NWS Climate Services Division
Activities and Priorities
Marina Timofeyeva
Climate Services Division
Review of NCEP Production Suite
December 7, 2010
Overview of
NWS Climate Services
NWS CSD Vision and Mission
Our Vision: An engaged, responsive
organization delivering state-of-the-art and
timely climate information and decision
support services.
Our Mission: To ensure NWS has the capacity
to develop and deliver the best climate
products and services through policy,
planning, data stewardship, integration of
research and services, training, education,
and outreach in collaboration with other
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NOAA offices, partners, and users.
Overview of
NWS Climate Services
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Overview of NWS Climate
Services Division
• Sets policy, develops requirements, planning
• Secures and allocates resources for
supported activities, including contribution to
regional programs
• Develops training for staff and users
• Conducts outreach
• Develops partnerships
• Serves as the national coordinator for
regional and local climate services
“. . .we have a 140-year history of the
National Weather Service which is a highly respected professional organization and one that’s looked to
from people all around the world. And we want to build on that credibility and that expertise.”
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Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce, February 8, 2010 Press Call announcing NCS
Planning and Policy
• Strategy Execution and Evaluation (SEE) for
execution of FY11 and preparation for FY12-17
• NWS Science and Technology Road Map
• Evaluating performance of NWS climate services
• Maintenance of policy directives (series 10-10, 10-12
and, 10-21)
• Developing documents (MOU, MOA, SLA, etc.) and
collaborations to sustain NWS Climate Services
framework
Developing NWS Climate
Services Framework
Establishing a Team Approach to Regional Climate Services
Collaboration with NOAA Regional Climate Services Directors
• RCSDs participate in NWS Climate Services Program
Managers’ (CSPMs’) monthly telecons
• NWS/RCSD engagement with National Marine
Sanctuaries Program
• RCSDs collaborating with NWS on workshops and
meetings
• RCSD will participate in annual NWS training courses
• RCSDs engaged in routine NWS La Niña outreach
activities at regional levels
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Developing NWS Climate
Services Framework
• Service Level Agreement between RCSDs
and NWS
– Objective – To ensure an integrated program of
products and services on time and space scales
relevant to decision makers
– Contents:
• Introduction/Background Regional Climate Services Team
• Contributions RCSD lead coordinator for regional
• Strategy activities
CSPM co-lead and NWS
• Coordination representative, linking NWS field to
• Accountability CS
Team identifies climate services
needs in the region and leads
development of timely and credible
tools, products, services, and
outreach materials that provide
consistent information from NOAA
on climate variability and change 7
User Needs/Partnership
Development/Outreach
• Outcomes (Long-Term)
– Needs Assessments: Identification of user needs, both internal
and external
– Enhanced coordination of climate and health activities across
NOAA
– Strengthened partnerships within the climate community
– Enhanced collaboration with RISAs
– Improved communication materials to effectively portray the
current state of climate science
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User Needs/Partnership
Development/Outreach
• FY11 Milestones
– Develop an MOA with CDC in coordination with NOS
– Incorporate locally-relevant CDC messages into NWS web-
based statements
– Collaborate with OHHI on CDC engagement
– Implement collaboration between CDC/local public health
community and NWS Local Offices
– With CPC establish collaboration with the World Health
Organization
– Identify framework for collaboration between the National
Marine Sanctuaries Program, NWS offices, and NCDC (CS)
– Identify joint action strategy for integrating NWS field offices
into CPC RISA collaboration
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User Needs/Partnership
Development/Outreach
• FY11 Milestones - cont.
– Organize and host CSPM Face-to-Face meeting 2011
– Manage Partners Exchange Program with two participants
per quarter
– Organize 9th Annual Climate Prediction Applications
Science Workshop (CPASW) – CR, Mar 2011
– Co-organize Annual Climate Diagnostics and Prediction
Workshop (CDPW) - SR, Oct 2011
– Establish a framework for developing and managing internal
and external partnerships
– Develop a Climate 101 presentation for NWS for outreach
purposes
– Develop NOAA climate change information for the general
public (accessible via the Web)
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• Purpose: Strengthen partnerships by establishing
two-way communication and face-to-face collaboration
between the NOAA climate community and the broader
climate services network.
