This PART is Good News for NWS

The NWS finished near the top in a government review process to gauge the effectiveness of certain federal programs.

This year, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) used a review process called the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to review and rate 234 federal programs for purpose, planning, management, and results/accountability. On a scale of 100, the average program score was in the low 60s.

The NWS was awarded the sixth highest score of the programs that were rated, receiving scores between 85 and 100 - some of the highest in this review. The PART program summary described the NWS as well-managed and results-oriented, with a strategic plan that sets forth clear long-term goals that are tied to program performance measures. In response to these findings, the President's FY04 Budget, released February 3, 2003, provides increases to support continued improvement in key performance areas.

NWS Using Contractor to Survey Customers and Partners on Product, Service Satisfaction

The NWS has hired Claes Fornell International (CFI) Group USA, LLC, of Ann Arbor, MI, to assess customers' perceptions of NWS products and services.

Within the next two months, CFI will conduct four customer satisfaction surveys targeted toward specific NWS customer and partner groups, said meteorologist Doug Young, National Public Weather Program Leader in the Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services (OCWWS). The first survey will ask emergency managers about 75 questions. Other surveys will poll media, marine and coastal, and aviation communities.

"These surveys will help the NWS better understand what we are doing well and where we should improve our services to our customers and partners," said Greg Mandt, OCWWS.

To recommend the survey to emergency managers, direct them to the following web link: http://www.cfigroup.net/cfisurvey/surveys/5q629p.

Young said the surveys have been developed according to Office of Management and Budget guidelines.

Third National Severe Weather Workshop Planned

Severe weather experts and the Nation's emergency management community will meet to discuss the latest research findings and forecasting techniques and how these can be put to good use during the third annual National Severe Weather Workshop to be held February 27 through March 1, 2003, in Norman, OK.

Speakers during the three-day workshop, "Building Local and National Partnerships to Save Lives," will include: Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. USN (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Brig. Gen. Jack Kelly, USAF (Ret.), director of the National Weather Service (NWS), broadcast meteorologist Tom Skilling from WGN-TV in Chicago, IL, and emergency managers. Gary Jones, Deputy Regional Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Region 6, will discuss citizen preparedness. Many other NOAA experts are scheduled to speak.

Workshop registration of $50 includes admittance to all workshop sessions, spotter training, and lunch each day. The registration deadline is February 10, 2003. Late registration will be accepted at the door at a cost of $65. Sponsor and vendor opportunities are available for businesses to promote their products or services during the event. More information about the workshop is available online at: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/nsww2003, or by calling (405) 579-0771.

Working Together to Save Lives:
FAA and NASA Project Aims to Get More Weather Data From Aircraft

By Richard Mamrosh
WFO Green Bay, WI

Efforts are underway to design, build, and test a multi-sensor instrument to measure temperature, moisture, wind, turbulence, icing, and pressure from regional aircraft that serve smaller cities.

The Federal Aviation Administration is funding the National Aeronautics and Space Administration project in an effort to get a broader geographical and vertical distribution of the data. The instrument will be installed on a larger variety of aircraft over the next several months.

Automated reports of wind and temperature from commercial aircraft have become an increasingly important data source for NWS numerical models and field forecasters during the past decade. These reports, known as ACARS or MDCRS, are generally from large jet aircraft that fly to medium and large cities.

If the instrument works as designed, it will be installed on 30-50 aircraft of a regional airline in early 2004. NWS meteorologists will have the opportunity to use the data in real time and offer feedback. Some NWS field offices may participate in a formal evaluation of the data. Data from a regional airline would fill large gaps in the existing upper air network and ACARS coverage area. The data will likely contribute to significant improvements to forecasts.

The data, known as TAMDAR (Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Report) will be sent to the ground and from aircraft to aircraft in flight. The TAMDAR instrument is one inch thick, five inches wide and six inches long, and is attached to the fuselage of an aircraft. The instrument has been tested by the manufacturer, Optical Detection Systems, and by NASA in wind tunnels and research aircraft in the fall of 2002.

New Cloud Charts On the Way

New cloud charts are on the way! The NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services is replacing the existing 11"x17" chart with a new and improved version. The new charts are the same size but will depict a greater variety of cloud types. A purchase order for 400,000 cloud charts was awarded to Windward Media of Seabrook, TX. Approximately 200,000 will be delivered to NWS headquarters and the remainder will be distributed to regional headquarters this month. The charts are used primarily for outreach purposes.