A New Strategic Plan for the National Weather Service
(320)
Peyton Robertson, NWS
Office of Organizational Excellence, Silver
Spring, MD
Abstract:
In light of the rapid changes
in technology and Americans' increasing dependence on timely, reliable, and
accurate weather, water, and climate information for everyday activities, the
National Weather Service (NWS) is undertaking a revision to its strategic plan
this year. The last NWS Strategic Plan (2011) served the agency well, but times
have changed in the past seven years. As damages continue to trend upward, 2017
set a new record for the U.S. with $306 billion in weather, water, and climate damages.
Emergency managers, first responders, and government officials are increasingly
relying on weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings to aid in their
decision-making. At the same time, Federal agency budgets are declining and the
forecast for future domestic discretionary funding suggests continued flat or
declining levels.
The speed at which technology
advances is accelerating, leading to a more connected world with greater public
expectations for &ldquoreal-time&rdquo information. Mobile sources for
receiving information are growing fastest, and people expect tailored weather
information to be readily available with precision at the local level. Machine
learning and big data are tools available to assist forecasters in
communication of uncertainty. The internet of things, robotics, and
miniaturization are driving advances in observations. The U.S. weather industry
is estimated today at well over $7 billion in market value[1]. These forces and
factors set the stage for the new NWS Strategic Plan.
This plan will respond to
emerging challenges by drawing on new legislative authority established by the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. Language in the Act
added requirements for the evolution of the NWS, with emphasis in four areas:
U.S. Weather Research and Forecasting Improvement, Sub-seasonal and Seasonal
Forecasting Innovation, Weather Satellite and Data Innovation, Federal Weather
Coordination and Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research. The plan will also
draw from previous reports by the National Academy of Public Administration and
National Academies of science, along with internal sources such as the NWS
Weather Ready Nation Roadmap, to set the direction for the agency from 2018 -
2025.
Adapting to the ever-increasing
pace of change will require the National Weather Service to effectively evolve
towards a customer-centric service delivery model with corresponding changes to
operations, business processes, and the skills and capabilities of our
workforce to ensure sustained cost savings and efficiency. We can't do it
alone. We must strengthen partnerships with America's Weather Enterprise to
leverage the full range of available tools, expanding our collective reach
while improving our level of performance. This evolution will require support
for our workforce, including training and development in science-based service
delivery, increased diversity to drive higher performance, and enhanced support
to sustain a healthy organizational culture.
[1] National Weather Service.
(2017). National Weather Service Enterprise Analysis Report