
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOWN HALL MEETING
January 11, 2000 — "We can't do our job without you and you can't do your job as well without us" was the theme woven through a Town Hall Meeting conducted by senior National Weather Service officials Sunday night during the American Meteorological Society's 80th Annual Meeting in Long Beach, Calif. Enhanced partnerships, improved products and services and advancing science will allow NOAA's National Weather Service to evolve the agency's $4.5 billion modernization program into the future. The high-tech presentation included a review of the agency's successes in 1999 by National Weather Service Director Jack Kelly, Jr., a preview of future products and services presented by NWS Western Region Director Vickie Nadolski, and a discussion of the service-science linkages driving the organization by Louis Uccellini, Director of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction. "With baseline AWIPS in place, we've ended an era and begun modernized services for the nation," Kelly said. "The sky is the limit." John J. "Jack" Kelly Jr. director of NOAA's National Weather Service makes presentation on the National Weather Service's 1999 successes. The presentation was part of the agency's town hall meeting at the 80th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Louis Uccellini, director of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction, explains to a large crowd the importance of integrating science and weather services for the agency to achieve the vision of being America's "no-surprise weather service." The presentation was part of the agency's town hall meeting at the 80th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Among the organization's accomplishments during the past year cited by Kelly are the deployment of AWIPS completing the decade-long modernization, unveiling of new climate products, development of a new strategic plan, closure of 68 offices and completion of a new contract with IBM for a High Performance Computer—10 times faster than its predecessor—that will make daily forecasts and climate prediction more accurate nationwide. The National Weather Service modernization is resulting in exemplary service, he said, highlighting the agency's excellent performance during tornado outbreaks in January and May and Hurricane Floyd in September. "Our challenge is to build upon the success of the modernization, improve the accuracy of short-term weather forecasts, extend the range of prediction and accomplish these goals in the most efficient manner possible," Kelly said. The organization's vision is to become "America's No Surprise Weather Service," he said. "This is a level of service we should always strive to deliver," he added. "A no-surprise weather service also means we are an open organization." Nadolski presented examples of improved products and services. These include finer resolution forecasts, increased accuracy and improved timeliness of warnings, longer range products, improved hydrologic forecasts, watch by county products, standardized product formats and local products. "Our highest priority is to translate our customer and partner needs into products and services that are trusted when needed most," she said. Service-science linkages are the key to making this happen, Uccellini said. These linkages involve partnering with research and technology communities to advance models, improving data assimilation, continuing local research and applications and incorporating advancements in information processing. "For the National Weather Service to reach its goals for 2005, we must build upon the scientific and technological advances of the entire community," Uccellini said. "Partnerships and participation are the critical elements for our current and future success." Following the formal presentations, Kelly answered questions from the audience about partnerships with schools, the international weather community, the private sector and the media. To see some of the products discussed during the National Weather Service's presentation, visit their Web site: http://www.nws.noaa.gov. (NOAA Photos by Curtis Carey) -end-
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