WHO ARE WE WHAT DO WE DO

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WHO ARE WE?WHAT DO WE DO?
Ocean Prediction Center
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National Centers for Environmental Prediction

• OFFICE OF
• THE DIRECTOR
• 9 FTE

• NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
• Tropical Weather Guidance, Forecasts, Watches
  Warnings
• 0-5 Days
• Atlantic/Pacific, 0-30? N
• 47 FTE

• CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER
• Climate Monitoring Forecasts
• Week 2, Monthly, Seasonal,
• Multi-Seasonal
• Global
• 50 FTE

• T

• R

• N

• 65 FTE

• A

• E

• L

• C

• ENVIRONMENTAL
• MODELING CENTER
• Numerical Weather and Ocean Automated Analysis
  Prediction
• 0-16 Days
• Global
• Numerical Climate Prediction
• Months
• Global
• 51 FTE

• HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER
• Hydromet Forecasts
• 0-7 Days Weather
• 0-5 Days QPF
• Winter Alaska Desks
• US
• 45 FTE

• OCEAN PREDICTION CENTER
• Marine Boundary Layer and Ocean Surface Guidance,
  Warnings and Forecasts
• 0-5 Days
• Atlantic/Pacific, 30?- 90? N
• 27 FTE

• S

• O

• AVIATION WEATHER CENTER
• Weather Guidance, Warnings Forecasts for
  Domestic and International Aviation
• 0-2 Days
• Global
• 54 FTE

• N

• P

• STORM PREDICTION CENTER
• Hazardous Weather Guidance
• 0-8 Days Severe Weather
• 0-8 Days Fire Weather
• Continental US
• 32 FTE

• O

• E

• I

• R

• T

• A

• SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER
• Space Weather Monitoring, Warning and Forecasting
• 0-3 Days
• Global
• 49 FTE

• Federal Employees 429
• Contractors 167
• Visitors 61
• NOAA Corps 5

• NOAA Corps officers at
• AWC, OD, NHC, OPC,
• SWPC and EMC (May 09)

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OPCs Vision Mission

• Vision statementThe OPC strives to be
  recognized as the mariners weather lifeline
  through exceptional products and customer
  service.
• Mission statementThe OPC provides atmospheric
  and oceanographic warning, forecast, and analysis
  products and services for the north Atlantic and
  north Pacific as part of the NWS mission of
  protecting life and property and enhancing
  economic opportunity.

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Titanic Telegram
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Basis for NWS Marine Warning Forecast Mission
International Convention for the Safety of Life
at Sea (SOLAS-1974 and amendments) Sets
international policy and requirements for safer
shipping and cleaner oceans. U.S. implements
convention and policy through executive order
12234 -- Enforcement of the Convention for
SOLAS. Among obligations is to provide
meteorological warnings and forecasts to ships at
sea using charts and radio messages. NWS
implements program through Operations Directive
10-3. NCEP participates through the High Seas
and Offshore Warning and Forecast programs of OPC
and TPC.
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Wind Speed (Knots) 65 50 35 30 25 20
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Partners

• U.S. Coast Guard
• NWS field offices (WFOs)
• NOAA NOS Response Restoration, NOAA Corps

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Customers

• U.S Coast Guard, U.S. Navy
• commercial shipping/transportation
• fishing commercial and recreational
• private weather and ship routing services
• recreational boating

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Products and Services (OPC)

• Atlantic and Pacific high seas
• narrative warnings forecasts to 5 days
• graphic analyses and forecasts to 5 days
• Atlantic and Pacific regional
• offshore warnings forecasts
• sea-state analyses (RP1,RA1)
• current features Marine Weather Discussion
  (NFDMIMPAC)
• surface forecast Marine Weather Discussion
  (NFDMIMPAC)
• Global quality control of marine observations
• 3000 chart and text products issued per month

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How We Do It
Observe
Products Services
Process
User
Disseminate
Feedback
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Critical skills needed to accomplish mission
Knowledge of synoptic meteorology, marine
data available from in situ and satellite remote
sensing platforms, atmospheric numerical models
and ocean wave models numerical weather forecast
models, ocean waves, tides, and
circulation. Ability to prepare forecast
products, especially marine forecast
products. Critical skills shortages Oceanography
(physical and biological) Impacts of critical
skills shortages on mission Evolving service
requirements in decision support. E.g., storm
surge warnings and HAB forecasts.How are skills
shortages being addressed in your agency
Developing training materials (Comet),
collaboration with NOPP to define ocean
forecaster position What attempts have been
made to obtain the critical skills Provide
training as skill set requirements evolve.
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Is the supplemental education and training
sufficient to enhance skills to meet critical
skill shortages Need to accelerate training as
requirements evolve.Are there deficiencies in
your organizations workforce development
program? Lack of resources for training
development the first to go when funds are
shortActions taken with any academic
institutions to better train individuals to meet
critical skills shortages? Yes with respect to
the NOPP project but need to involve academic
institution for wave training again funds for
this are assigned a low priority.Actions taken
to retain personnel that have critical skills to
accomplish mission Not an issue for us.
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Recommendations for addressing agencys current
or projected skills shortages Fund training
development (near to medium term) Evolve KSAs/PDs
for growing mission. Note this will require
close coordination with the Union. (medium to
long term) Recruit staff with the required skill
set and work with the educational establishment
to provide this skill set for future workers
(long term)