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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
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This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. 50-DGNW-5-00004 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE
RICHARD A. ANTHES (chair),
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
WILLIAM E. GORDON (vice chair),
NAE, NAS, Rice University (retired), Houston, Texas
DAVID ATLAS,
NAE, Atlas Concepts, Bethesda, Maryland
WILLIAM D. BONNER,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
ROBERT BRAMMER,
TASC, Reading, Massachusetts
KENNETH C. CRAWFORD,
Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Norman
DARA ENTEKHABI,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ALBERT J. KAEHN, JR.,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Burke, Virginia
VERONICA F. NIEVA, WESTAT,
Inc., Rockville, Maryland
DOROTHY C. PERKINS,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, Maryland
PAUL L. SMITH,
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City
ARTHUR I. ZYGIELBAUM,
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Technical Advisors
GEORGE J. GLEGHORN,
NAE, TRW Space and Technology Group (retired), Rancho Palos Verdes, California
CHARLES L. HOSLER,
NAE, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
DAVID S. JOHNSON,
National Research Council (retired), Annapolis, Maryland
JENANNE L. MURPHY,
Hughes Information Technology Corporation, Reston, Virginia
ROBERT J. SERAFIN,
NAE, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
Staff
FLOYD F. HAUTH, study director
MERCEDES ILAGAN, study associate
CARTER FORD, project assistant
ROBERT J. KATT, consultant
PANEL ON MODERNIZATION AND ASSOCIATED RESTRUCTURING DEMONSTRATION
VERONICA F. NIEVA (chair)
WESTAT, Inc., Rockville, Maryland
DAVID ATLAS,
NAE, Atlas Concepts, Bethesda, Maryland
DARA ENTEKHABI,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ALBERT J. KAEHN, JR.,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Burke, Virginia
Advisors
WILLIAM D. BONNER,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
GEORGE J. GLEGHORN,
NAE, TRW Space and Technology Group (retired), Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Preface
This is the final report on the National Weather Service (NWS) modernization by the National Research Council's National Weather Service Modernization Committee. The committee's oversight of the NWS modernization program began in January 1990 when the committee was established by the National Research Council in response to a request from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During the course of the NWS's $4.5 billion investment in new technology and restructuring, the committee issued 15 reports (including the present report) that provided findings and recommendations to guide the NWS and NOAA in using new technologies to improve weather services to the nation. The committee's reports are listed chronologically below:
Toward a New National Weather Service: A First Report (1991)
Revised Standards for Entry-Level Meteorologists in the Federal Government. A letter report (May 1991)
Toward a New National Weather Service: Second Report (1992)
Review of Modernization Criteria (1993)
National Weather Service Employee Feedback (1994)
Weather for Those Who Fly (1994)
Assessment of NEXRAD Coverage and Associated Weather Services (1995)
The Importance of the United States Weather Research Program for NWS Modernization (1996)
Preliminary Assessment of the Operational Test and Evaluation Process for the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (1996)
Assessment of Hydrologic and Hydrometeorological Operations and Services (1996)
Continuity of NOAA Satellites (1997)
An Assessment of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (1997)
Future of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Network (1998)
A Vision for the National Weather Service: Road Map for the Future (1999)
Review of the Draft Plan for the Modernization and Associated Restructuring Demonstration (1999)
This report reviews the Modernization and Associated Restructuring Demonstration (MARD) Plan provided to the committee in September 1998. The report provides an analysis of the plan and recommendations to improve its implementation and follow-on evaluation processes.
I wish to acknowledge the chair of the MARD panel, Veronica F. Nieva, and the panel members, David Atlas, Dara Entekhabi, and Albert Kaehn, as well as advisors William D. Bonner and George J. Gleghorn, who gathered and analyzed information and drafted and coordinated this report for the committee. I also thank the NWS headquarters staff for their presentations on MARD to the committee, as well as the staff of the NWS central region, the meteorologists-in-charge, and the staff of other weather forecast offices and river forecast centers, who met with the panel during the course of this study. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the continuing support of staff members of the National Research Council, Floyd F. Hauth, Mercedes Ilagan, Carter Ford, and consultant Robert Katt.
RICHARD A. ANTHES
CHAIR, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE
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Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
Louis J. Boezi, Atmospheric Science Advisors, Silver Spring, Maryland
John W. Diercks, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Gregory S. Forbes, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Lee W. Larson, consultant, Kansas City, Missouri
James K. Lavin, National Weather Association, Montgomery, Alabama
Peter R. Leavitt, consultant, Newton Center, Massachusetts
Daniel J. McMorrow, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland
Thomas D. Potter, consultant, Salt Lake City, Utah
While the individuals listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
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