Editors' Note: The NWS in Pictures - A Chance to Shine

The NWS Communications Office wants to build a photo library of NWS employees on the job, a library that we all could access and use to promote the mission of NOAA and the NWS.

We know we have some excellent photographers in the NWS, and we're seeking your help to gather photos and recognize the work our people do each day.

We're looking for NWS employees to take photos of coworkers both in and out of the office, either on the job or serving the community. If you have a camera, this is your chance to get some recognition for your coworkers and show what your office is doing. Select photos will be published in issues of NOAA's NWS Focus, and some photos may also be enlarged and displayed on the walls at NWS Headquarters. Your best photos may even end up on a NOAA-produced poster or display, or appear in a publication such as the annual NOAA Business Report.

We're looking for candid, unposed photos of NWS employee performing their jobs; please don't submit posed photos of people shaking hands or standing in a group.

Here are a few concepts to use in planning your photos:

• Working Together - show NWS employees and NWS partners in action, i.e., involved in some kind of activity;
• Outreach - show an NWS employee conducting outreach with customers, participating in community activities, or working with school children;
• Volunteering - show an NWS employee performing volunteer work or community service work off the job;
• Diversity and Variety - All of our employees jobs are important, so don't limit your photo subjects - look for interesting angles and settings (indoors or outdoors).

Submitting Your Photos and Captions:

Shoot photos on color slide film, color print film, or with a digital camera set at the highest resolution possible. Save or scan the electronic image in the JPEG format, and submit low-resolution digital versions of your photos (72 dots per inch). Attach the digital images to an e-mail with information about who is pictured, what action is taking place, the location of the photo, when it was taken, and who took the photo. Send digital submissions to NWS.Focus@noaa.gov. We will contact you if we like a particular photo and work out how we can get a negative or high-resolution image to add to a library of photos eligible for use in printed publications.

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NWS has successfully finished testing a new central processing unit for the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS). Deployment of the processor to all approved sites should be completed by March 31, 2004.

The new ASOS processor has a more powerful central processing unit, a clock speed 30 times faster, and four times the memory of the old processor, with further memory expansion possible.

"This is an important milestone for the ASOS program," said Jack Hayes, Director, Office of Science and Technology. "The limited capacity of the 1980s-era processors didn't allow for installing improved sensors. With the new, more reliable processor in place, we can finally incorporate several new sensors for all-weather precipitation accumulation, enhanced precipitation identification, and a more reliable dew point sensor. This is great news for everyone who relies on ASOS data."

The new processor will reduce ASOS down time and require less maintenance, according to Rick Ahlberg, ASOS Product Improvement Manager, NWS Office of Science and Technology.

"When ASOS was designed in the late 1980s, the processor included 50 percent spare capacity for future enhancements," said Ahlberg. "By the late 1990s, we had used all that spare capacity. Even when idling, the old processor was at 70 percent capacity. Peak loads occasionally exceeded the processor's capacity, and resulted in system restarts and data loss."

The Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) is the last in a series of tests leading to deployment. Ahlberg said the NWS had to overcome several unanticipated difficulties in revising existing ASOS software to work with the new processor. Some software worked acceptably on the old slower processor, but crashed the new faster processor. Compilers and code standards have changed significantly since the writing of the original software, and this too caused problems.

The ASOS is a modular system, and some system configurations proved more sensitive to software changes than others, said Ahlberg. Simpler configurations operated acceptably, while more complex configurations did not. The new processor was phased in by configuration groups. The first group had 16 sites, and its deployment began June 19, 2002. Groups 2, 3, and 4 were of similar size, and were added in August, December, and January. Groups 5, 6, and 7 contained hundreds of sites each, and were added in February and March 2003. The latest approved was group 8 in October 2003, picking up 19 sites.

At this time 847 (out of 883) sites have been approved for new processor deployment.

"Thanks are due to the many individuals in the field, regional offices, and headquarters who suffered through this arduous processor OAT," said Ahlberg. "The success is ultimately due to all their hard work."

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November 2003, marked the second anniversary of the exit interview process in NWS. During this two-year period, employees provided information on issues important to them and identified areas in which the agency can improve the quality of life for the workforce.

Ninety-three employees completed the online anonymous survey for employees departing from the NWS, and 53 employees completed the exit interview conducted by supervisors for employees moving from one NWS office to another.

"Although survey participation has been low, the completed surveys have provided valuable information," said Jackie Conyers, Management and Program Analyst. "We now know our strengths and weaknesses. We are working towards improving our weaknesses, while continuing to enhance our strengths."

