_obs/
 !perturb_single_instance/
 !preprocess/
+!radiance_obs_seq_to_netcdf/
 !restart_file_tool/
 !system_simulation/
 !wakeup_filter/
diff --git a/assimilation_code/programs/obs_timejitter/obs_timejitter.f90 b/assimilation_code/programs/obs_timejitter/obs_timejitter.f90
index 4c4f31cec8..8e034ae9c0 100644
--- a/assimilation_code/programs/obs_timejitter/obs_timejitter.f90
+++ b/assimilation_code/programs/obs_timejitter/obs_timejitter.f90
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ program obs_timejitter
    get_copy_meta_data, get_qc_meta_data, set_qc_meta_data
 use time_manager_mod, only : time_type, set_time, get_time, interactive_time, &
                              operator(*), operator(+), operator(-), operator(<)
-use        model_mod, only : static_init_model
+use  assim_model_mod, only : static_init_assim_model
 
 implicit none
 
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ program obs_timejitter
 call initialize_utilities('obs_timejitter')
 
 ! Call the underlying model's static initialization for calendar info
-call static_init_model()
+call static_init_assim_model()
 
 ! Initialize the obs_sequence module
 call static_init_obs_sequence()
diff --git a/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim401.f90 b/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim401.f90
index 48ae1f3c41..dc581ba53a 100644
--- a/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim401.f90
+++ b/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim401.f90
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ subroutine sub_sim401(sd_ratio, n_samples, alpha)
 
 ! Now, draw a single value from this distribution
 ! This is the revised clean version from 9 Nov., 2003
-   sample1(i) = random_gaussian(r, 1.0_r8, sd_ratio)
-   sample2(i) = random_gaussian(r, 1.0_r8, sd_ratio)
+   sample1(i) = random_gaussian(r, 1.d0, sd_ratio)
+   sample2(i) = random_gaussian(r, 1.d0, sd_ratio)
 end do
 
 ! For now, don't know how to really compute this derivative for minimization
diff --git a/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim402.f90 b/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim402.f90
index de1169fed1..50aeea5994 100644
--- a/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim402.f90
+++ b/assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/sys_sim402.f90
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ program sys_sim402
 
 ! Loop through a range of values for alpha until alpha is 0.0
 do i = 0, 300
-   sd_ratio = (i - 1.) / 100.0_r8
+   sd_ratio = (i - 1.) / 100.d0
    call sub_sim402(sd_ratio, n, n_samples, alpha)
    write(*, *) 'sd_ratio, alpha ', sd_ratio, alpha
 !!!   if(alpha <= 0.0) stop
diff --git a/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/input.nml b/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/input.nml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..83525855eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/input.nml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+&utilities_nml
+   module_details = .false.
+   /
+
+&preprocess_nml
+   input_obs_qty_mod_file  = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/DEFAULT_obs_kind_mod.F90'
+   output_obs_qty_mod_file = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_kind_mod.f90'
+   input_obs_def_mod_file  = '../../../observations/forward_operators/DEFAULT_obs_def_mod.F90'
+   output_obs_def_mod_file = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_mod.f90'
+   obs_type_files          = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_gps_mod.f90'
+   quantity_files          = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/default_quantities_mod.f90'
+   / 
+
diff --git a/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/quickbuild.sh b/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/quickbuild.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..3218b2150d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/lonely_quickbuilds/work/quickbuild.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# DART software - Copyright UCAR. This open source software is provided
+# by UCAR, "as is", without charge, subject to all terms of use at
+# http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
+
+main() {
+
+
+export DART=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+source "$DART"/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
+
+MODEL="none"
+EXTRA="$DART"/models/template/threed_model_mod.f90
+LOCATION="threed_sphere"
+
+serial_programs=(
+obs_info
+create_obs_grid
+compare_states
+gen_sampling_err_table
+compute_error
+obs_assim_count
+obs_timejitter
+obs_loop
+obs_data_denial
+obs_remove_dups
+obs_sort
+obs_total_error
+obs_keep_a_few
+)
+
+# quickbuild arguments
+arguments "$@"
+
+# clean the directory
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod Makefile .cppdefs
+
+# build and run preprocess before making any other DART executables
+buildpreprocess
+
+# build DART
+buildit
+
+# clean up
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod
+
+}
+
+main "$@"
diff --git a/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/input.nml b/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/input.nml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..83525855eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/input.nml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+&utilities_nml
+   module_details = .false.
+   /
+
+&preprocess_nml
+   input_obs_qty_mod_file  = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/DEFAULT_obs_kind_mod.F90'
+   output_obs_qty_mod_file = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_kind_mod.f90'
+   input_obs_def_mod_file  = '../../../observations/forward_operators/DEFAULT_obs_def_mod.F90'
+   output_obs_def_mod_file = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_mod.f90'
+   obs_type_files          = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_gps_mod.f90'
+   quantity_files          = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/default_quantities_mod.f90'
+   / 
+
diff --git a/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/quickbuild.sh b/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/quickbuild.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..6e9dd8ca70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/system_simulation/work/quickbuild.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# DART software - Copyright UCAR. This open source software is provided
+# by UCAR, "as is", without charge, subject to all terms of use at
+# http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
+
+main() {
+
+
+export DART=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+source "$DART"/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
+
+MODEL="none"
+EXTRA="$DART"/models/template/threed_model_mod.f90
+dev_test=1
+LOCATION="threed_sphere"
+TEST="../assimilation_code/programs/system_simulation/"
+
+serial_programs=(
+sys_sim103
+sys_sim3
+sys_sim301
+sys_sim2
+sys_sim201
+sys_sim302
+sys_sim102
+sys_sim104
+obs_sampling_err
+sys_sim501
+sys_sim402
+full_error
+sys_sim202
+sys_sim401
+system_simulation
+sys_sim502
+sys_sim105
+sys_sim4
+sys_sim102b
+sys_sim5
+sys_sim104b
+sampling_error
+sys_sim101a
+test_sampling_err_table
+correl_error
+sys_sim101
+sys_sim203
+)
+
+# quickbuild arguments
+arguments "$@"
+
+# clean the directory
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod Makefile .cppdefs
+
+# build and run preprocess before making any other DART executables
+buildpreprocess
+
+# build DART
+buildit
+
+# clean up
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod
+
+}
+
+main "$@"