Shaping of Public Environmental Policy: User Community Impact

1
Shaping of Public Environmental PolicyUser
Community Impact

• Samuel P. Williamson
• Federal Coordinator for Meteorology
• Office of the Federal Coordinator for
  Meteorological Services and Supporting Research
  (OFCM)

Presentation for the Unidata 2003 Summer Users
Workshop June 26, 2003
2
Overview

• OFCM Background
• Federal Coordinating Infrastructure
• Shaping Public Environmental Policy
• A look at three possible methods
• Summary

3
Background
Historical Perspective
OFCM

• Accountable to Congress and OMB
• Coordinate agency budgets
• Report budgets and activities in annual Federal
  Plan

Public Law 87-843 (1963)
1963
DOC Administrative Order
1964
OFCM formed in 1964
1979
GAO Study Revitalizes OFCM
4
Background
Mission
To ensure the effective use of federal
meteorological resources by leading the
systematic coordination of operational weather
requirements, services, and supporting research
among the federal agencies
5
Background
Key Focus Areas--Agency Priorities

• Environmental Support for Homeland Security
• Aviation Weather
• Space Weather
• Weather Information for Surface Transportation
• Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services

• Cooperative Research
• Observing Capabilities
• Modeling and Prediction
• Information Technology and Communications
• Environmental Services

6
Coordinating Infrastructure
OFCM Partners
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Coordinating Infrastructure
Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and
Supporting Research (FCMSSR)
Federal Coordinator for Meteorology
Program Councils
Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological
Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR)
National Space Weather Program
Standing Committees
National Aviation Weather Program
Environmental Services, Operations, and Research
Needs
Operational Processing Centers
Environmental Information Systems and
Communications
Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services
Working Group for Environmental Support to
Homeland Security
Integrated Observing Systems
Cooperative Research
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Methods to Shape Public Policy

• There are many ways for the user community to
  influence public environmental policy
• Three possible methods
• User input to the OFCM interagency coordinating
  infrastructure
• User input to such organizations as the National
  Academies
• User input to scientific and professional
  organizations/associations such as industry
  consortiums, AMS, and NWA

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User Community Impact on PolicyA Public Program
Example

• Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD)
• WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar 88 Doppler)

• 158 operational weather radars
• located in 50 states plus
  
  
  
  
  selected overseas locations
• estimated program cost of
  
  
  
  
  3 billion dollars
• tri-agency effort guided
  
  
  
  
  through an OFCM Program
  
  
  
  
  Council

10
User Community Impact on PolicyA Public Program
Example
Reaction
Policy Input

• Public outcry for improved severe weather
  warnings
• Negative lead-times
• High false alarm rates
• Affected multiple, large population centers
• No chance for private sector to add value
• Suggested solution viewed as too costly and long

• Doppler technology already available
• Joint Doppler Operational Project
• FCMSSR policy decision
• OMB directed cross-cut review
• OMB approved review study

• Program defined, funded, and
  
  
  
  
  completed with long term funding
• System definition
• Validation and prototyping
• Limited and full production
• Deployment and commissioning
  
  
  
  
  of the WSR-88D, Doppler Weather
  
  
  
  
  Radar

• Public/Private support gained
• NEXRAD covered full needs
• Kammer Commission
• NIDS
• Continued advanced development
• Public outreach and education
• Science Centers created

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User Community Impact on PolicyOther Public
Program Examples

• National Hurricane Operations Plan
• Improved Weather Reconnaissance System
• Automated Surface Observation System
• National Aviation Weather Program
• National Space Weather Program
• Selection and Evaluation of Atmospheric
  Transport and
• Diffusion Models
• COOP Modernization Partners' Forum
• Weather Information for Surface Transportation
• U.S. Climate Change Science Program
• Integrated Global Observing System

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User Community Impact on Policy Through
Government Sponsored Organizations

