NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND 20910-3283

Operations Manual Letter

3-99

Date of Issue: Effective Date:
In Reply Refer To: W/OM11 File With: WSOM Chapter A-99
Subject: General National Weather Service Definitions
References: WSOM Chapter D-90, Weather Support for Accident Investigations and Litigation, issuance 97-2, dated February 19, 1997

The purpose of this OML is to provide definitions for certain National Weather Service (NWS)-wide general terms that cross all program areas, as described below.



Information: Communication of knowledge or intelligence



Data: Information comprising an individual or group of facts, statistics, or output from sensing devices or numerical models.



Product: Weather, water or climate data and/or other information in a documented format (e.g., alphanumeric, graphics, imagery).



Operational NWS Products and Data: Products and data the NWS has committed to produce through approved management procedures.



Official NWS Products and Data: Operational products and data defined in NWS policy.



Experimental NWS Products and Data: Products and data the NWS produces for testing and evaluation.



Operational Systems: Those systems the NWS has determined through commissioning or other officially sanctioned processes are sufficiently reliable to gather, produce, and disseminate the operational data and products.









John J. Kelly, Jr.

Assistant Administrator

for Weather Services

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