NOAA Weather Radio Makes Television Debut

A new television set carrying NOAA Weather Radio warning features was unveiled during the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, January 8, 2003.

On January 8, 2003, RCA announced the production of the first televisions that incorporate NWR alerts. RCA, a division of Thomson, Inc., calls the new feature "Alert Guard." The TVs provide on-screen text and/or audio alarms when the television is tuned to a cable channel, playing a VHS tape or DVD disc, viewing a satellite channel, or playing a video game.

The RCA Alert Guard TVs feature four front panel LED lights which constantly monitor the alert level status. In combination with the front panel LED lights, the TV can provide audio alert tones and voice information as well as on-screen text messages. A variety of alarm options and combinations include a soft chime that increases in volume as well as a ramp-up awakening siren. A simple on-screen display panel enables the consumer to easily set up the desired alarm options.

"Thomson's decision to add an Alert Guard feature that uses all hazards warning alerts from NOAA Weather Radio is a very positive public safety development," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator in a related press release. "All hazards warning alerts have helped save thousands of lives via NOAA Weather Radio."

"RCA's integration of NOAA Weather Radio's alert feature into its televisions is a significant step in reaching greater numbers of Americans in their family rooms when severe weather and other hazards threaten," said Herb White, Dissemination Services Manager in NWS's Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services.

RCA Alert Guard televisions will be available for purchase beginning spring 2003.

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Emergency Warning Act Legislation Introduced in Senate

A bill to authorize modernizing emergency warning systems to give Americans better, faster, and more practical information about threats from terrorists or natural disasters was introduced in the Senate January 9, 2003.

The bill would authorize the Homeland Security and Commerce departments to work with states, local governments, the news media, businesses, and educators to establish comprehensive standards for effective emergency warnings. The Commerce Department would be responsible for developing new technologies to issue warnings, modeled on the existing National Weather Service system. Commerce also would oversee research into new tools for disseminating warnings to more people, including the Internet, cell phones, special rings on traditional telephones, and new television technology to activate sets that are not turned on.

Read the news release by the bill's sponsor, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for more details.

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Exit Interviews Provide Important Feedback

People changing jobs often have ideas for improving the quality of work life in their former workplace. Sharing those ideas can help improve working conditions. Positive changes can and do occur when departing employees give feedback through exit interviews.

To encourage employees to open up and share their thoughts before they leave a job, in 2001 the NWS Corporate Board developed voluntary exit interviews.

"Losing members of the NWS family is always regrettable, but we hope the information gathered through the exit interview process will help reduce turnover and improve working conditions for current employees," said Dean Gulezian, Chairman, Workforce/Human Capital Committee of the NWS Corporate Board. "It is important for us to know how we are performing on issues that are important to employees and identify areas where we can improve the quality of life for our workforce."

Two types of exit interviews exist. One, an on-line, anonymous interview, is for departing NWS employees. The second type of exit interview is for employees moving from one NWS office to another. This interview can be a face-to-face or telephone discussion with the supervisor, or the employee can fill out a copy of the questionnaire and give it to the supervisor.

"To date, survey participation has been low," said Jackie Conyers, Management and Program Analyst. "We need to get the word out to managers and employees that this feedback vehicle is available and that things can improve with their input."

To learn more about the exit interview process, view the following documents: sample questionnaire, a consolidated yearly report for employees moving internally, and a detailed explanation about how the exit interview process works.

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Senior Visiting Scientist to Assist With Developing Concept of Improved Observing System

A former NWS employee with an extensive background in observing systems will serve for six months as a senior visiting scientist to help develop a concept for improving the Nation's observing system.

Beginning February 1, 2003, Ken Crawford will return to the NWS and join the Office of Science and Technology (OST) to lead the development of a vision and strategy for improving the national observing system that supports climate, hydrology and weather analysis and forecasting. Crawford will help in developing concepts for a mesonet and cooperative observing system. He will focus on improving and creating partnerships between NOAA and public/private weather observing systems.

"We are extremely pleased to have a person of Crawford's stature helping us develop an improved national observing system," said OST Director Jack Hayes. "His experience with developing observing networks will be very valuable as we look to strengthen the existing observing network as well as partnering with other public and private organizations. More accurate and timely surface observation data will ultimately contribute to improved weather forecast models and short term forecasts and warnings. One energy study has shown a one degree improvement in daily temperature forecast accuracy could potentially save consumers one billion dollars per year. Ken's expertise in these areas will be a huge asset to NWS."

Crawford is a Regents' Professor of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and serves as Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. He has been a member of the OU faculty and the State Climatologist for Oklahoma since 1989. During this period, Crawford led the development of the Oklahoma Mesonetwork, an automated network of 115 remote observing sites and a joint program with Oklahoma State University. One of the Mesonet's outreach programs -- OK-FIRST -- was honored by Harvard University and their John F. Kennedy School of Government as one of five innovative programs in American government during 2001.

Crawford had a 30-year career with the National Weather Service. He last served as Area Manager for Oklahoma and was also a lead forecaster at the Forecast Office in Fort Worth, TX, and a Deputy Area Manager at the Forecast Office in Slidell, LA.

Crawford was a member of the National Research Council (NRC) National Weather Service Modernization Committee which studied and reported on the Future of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Network.

Crawford is an American Meteorological Society Fellow and a past-president of the National Weather Association. His honors include a Commerce Silver Medal and the AMS Cleveland Abbe Award.

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Buoy Center's Nominee Named January Team Member of the Month

James E. Hall of the National Data Buoy Center is NOAA's January Team Member of the Month. Hall, Data Systems Department Manager with contractor Science Applications International Corporation, is recognized for his significant contributions to the NDBC website during the height of two landfalling hurricanes. The efforts of Hall and his staff were critical to keeping real-time marine observation data available during the approach of Hurricanes Isidore and Lili toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.

"Without the efforts of Jim and his team, coastal marine observation data would not have been available on the web during this critical time period," said NDBC Director Paul Moersdorf.

Anticipating heavy user demand as Hurricane Isidore approached the coast, Hall made several key infrastructure upgrades and the NDBC web site was able to sustain an unprecedented 770,000 daily hits from people seeking real-time marine data.

The following week, as Hurricane Lili approached and NDBC's web servers struggled to keep up with the volume of demand for information, Hall's team installed a third web server and cleared up network problems.

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Aviation-Related Web Training Modules Updated

Two aviation-related modules included in the NWS's Forecaster Development Program have been updated. Revised web-based lessons on Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF) and the Transcribed Weather Broadcast (TWEB) are now available on the NWS Training Center web site. The modules were updated to incorporate the changes from the new directives recently issued. The links for these updated modules are: http://www.nwstc.noaa.gov/METEOR/TAF/TAF_Main.htm and http://www.nwstc.noaa.gov/nwstrn/aviation_met.htm.

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