• Two-way exchange
– Internal and external partners visit NOAA
Headquarter Offices and Centers to become
acquainted with NOAA climate services
– NOAA climate staff visits partners to become
acquainted with their climate activities, issues,
and needs
• Each visit individualized to meet needs of climate
partners internal or external to NOAA
• APPLICATIONS on CSD website
– http://www.weather.gov/om/csd/sites/PartnersExchange
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User Needs/Partnership
Development/Outreach
• NWS Region and Field Collaboration
– SR and PR contributing to sanctuaries effort
– WR and ER engagement on CDC collaboration efforts
– CR workshops – CPASW, others
– WR climate services local office reviews
– Regional CSPMs, CPO, and CPC participate on teams planning
climate outreach activities
– CSPM collaboration on planning annual Face-to-Face meeting
– CR heavily engaged in planning for CPASW; other meetings with
community leaders
– WR engagement in climate brochure development
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Training
• Outcomes (Long-Term)
– A sustained, comprehensive training
program that supports a competent, skilled,
prepared and productive workforce that is
adequately with a broad and state-of-the-art
climate knowledge base to meet the growing
demand for climate information
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Training
• FY11 Milestones
– Develop NWS-internal climate training to increase staff
confidence in expressing state of climate science and ensure
delivery of a consistent message to public and media
especially in view of commensurate presentations being
developed by other Federal agencies
– Update training tool for Professional Competency Unit #1
– Update Professional Competency Unit 3 modules with POC
– Conduct two Climate Variability and Change virtual courses
– Conduct Operational Climate Services course
– Introduce Advanced Climate Variability and Change
Residence Training
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Training
• NWS Region and Field Collaboration
– Several regional and local office staff members
contribute to training courses (develop materials,
instruct classes)
– Regional climate services meetings serve as a
training experience for NWS regional personnel
(CSPMs and CSFPs)
– Regional support for developing project or agency
tailored training (NRC, Ca DWR)
– WR training of WCMs and SCHs
– PR tool and application training; development of a
handbook for Micronesian offices
– AR training on Alaska climate change scenarios
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Education
• Outcomes (Long-Term)
– An environmentally-literate public
– A future workforce skilled in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) and other
disciplines critical to NOAA's mission
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Education
• FY11 Milestones
– Organize a follow-on session to the NOS-sponsored Climate
Symposium at the NSTA 2011 Annual meeting
– Develop materials for climate change information suitable for
presentation at the elementary school level
– Work with AASC on developing educational requirements for
climate services providers
• NWS Region and Field Collaboration
– WR support for NSTA Climate Symposium
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Decision Support and
Digital Services
• Outcomes (Long-Term)
– Expanded state-of-the-art information and delivery
services to meet evolving user needs
– Provide integrated climate water and weather
information for decision support
– Improved access and exploitation of data and
information utilizing standard, integrated, and
interoperable technologies and systems
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Decision Support and
Digital Services
• FY11 Milestones
– Represent NWS in Climate Portal development
– Lead coordination of GIS activities, interest, and
license pool for OCWWS Silver Spring
– Oversight and support OSIP project 10-003 on NWS
Local Climate Analysis Tool
– Initiate Climate Observations Digital Services
(CODS) OSIP
– Implement Local Climate Study Catalog
– Implement 1981-2010 Climate Normals in to NWS
local Climate products
– Implement 2010 ThreadEx in to NWS local Climate
database 19
Decision Support and
Digital Services
• NWS Region and Field Collaboration
– NOAA-wide collaboration on developing decision
support and local climate studies
– Regional office staff participate on teams working
to improve climate digital services
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In Summary…
• CSD FY11 AOP priorities engage the broader CS
community
• The FY11 priorities emphasize regional and local
climate services
• The FY11 major focuses are
– Policy and planning for sustained NWS climate services
– User needs/Partnership Development/ Outreach
– Training
– Education
– Decision support and Digital Services
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