Welcome to NOAA's NWS Focus!

Editors' Note: Welcome to the premier issue of NOAA's NWS Focus. This online publication aims to be your one-stop source for current issues and news about the National Weather Service. Our goal is to keep the contents fresh and provide information that will help you on the job. We see this publication as a complement to another new online employee publication, www.accessnoaa.noaa.gov which will highlight NOAA people and activities. If you haven't seen this new offering from NOAA, take a look. Then give us some feedback on the kind of news topics that you want us to cover in NOAA's NWS Focus.

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Winter Hiring Freeze, Spring Thaw?

In support of the President's goal of flattening the Federal hierarchy, Commerce Secretary Don Evans continued a freeze on filling all Department of Commerce positions and on approving personnel transfers among or within departmental units. Formal written job offers extended by human resource offices prior to January 20, 2001, were honored.

Because vacancies will impact our ability to issue forecasts and warnings, we are requesting an exemption from the Secretary's hiring controls for NWS critical-operations positions. Because our vacancies are often filled by NWS employees, filling a position in one area can potentially create a vacancy in another. If granted, the exemption request would allow us to fill operating vacancies without having to file additional waivers. Currently, the NWS has 234 vacancies. Approval of the exemption would allow us to fill 152 operational vacancies.

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On January 17, 2001, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released the latest in their Performance and Accountability Series of reports, produced to coincide with the start of the new Congress and the new administration. These reports provide an overview of major government-wide management challenges and program risks facing the entire government as well as those facing 21 major departments and agencies. As of this latest report, the NWS modernization program has been removed from the GAO annual list of high risk initiatives, where it had been included since 1995. The report commends the NWS for acting to implement GAO recommendations to better manage this program. In September 2000, the Commerce Department's Office of the Inspector General also acknowledged the success of the modernization, removing AWIPS from its list of top 10 Departmental management challenges. NWS Director Jack Kelly said the action by GAO and Commerce IG reinforces a conclusion already drawn by many who have followed the progress of the modernization. "Through your Herculean efforts in the field, at the Headquarters, and the Centers we completed the modernization," said Kelly, "a job well done and an example that other agencies could follow."

This report is available online at http://www.gao.gov/pas/2001/pas01.html.

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The Sterling WFO hosted a visit March 9 by Christine Ryan of the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, and State. This committee is responsible for establishing the final budget levels for both the NOAA and the National Weather Service. Ryan received a walking tour of the WFO and key observing systems and was briefed by NWS Director Jack Kelly and others on the role of the NWS. She also saw a demonstration of AWIPS Build 5, learned about the role of the cooperative observer network and received an overview of Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services. Ryan started the visit by launching a weather balloon and then saw a demonstration of radiosonde tracking equipment.

The House Appropriation Committee will review President Bush's FY `02 Budget submission after its release in early April. Each year the House and Senate Appropriations Committees review and approve Federal Agency spending levels. The spending levels are incorporated into an appropriations bill which requires approval by the Congress and the President.

"This type of outreach effort at NWS Forecast Offices is critical," said Steve Gallagher, chief of the NWS Budget Formulation Branch. "Tours and briefings at NWS facilities give elected representatives and staffs an appreciation of our field programs and a better understanding of the role of the NWS in providing forecasts, watches, and warnings."

Click here to see pictures taken during the visit. For budget information, visit the Chief Financial Officer web page at www.nws.noaa.gov/cfo.

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When the Bosses Are Away...

The NWS National MIC-HIC Workshop is being held April 30 - May 4, 2001, at the DoubleTree Portland-Lloyd Center Hotel in Portland, OR. During the course of the week, MICs/HICs will share information on best practices of their local offices and be offered training on leadership, decision-making, culture change, and diversity. In addition to NWS Director Jack Kelly and NWS Employees Organization President Ramon Sierra, featured speakers will include R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., founder of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, and Katie Jorgensen-David of the Ritz-Carlton Learning Institute. Presentations will also be given on new NWS services and the future forecast process.

A web site is now available with further information, including online registration, hotel information, and the full agenda. Visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/mic/michic.htm. All those expecting to attend must complete the online registration form! The deadline for hotel reservations is April 6.

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No-uh Weh-thurr Rah-deo Weel Suhn Sahhnd Bet-her

Plans are underway to replace the computer-synthesized voice currently used on the NOAA Weather Radio System. The current computer-synthesized voice is a product of 6-year-old technology and will be replaced in response to user demands for a clearer, more human-sounding voice system. The new speech technologies under consideration incorporate actual human voices that only recently emerged on the commercial market last year. The Office of Science and Technology began upgrading this critical warning dissemination system with a call for proposals March 12 on the web at http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~amd/90021.html. A debut of the new "voice of the National Weather Service" is expected in December, 2001.

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NWS Subject of Upcoming Government Performance Review

The Government Performance Project, a joint venture of Government Executive magazine, George Washington University, and Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs evaluates the success of federal, state and local government agencies in managing for results. In a special issue to be published April 15, 2001, Government Executive will grade the overall performance of the National Weather Service and six other Federal agencies (Administration for Children and Families, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Forest Service, NASA, and the U.S. Postal Service). The NWS grade is based on extensive interviews and data collection from NWS and its customers. Previous years' reports can be seen at http://www.govexec.com/gpp/index.htm.

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NWS Working Towards a Solution to Reduce Interference at ASOS Sites

The NWS has identified an ASOS data link as the cause of occasional interference with the Search and Rescue Satellite and the FAA's Low Level Wind Shear System at airports. The NWS will demonstrate tested Radio Frequency filters at three sites where interference has been exhibited. Selection of these sites and other ASOS locations for implementation will be coordinated with the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission.

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Tools Online: Presentations and Fact Sheets

NWS Director Jack Kelly, Deputy Director John Jones, and other NWS Leaders are briefing new political appointees, Congressional members, Congressional committee members and their staffs to familiarize people about the NWS, its mission and operations. To help everyone speak in one voice, the Communications Office has posted on-line these briefing slides and fact sheets for your viewing and use.

To download the briefings, visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/tools.htm. There are two briefings posted: a long and a short verson. Both files are available in three formats: Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) -- for easy viewing, and Corel Presentations (.SHW) and Microsoft Powerpoint (.PPT) so you can localize and modify these materials, if you want.

At http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/fsheets.htm, fact sheets and similar communications tools will be stored as they become available. Currently, fact sheets are available on the following topics: A general introduction to NWS, radiosondes, the NCEP supercomputer, the NWS Cooperative Observer Program, Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services (AHPS), NOAA Weather Radio, and NWS technological advances. These fact sheets are available in WordPerfect and Adobe Acrobat formats. All of these materials may be updated when the President's 2001 budget is released.

If you need assistance in accessing these materials or have comments about material content, please contact John Skoda in the Communications Office at 301-713-3447.

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Upcoming Media Event: Spring Outlook Release

Tomorrow, March 15, top NOAA climate and weather experts hold a news conference at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC, to unveil the spring outlook for April through June. The news conference will highlight potential drought and flood threats and forecasts of temperatures and precipitation for the Nation, and will provide updates on the lingering droughts in the Northwest and Southeast. Participants will include Acting NOAA Administrator Scott Gudes, NWS Director, Jack Kelly, and U.S. Geological Survey Director Charles G. Groat. Experts representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and Bonneville Power Administration will also answer reporter questions. Key areas include Northwest drought, Florida drought, and flood potential in the Northeast. Look for the news story tomorrow on www.noaa.gov.

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