AdrianGardnerNWS

National Weather Service Overview: 

National Weather Service Overview Adrian Gardner NWS CIO July 27, 2007 IAC Executive Session

A 200 Year Heritage: 

A 200 Year Heritage NOAA traces its history back to 1807 and the presidency of Thomas Jefferson The “ Weather Bureau” was founded in 1870 during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant Today’s NOAA and NWS were created in 1970 The NWS CIO function was created pursuant to the Clinger Cohen Act of 1996 – the newest addition to a deservedly proud and storied organization

Core Values: 

Core Values Science Stewardship Service Teamwork Excellence Integrity Ingenuity People

NWS CIO Core Values: 

NWS CIO Core Values Duty - We are professionals who seek responsibility, accept accountability, and are committed to the successful achievement of organizational goals. Integrity - We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct and moral behavior in all of our personal actions. Professional Competence - We keep our skills up-to-date, and ensure professional excellence in all of our work. Customer Service - We serve and are responsive to our customers. We learn their business so that we can help them succeed.

The Ongoing Mission: 

The Ongoing Mission Protect lives and livelihoods of Americans Provide products and services that Benefit the economy Benefit the environment Enhance public safety Support daily personal and business planning “Timely environmental forecasting from sun to sea”

Operational Considerations: 

Operational Considerations Nearly one-third of economy is sensitive to weather and climate Katrina alone caused an estimated $100 billion in damages and 1,300 fatalities

NWS Outputs: 

NWS Outputs In an average year, the National Weather Service produces 25 million forecasts 41,000 warnings 2,200 flood watches 500 trillion digital forecasts 9.4 million fire forecasts 784,200 airport forecasts

The NWS Organization: 

The NWS Organization “America’s Weather Enterprise: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and your way of life”

NWS Organizational Distribution: 

NWS Organizational Distribution

A Simplified Weather Prediction Process: 

A Simplified Weather Prediction Process Understand, Describe, and Improve Space, Land, Air, and Water sensors; Doppler radar; others Monitor, Observe, and Validate Multiple inputs, locations, and disciplines Interpret, Assess, and Predict Computer modeling, human understanding Aggregate, Format, and Deliver Disparate data formats, disparate platforms, uniform output Engage, Advise, and Inform Save lives, protect livelihoods, benefit environment

Coordination of Inputs: 

Coordination of Inputs

NWS Service Delivery: 

NWS Service Delivery Hours Days 6 – 10 Days 8 – 14 Days Months Seasons Years Forecast Uncertainty Protection of Life & Property Hydropower Recreation Ecosystem State/Local Planning Environment Flood Mitigation & Navigation Agriculture Reservoir Control Health Space Operations Transportation Fire Weather Energy Outlooks Guidance Threats Assessments Forecasts Watches Warnings & Alert Coordination Forecast Lead Time Benefits Minutes Severe Weather “Watch:” Conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather Severe Weather “Warning:” Severe weather is indicated by Doppler radar or sighted by skywarn spotters

2005 Highlights: 

2005 Highlights Accurately forecasted the most Active Hurricane Season in History 28 tracked storms 15 hurricanes 7 major hurricanes 4 Cat 5 storms Hurricane Katrina Service Assessment Report found that the NWS performed its mission in an outstanding manner, before, during, and after Katrina.

2006 Achievements: 

2006 Achievements Began Expansion of U.S. Tsunami Warning Program: deployed 19 of 39 buoys Expanded National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) Disseminated life-saving warnings through NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Rated high in customer satisfaction Reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for replacement NWSTG Experimental implementation of new Hurricane Weather Research & Forecast (HWRF) System Deployed 7 new Hurricane Buoys Worked with EPA to Extend Reach of Air Quality Forecasts Began running NOAA’s Central Computer System with Full Backup “Thinking globally, acting locally for the protection of our communities”

Proposed Science and Technology Infusion: 

