NDIA System Engineering Conference

26 October 2015

Benjie Spencer Chief Engineer, NOAA/National Weather Service

The National Weather Service of the Future:

Building a Weather-Ready Nation

Previous NWS Organizational Structure

Field Systems Operations

Center

Radar Operations

Center

Telecommunications Operations

Center

Office of the Chief Information

Officer

Office of Climate, Water, & Weather Services

Office of Operational

Systems

Office of Science &

Technology

Office of Hydrologic

Development

Hydrologic Services Division

Programs and Plans Division

Planning, Programming &

Coordination Group

Office of the Chief Financial

Officer

National Data Buoy

Center

Eastern Region

Central Region

Southern Region

Western Region

Alaska Region

Pacific Region

23 WFOs

3 RFCs

38 WFOs

2 RFCs

32 WFOs

4 RFCs

24 WFOs

3 RFCs

3 WFOs

1 RFC

2 WFOs

Storm Prediction

Center

Climate Prediction

Center

Ocean Prediction

Center

Space Weather Prediction

Center

Environmental Modeling

Center

Hydro- meteorological

Prediction Center

Tropical Prediction

Center (National

Hurricane Center)

Aviation Weather Center

Central Operations

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

(NCEP)

Office of the Assistant Administrator For Weather Services

Strategic Planning and Policy

Climate Services Division

Maintenance, Logistics, and

Acquisition Division

Operations and Requirements

Division Observing Services Division 4,900 NWS Employees

122 Weather Forecast Offices 13 River Forecast Centers 21 Center Weather Service Units 21 Weather Service Offices 2 Tsunami Warning Centers 9 NCEP Centers 6 Regional Headquarters

Meteorological Services Division

Performance and Awareness

Division

Training Division

Hydrology Laboratory

Meteorological Development Laboratory

Systems Engineering

Center

EEO/Diversity

International Activities

4 CWSUs 5 CWSUs 7 CWSUs 4 CWSUs 1 CWSU

12 WSOs

6 WSOs

Legend

Headquarters Offices

Program Offices

Regional Headquarters Offices Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs)

River Forecast Centers (RFCs) Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs)

Weather Service Offices (WSOs) NCEP Offices

Staff Offices

Communications Office

1 WSO 2 WSOs

New NWS Organizational Structure

4

Operational Flow

5

National Weather Service

NWS Strategic Outcome: A Weather-Ready Nation

Becoming a Weather-Ready Nation is about building community resiliency in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather

Ready, Responsive, Resilient REQUIRES NWS TO: Fully Integrate our Field Structure:

Better Forecasts and Warnings Ensure Consistent Products and Services

Provide Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) Deliver through Multiple and Reliable Dissemination Pathways Work with Partners to gain needed response; includes embedding NWS in

Emergency Operations Centers

Involves entire US Weather Enterprise WORKING TOGETHER to achieve far-reaching national preparedness for weather events

6

7

NCEP delivers national and global weather, water, climate and space weather guidance, forecasts, warnings and analyses to help save lives and protect property

National Center for Environmental Protection

8

Research, Development and Technology Infusion

Respond & Feedback

NCEPs Role in NOAAs Seamless Suite of Products and Forecast Services

IBM Supercomputer Gaithersburg, MD Distribute

Observe

Products & Forecast Services

To Serve Diverse Customer Base

e.g., Energy Officials, DHS/FEMA, Emergency

Managers, Water Resource Planning, Transportation,

Health organizations (CDC)

NCEP

Feedback

- Process - Assimilate - Predict

Prediction is now inherently linked to numerical models

Central Guidance

Local Offices

Forecast Uncertainty

Minutes

Hours

Days

1 Week

2 Week

Months

Seasons Years

Seamless Suite of Operational Numerical Guidance Systems

Fore

cast

Lea

d Ti

me

Warnings & Alert Coordination

Watches

Forecasts

Threats Assessments

Guidance

Outlook

Benefits

North American Ensemble Forecast System Climate Forecast System

Short-Range Ensemble

Global Forecast System

North American Mesoscale

Rapid Refresh

Dispersion (smoke)

Global Ensemble Forecast System

Regional Hurricane (HWRF & GFDL)

Waves Global Ocean Space Weather

Spanning Weather and Climate

Tsunami Whole

Atmosphere NMME NSWPS WRF-HYDRO

Bays Storm Surge

Global Dust

Fire Wx

9

Air Quality

Wave Ensemble Land DA

HRRR

NCEP Reaches Out to UCACN

High resolution rapid refresh (HRRR) High Resolution Windows (HiRESW) Rapid Refresh (RAP) North American Mesoscale (NAM) and associated nests Short Range Ensemble Forecast System (SREF) Global Forecast System (GFS) Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS) Climate Forecast System (CFS) and Reforecasts Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast (HWRF) GFDL Regional Hurricane Model (GFDL-HFM)

Air Quality for Surface Ozone (CMAQ) Air Quality--Dispersion (HYSPLIT) Hydrology (HEFS,AHPS, CHPS) North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) Real Time Ocean Forecast System (RTOFS) Coastal Ocean and Bays (NOS-OFS) Tropical and Extratropical Storm Surge (ETTS; PSURGE; SLOSH; ESTOFS) Global Waves (WW3) Global Wave Ensemble (GWENS) Great Lakes Waves (GLCFS) Space Weather: Solar Flare (WSA-Enlil) 10

University Center for Atmospheric Research Community Advisory Committee for NCEP

(UCACN) Modeling Advisory Committee (UMAC)

Outcome: a set of recommendations that will be used to build a strategy to evolve the NPS (NMMB Preprocessing System) over the next 5-10 years

National Weather Service

THANK YOU!

NDIA System EngineeringConference26 October 2015Benjie Spencer Chief Engineer, NOAA/National Weather ServiceThe National Weather Service of the Future:Building a Weather-Ready NationPrevious NWS Organizational StructureNew NWS Organizational StructureOperational FlowNWS Strategic Outcome:A Weather-Ready NationSlide Number 7NCEPs Role in NOAAs Seamless Suite of Products and Forecast ServicesSeamless Suite of Operational Numerical Guidance SystemsNCEP Reaches Out to UCACNSlide Number 11