Interactive Forecast Preparation System Science Steering Team Begins Work

A new NWS team created to guide the science behind the Interactive Forecast Preparation System (IFPS) met recently and began its work.

The Science and Technology (S&T) Committee of the NWS Corporate Board chartered the IFPS Science Steering Team (ISST) at the Board's March 2003 meeting.

The ISST will collect and take ownership of IFPS science-related issues, said Brad Colman, team leader and Science and Operations Officer (SOO) at the Seattle, WA, Weather Forecast Office (WFO). The team will define and/or refine these issues, explore alternatives for solving them, and recommend courses of action.

Colman said the team's goal is to have solutions endorsed by the S&T Committee and, when necessary, the NWS Corporate Board, and to integrate solutions into the NWS Science and Technology Infusion Plan, NOAA budget process, and science outreach funding announcements.

"The team will identify, collect, prioritize, and propose focused solutions and recommended courses of action to IFPS science issues," Colman explained. "Recognized as a primary conduit between IFPS operations and NWS Headquarters, this team of field experts will serve to better ensure scientific and technological integrity in the digital forecast process."

The team met at the Western Region SOO/Development and Operations Hydrologist Workshop during the week of May 5, 2003. The workshop focused on science and technology issues relating to IFPS. Colman said the team used this meeting as an opportunity to "jump-start" its activities.

Team members are: Colman, Peter Manousos, backup team leader - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Camp Springs, MD; Dan Baumgardt, WFO La Crosse, WI; Mark Jackson, WFO Salt Lake City, UT; Larry Lee, WFO Greenville-Spartanburg, SC; Andy Patrick, WFO Corpus Christi, TX; Eric Stevens, WFO Fairbanks, AK; Bill Ward, WFO Guam; Ken Waters, Pacific Region Headquarters; and, Kevin Schrab, facilitator - NWS Headquarters Office of Science and Technology, Silver Spring, MD.

The team will draw on subject matter experts from NOAA development labs and other research and educational institutions to aid in exploring alternatives and proposing solutions. Anyone with IFPS science-related issues or concerns may contact one of the ISST members.

National Digital Forecast Database Outreach Efforts Paying Off

Efforts by the Phoenix, AZ, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) to demonstrate to customers how they can access and use the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) are yielding results.

WFO Phoenix Warning Coordination Meteorologist David Runyan, and Information Technology Officer Dave Brown visited the State's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) May 20, 2003, to demonstrate how to access the NDFD.

Matt Parks, a state threat assessment officer, quickly saw multiple benefits of the NDFD for his agency.

"The NWS NDFD will enhance our EOC's operation during disaster events, search and rescue, and emergency response planning initiatives," said Parks. "The GIS format of the NDFD allows us to design how we need to see the weather forecast, in a graphical format that we can inter-relate with other critical information during an event. Our search and rescue people need the detailed temperature forecast data, and are eager to receive the precipitation and wind forecast data sets that are scheduled to be available later this year."

The emergency management information technology personnel were impressed with the simplicity of downloading the NWS NDFD access and image generation application software, and the ease of obtaining the NDFD on a daily basis. Downloading the NDFD is now a routine task for their administration assistants.

Runyan and Brown have also taken the NDFD technology to the Arizona Department of Transportation, an agency that is designing a new "Intelligent Transportation System" to be a model program replicated across the Nation.

"My goal as a WCM, in teamwork with fellow WCMs of Arizona, is to take the accessibility of the NWS NDFD to as wide a range of potential users in Arizona as possible," Runyan said. "The challenge is to identify those who have the need and technology to use our exciting new service. My NDFD outreach experiences have been positive as state and local government, law enforcement, land management agencies, and public health services are quick to see useful application within their agencies. The NWS NDFD ftp access is easy to set up on-site and to demonstrate within a few minutes of walking in the front door."

Working Together To Save Lives:
Some Congress Members Promoting NOAA Weather Radio

Some congressional leaders are touting NOAA Weather Radio's technology and its safety benefits at a time when tornadoes, homeland security, and the approaching hurricane season have all been in the news.