Proposed Science and Technology Infusion Results Hurricane Track, Intensity and Precipitation Forecasts Tornado and Flash Flood Forecasts Aviation, Fire, and Marine Forecasts Flood and River Predictions Seasonal Climate Forecasts for Energy, Agriculture, Etc. Science &Technology Advances Observations Numerical Prediction Forecast Applications IT Architecture Dissemination/Access

NWS Process of Technical Evolution Management: 

NWS Process of Technical Evolution Management Office of Science and Technology: Analyzes scientific requirements and recommends technical solutions Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services: Oversees the design and implementation of future products and services, including new technologies for hydro meteorological and climate information Office of Hydrologic Development: Identifies requirements, develops, tests, and supports hydrologic forecast algorithms and tools Office of Operational Systems: Manages and provides system engineering, software management, facilities engineering services, communications, and logistical services for operational weather systems CIO: Manages IT strategic and operating plans, EA, IT security, and policy preparation; operates the NWS telecommunications gateway, web/Internet services, NOAAnet corporate network CFO: Manages financial IT systems “Saving lives through enhanced awareness and preparedness”

NWS CIO Vision: 

NWS CIO Vision Modern information technology that is secure, accessible and cost effective; meets customer needs; and exceeds their expectations.

NWS CIO Goals: 

NWS CIO Goals Protect and defend the NWS’s systems, networks, and information. Develop and Deliver an IT strategy that influences NWS use of information management and information technology in furthering the NWS detection, forecasting, and predictive capabilities. Implement common business applications and systems to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness (i.e., IT Consolidation) Improve the planning, execution, and management of IT investments Provide world-class enterprise solutions – improving the quality, accessibility, and sharing of information between NWS and its customers. Leverage service oriented architecture to improve NWS’s mission performance and reailize its strategic goals and objectives.

Strategic Plan Objectives: 

Strategic Plan Objectives IT Security High Availability and Integrity, Low Confidentiality COOP and COG “Weather” is a NEF Workforce Retention, training, recruitment Right-Sizing the Enterprise Accurate forecasting requires increased data collection, modeling, and data retention Enterprise Solutions and Services Achieve a service oriented architecture through intelligent use of middleware without prematurely replacing tried and trusted existing capabilities

More on Right-Sizing the Enterprise: 

More on Right-Sizing the Enterprise Weather/water/climate forecasting is based on understanding multiple relevant scientific disciplines Large volumes of data must be collected, processed and stored High Performance Computing is an essential element in the timely interpretation of the collected data Improving science and technology will increase the accuracy , lead times, and specificity of environmental forecasts and warnings Tornado warning may increase from 12 minutes (2005) to 1 hour allowing residents more time to take protective measures Accurate thunderstorm warnings may be issued in tactical and strategic time periods to maximize safety and efficiency of air travel Flash flood warnings may increase from 43 minutes (2005) to 1 hour enabling mitigation actions reducing damage and casualties Hurricane landfall forecasts increase from under 24 hours to as much as 3 days “Science and technology for advanced environmental information services”

More on Enterprise Solutions and Services: 

More on Enterprise Solutions and Services Achieve a service oriented architecture through intelligent use of middleware without prematurely replacing tried and trusted existing capabilities Many/Most of NWS applications are singular, scientific programs with no economy of scale Traditional EA consolidation schemas don’t apply to such unique applications Transition to new programs and applications should be driven by science requirements at end of life-cycle Middleware seems the most appropriate means of expanding the utility of the outputs of singular, arcane scientific systems and applications

Cross-Cutting Enterprise Solutions and Services: 

Cross-Cutting Enterprise Solutions and Services Consolidation and EA for widely-used cross-cutting functions makes financial and operational sense – such as: E-mail, secure IM, and office applications and support HR, payroll, financial, and inventory control systems HSPD-12, Active Directory, and other authentication and authorization mechanisms Baseline common infrastructure for business functions and common network connectivity requirements Interoperable voice, data, video, web presence Incident response and forensics Backup and restoration Resilience, including intelligent redundancy and excess capacity Information assurance and network monitoring

Questions?: 

Questions? NOAA’s National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods and Your Way of Life Vendor POC is: Edward Cormier 301-713-7108 edward.cormier@noaa.gov