NOAA/NWS Perspectives on a Nationwide Network of Networks by Jack Hayes, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and Director of the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland

1. National Weather Service
Strategic Plan 2010-2025
Jack Hayes
NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services, and
National Weather Service Director
Norman, Oklahoma
August 10, 2009

2. Global & National Challenges
Impacts of climate change
Increased vulnerability to
weather, water, climate, and
other environmental hazards
Increased vulnerability to
solar activity
Large-scale impacts of
droughts, floods, chemical
makeup of oceans and rivers

3. NWS Vision
A safer, more informed and productive
society where environmental
knowledge empowers
the Nation to make
the best decisions
Services focused on impacts
Earth system forecasts
Data, information, and
knowledge

4. Key Outcomes for 2025
Loss of life, displacement from high impact events
reduced
NWS data and information contribute to a national
competitive advantage
Environmental data, prediction capabilities, and
decision support services integral components to:
Managing and sustaining healthy ecosystems and communities
Understanding and living with climate change
Minimizing risks to our national security

5. 2025: Decision Support
Providing the right information, at the right
time, to the right people
Key Objectives & Strategies
More accurate forecasts and increased lead
times for warnings
Watches, warnings and advisories that increase
responsiveness using social science
Direct, interpretive forecaster support
for .govs
Readily accessible, user-centric data
and information
Levels of uncertainty included in
forecasts and warnings
Partnership and collaboration an
integral component

6. 2025: Services
Broadening service areas to address global and
national challenges
Key Objectives & Strategies
High-impact weather
Space weather
Integrated water resources
Human health
Ecosystems
Climate
Transportation
Energy

7. 2025: Partnerships
Sharing assets, skills, and capabilities to meet
national needs
Key Objectives & Strategies
Use of new, innovative dissemination
and outreach methods
Coordinated environmental literacy
and weather safety campaigns
Increased focus on leveraging new
science and technology outside of NOAA
New tools and applications to link
environmental data and information
Proactive collaboration with private sector

8. 2025: Science & Technology
Exploiting state-of-the-art S&T to support
evolving services and information delivery
Key Objectives & Strategies
Expanded, integrated and more robust
observations
Integrated Earth system models
Next generation forecasting and decision
support system
Data integration and interoperability
AWIPS II…and beyond
Communication / collaboration tools –
onsite, offsite, virtually

9. 2025: Data & Information
Linking data and systems from all sources to
aid decision-making
Key Objectives & Strategies
Internet as cornerstone of operating model
Common standards to share and reuse data
Integrated and interoperable systems
Decision assistance tools
4-dimensional weather information database
Mesonets; WIGOS
Common operating pictures
among partners

10. Key Findings of
NRC Report on NoN
U.S. capabilities are uncoordinated
Overarching national strategy
needed
Build infrastructure for data exchange
Fill data gaps
Spatial
Temporal
Elements

11. Proposed NoN Enterprise
Approach
Build the “plumbing”
Metadata
Policies
IT capabilities
Data management
Communications
Services
Develop national standards/protocols

12. Proposed NoN Enterprise
Approach
Address Highest priority
observing gaps
Develop framework for National Mesonet
Height of PBL
Soil moisture & temperature profiles
High-resolution vertical
humidity profiles
Air quality measurements
Urban, coastal & mountainous
regions also priorities

13. Proposed NoN Enterprise
Approach
Collaborate with partners
OFCM…Committee for
Integrated Observing Systems
AMS Ad Hoc Working Group
on a Nationwide Observing
Network of Networks

14. NoN Challenges
Achieve Weather Enterprise consensus
Coordinating entity
Policy
Data standards
Protocols
Services
Overcome barriers limiting
participation—private,
academic, federal agencies
Proprietary restrictions
Complexity and competing interests
Resources