• User input to such organizations as the
• National Academies
• Chartered by Congress
• U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP)
• Sponsored by various Federal agencies
• U.S. Global Change Science Program (USCCSP)
• Cooperative effort among 13 governmental agencies
  
• National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
• Cabinet-level Council...means for the President
  to coordinate science, space, and technology
• Office of Science and Technology Programs (OSTP)
• Advise the President and others within the
  Executive Office of the Presidentsupports NSTC

13
User Community Impact on Policy Through
Scientific and Professional Organizations/Associat
ions

• User input to scientific and professional
  organizations/ associations such as industry
  consortiums or societies
• Open GIS Consortium
• The Intelligent Transportation Society of America
  
• American Meteorological Society
• National Weather Association
• UCAR's Office of Government Affairs
• Consortium of Social Science Associations
• The American Association for the Advancement of
  Science
• Working with Congress http//www.aaas.org/spp
  /cstc/wwc/

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User Community Impact on Policy Through
Scientific and Professional Organizations/Associat
ions

• EXAMPLE
• Find the right group Open GIS Consortium (OGC)
• Right members? International industry consortium
  of 257 companies, government agencies and
  universities
• Right goals? Develop publicly available
  geoprocessing specifications
• Right objectives? Open interfaces and protocols
  support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable"
  the Web, wireless and location-based services,
  and mainstream IT, and empower technology
  developers to make complex spatial information
  and services accessible and useful with all kinds
  of applications
• How do they try to make input to policy? One
  example...OGC provided the Bush Transition Team
  with a white paper, "Advancing Government through
  Interoperable Technologies."

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User Community Impact on Policy Summary

• There are many ways for the user community to
  influence environmental public policythree
  discussed
• User input to the OFCM interagency coordinating
  infrastructureworkshops, forums, comment on
  publicly circulated documents
• User input to such organizations as the National
  Academy of Sciencesinput to studies, comment on
  publicly circulated documents
• User input to scientific and professional
  organizations/associations such as industry
  consortiums and AMS input to group sponsored
  policy papers, White Papers, etc. going to
  Congress or White House

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OFCM Web Site
Panel/Conference/Forum/ Workshop summaries and
presentations are available on OFCM Web
Site Click on Special Projects and navigate to
the desired location For Publications Click on
Publications
http//www.ofcm.gov/
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Coordinating Infrastructure
Roles / Responsibilities

• Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and
  Supporting Research (FCMSSR)
• Sets policy and priorities
• Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological
  Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) and
  Program Councils
• Implement policy decisions
• Make policy recommendations to FCMSSR
• Assess adequacy of federal programs and guide
  implementation of new interagency programs
• Standing Committees
• Document requirements, programs and activities to
  provide framework for coordination and
  collaboration
• Perform analysis of agency programs to provide
  basis for national leadership to allocate funds
  to meet requirements

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Coordinating Infrastructure
OFCM Affiliations
National Research Council (NRC)
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC)
Climate Research Committee (CRC)
US Weather Research Program (USWRP)
University Corp. for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
US Climate Change Science Program (USCCSP)
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Committee on the Environment and Natural
Resources (CENR)
Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction (SNDR)
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Coordinating Infrastructure
Example - Key Products, Outcomes, Results

• Annual Federal Plan for Meteorological Services
  and Supporting Research
• Annual Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference
• National Hurricane Operations Plan
• National Winter Storms Operations Plan
• National Strategic and Implementation Plans for
  Space Weather, Aviation Weather, and Weather
  Information for Surface Transportation
• Federal Plan for Cooperative Support and Backup
  among Operational Processing Centers
• National Post-Storm Data Acquisition Plan
• Directory of Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion
  Models
• Federal Meteorological Handbooks
• Requirement studies, summaries, evaluations and
  analyses
• Crosscut reviews of federal weather programs
• Program management of multi-agency programs
  (e.g., NEXRAD, ASOS)
• Organize and host forums, symposia, and workshops
  addressing national meteorological needs