Conyers said the format for the online exit interview survey for departing employees is very user-friendly. A departing employee can access the survey by obtaining a password from the exit interview point of contact in his or her financial management center.

Respondents are asked to rate factors and behaviors on a scale from 1 to 5; with 1 and 5 representing various extremes. When asked to rate various supervisory behaviors on a scale of 5 (always) to 1 (never), employees' consolidated ratings were 3.6 or higher. Highest marks went to treating employees fairly, encouraging cooperation, respecting the diverse qualities of every employee, and showing concern for workplace health and safety.

When asked what influenced their decision to leave the NWS, departing employees were most influenced by other career/goals, retirement, better job opportunities, office location, and family/personal circumstances. The NWS Corporate Board's Workforce Human Capital Committee is looking at retention issues, especially those related to career advancement. These issues will be address through the NWS Human Resources Strategic Plan that is currently under development.

To see the entire summary for the on-line anonymous exit survey for departing employees, click here.

Exit interviews conducted by supervisors for employees moving from one office to another also indicated a high level of employee satisfaction. When asked to provide an evaluation on a scale of 5 (exceptional) to 1 (poor), on questions related to working relationships, recognition, management and organization, and training, employees' consolidated ratings were 3.8 or higher for all questions.

To see the entire summary of the exit interviews conducted by supervisors for employees moving from one office to another, click here.

The NWS Hardship Transfer Program, which provides relocation options for employees dealing with a family burden, is an example of how exit interview results were used to address issues related to family/personal circumstances.

"We want to address the concerns of our employees and we want to convey how the Exit Interview process is making a difference," said Dean Gulezian, chairman of the Workforce Human Capital Committee. "If we are unaware of the issues, it is more difficult to develop programs or initiatives to correct them." Gulezian echoed Conyers' sentiments that another benefit of the exit interviews is to determine where employee satisfaction is high, so that practices leading to the high level of satisfaction continue.

Conyers encouraged all employees departing the NWS or moving from one NWS office to another to participate in the exit interview process. "Your input does make a difference!" she said.

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NWS Forecaster Participates in Concert Series

An NWS lead forecaster recently had his debut at the symphony hall in Pittsburgh, PA, but he didn't sing or use a musical instrument.

During the week of December 8-11, 2003, Louis Giordano, Lead Forecaster at the Weather Forecast Office in Pittsburgh, PA, participated in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Schooltime Concert Series at the Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. More than 9,000 fourth grade students attended four concerts that featured how weather has inspired classical composers like Wagner, Debussey, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Grofe, and Strauss.

At the invitation of Conductor Daniel Meyer, Giordano gave a two-minute science lesson on how thunderstorms are formed. The conductor followed Giordano's comments with a demonstration of how an orchestra can musically simulate a thunderstorm.

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NWS Jackson Reaches Out

The staff of the Jackson, MS, Weather Forecast Office took part in a new Thanksgiving tradition on November 24 and 25, 2003.

Staff members traveled to an inner city mission, the Jackson Stewpot, to provide meals to people in need. Each day, the staff handed out around 200 "Thanksgiving baskets" that contained turkeys, canned vegetables, fruit, lettuce, and flour to all who came.

The Stewpot provides meals and shelter to the poor and homeless. The Stewpot began its mission of serving the inner city community in 1981 when local churches came together to discuss a common problem--how to deal with the constant requests for food and assistance from Jackson's poor and homeless. This overwhelming problem required an innovative solution. In order to meet the needs of the people, the churches banded together to form what is known today as "Stewpot Community Services." Since inception, the Stewpot mission has expanded from a place where the hungry are fed to a transitional shelter for men, women, and children in need. The charity currently serves about 60,000 meals per year and has shelters that can house over 50 individuals.

Though this was the first year that the office volunteered to serve the community in this manner, the partnership with the Stewpot goes back several years. Meteorologist Nikole Winstead Listemaa, the event organizer, became involved in the partnership with the mission in 1999. Initially, the office held annual food drives during the holiday season to collect canned goods for the Stewpot's food pantry. Seeking a greater involvement, Listemaa proposed the idea of volunteering at the kitchen. Staff members were eager to volunteer their time for the cause.

Where does it go from here? Having tasted the satisfaction that comes from helping others, several staff members have expressed the desire to go back and volunteer again at the Stewpot. In fact, Listemaa has suggested that the annual event become biannual and is already beginning to plan for the spring.

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Also On the Web...2004 Federal Pay Information

For the latest information on 2004 Federal Pay rates, visit the Office of Personnel Management pay update page at http://www.opm.gov/oca/04tables/update.asp.

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