The House Science Committee chairman and other committee members asked for a briefing on NOAA Weather Radio by representatives of NOAA, NWS, and weather radio manufacturers recently.

In a recent news release, Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Ranking Democrat Ralph M. Hall (D-TX) described the contents of a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, touting the homeland security benefits of NOAA Weather Radio and requesting that the early warning technology be added as an emergency preparedness kit item.

Read the full House Science Committee news release here.

Two new NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) publications, a poster and a brochure, will be available in the coming weeks.

The publications contain general information about the NWR program, and how to receive the NWR broadcasts that operate 24 hours a day from over 800 transmitters nationwide. Specific Area Message Encoders (SAME) are explained, and the brochure contains a table of fast facts about NWR.

Both publications feature plots showing the locations, broadcast power, and frequency of the NWR transmitters in operation as of October 1, 2002. Links to all 122 supervising Weather Forecast Offices are also shown.

Electronic copies of the NWR poster and brochure are also on the OCWWS web site as Adobe Acrobat files at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures.shtml.

The publications were completed by the Office of Operational Systems, Dissemination Systems Branch, with assistance from the Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services, Awareness Branch.

"All six NWS regional NWR focal points are receiving copies for distribution within their regions," said Baron. "It would be best for field offices to obtain their initial copies from the regions, because the number of copies to be stocked by NLSC is very limited." Baron said offices can order a maximum of 50 copies of each item from the National Logistics Support Center in Kansas City, MO.

The ordering procedure is to call NLSC at 816-926-3990, and provide NOAA stock numbers, and accounting information. NLSC also accepts fax orders (816-926-7901).

The stock numbers are:

• NWR Poster -- NOAA PA 200352
• NWR Brochure -- NOAA PA 200356

Rocket Launch at University of Wyoming Highlights 2003 Women in Science Forum

Nearly 450 junior and senior high school students participated in the fifth Cheyenne, WY, Women in Science (WIS) Forum recently. Hosted by the Cheyenne Weather Forecast Office, both boys and girls from around the state attended this year's forum at the University of Wyoming campus. The day-long activity featured noted professional women scientists, visits to university science laboratories, a free lunch, and a rocket launching competition between visiting schools. "By every measure, this year's effort was the best yet!" said Cheyenne Meteorologist-In-Charge William Parker.

WIS forums started in Cheyenne, WY, in 1998, and have grown steadily in attendance and substance each year. The forums showcase professional women of science as mentors and role models to young women, encouraging them to pursue science careers after high school.

The 2003 forum featured two outstanding keynote speakers, NASA Astronaut Janice Voss and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Astronomer, Jo Pitesky. Joining them was Wendy Abshire, an Atmospheric Scientist from UCAR in Boulder, CO, and Amparo Crump, a Cheyenne Embalmer from Schrader Funeral Home. Also featured were members of the University of Wyoming faculty.

A student team of junior and senior high school girls was assembled to assist with the panel selection and help structure the forum. "We think it's important that we keep a student perspective in developing these forums," said Forecaster Jennifer Stark, this year's Project Coordinator.

An important aspect of the WIS forums has been developing effective public-private partnerships. This year, the forum was again co-sponsored by the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium. Local corporate and civic groups including the Wyoming Student Loan Corporation, Cheyenne Zonta Club, and the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club donated time and funds. Donations in grants and gifts totaled more than $10,000 for this year's forum.

"Together we were able to leverage resources and provide a forum with statewide reach," said Parker.

One highlight of this year's forum was a rocket building and launching competition.

"We wanted to try something new - a variation of the egg dropping experiment," said Stark. "We thought launching two-liter pop bottle rockets would be something new and different, and I think we hit on a good idea. Judging from the crowd reaction, I know this competition will become a regular feature. It takes teamwork and some knowledge of physics and aerodynamics to build a competitive rocket."

"The WIS project is likely to continue," Parker said.

"Each year we wonder if the time and effort it takes is worth it, and each spring we decide to have another go. In the bigger scheme, research has shown that our Nation will be needing more and more scientists in the coming years. Building interest in these careers is something the NWS can do at the local and state level and the Women in Science project is one way to tackle this problem."

Employee Milestones