Proposed/Ongoing Framework for Collaborative Marine Information and Services BetweenNOAA/NWS and EC/MSC

An update to the 2010 Bi-Lateral on Marine ServicesPrepared by: John Parker Carven ScottEC/MSC - Atlantic NOAA/NWS/ARHDartmouth, NS Anchorage, AK

Given by:David SorokaNOAA/NWS/OCWWS/Marine and Coastal Services Branch

EC-NOAA CooperationBi-lateral MOU – Signed 2008 (Good for 10 Years!)

• MSC/NWS Marine Forecast Collaboration (began in the summer of 2010) is one of 4 areas identified (Arctic, Hydrology, Climate)

• Cooperation Area – Marine Program Collaboration

• Area Leads:– Michel Jean (EC)– Don Berchoff (NOAA) Carven Scott (NWS)

• Project Leads:– John Parker (MSC)– Michelle Mainelli Carven Scott (NWS)

Purpose

• Create a general process and implementation strategy to facilitate communication and forecast collaboration between the U.S. and Canada…specifically in marine forecast and warning collaboration, aligning services and the exchange of forecasting, science and training techniques.

New Project Vision

We envision an environment where improved collaborative efforts between the NWS and MSC focused on marine weather services will result in

improved consistency and utility of services to our shared marine clients.

Three Keys to Success:

• Top cover in place: International MOU that covers marine collaboration.

• Specific plan in place to enhance communication between the two services including goals/objectives.

• Continue to enhance already ongoing activities and expand the ability for others to participate in ongoing and future activities.

2010-2011 Outcomes and Deliverables

• Pacific Marine Workshop (Seattle) – April 2011

• Training

- Joint Webinars:

- 1 Completed in Nov 2011: Radar Altimetry/Waves

- 1 Completed Feb 2012: Dynamic Fetch Cases

- Next one scheduled April 4, 2012 – Sea Fog

- Summer 2012: Search and Rescue?

- COMET Winter Weather Course: Oct 2011 (Vessel Icing Included)

• Forecast Collaboration Technology (NWSChat)

• Sea Ice Forecast Workshop: Sep 2011

- Short term, seasonal, and multi year ice models needed.

- Research needed to improve accuracy of long range multi year forecasting.

- Need more observations!

• Freezing Spray algorithm development

Days with any post

Posts for Headline

% for Headline

Posts for EC

% for EC

EC 14 8 57 NA NA

BUF 13 6 46 6 46

CLE 5 1 20 3 60

DTX 8 3 38 5 63

LOT 4 1 25 0 0

MQT 3 1 33 2 67

APX 3 1 33 1 33

Great Lakes Marine Chat Usage by NWS Forecast Office

Courtesy Dick Wagenmaker : MIC Detroit

NWS-MSC Freezing Spray Project

• NWS & MSC running Overland (US) and Modified Stallabrass (Canada) algorithms for freezing spray guidance in both Canadian and GFS models for same geographic domains.

• Alaska is current test area for forecasters to use both algorithms as guidance.

• By Autumn 2012, duplicate domains in all North American areas will allow forecasters from MSC and NWS to conduct a complete evaluation.

• Feedback will spur development of a new algorithm.

Courtesy: Matt Glazewski, OPC

Collaborative Goals

• Advance integrated science, skills, and products

• Improve current forecast techniques, develop common training opportunities and develop new techniques

• Focus common outreach and education activities

• Enhance recognition of NOAA and EC’s knowledge and expertise in marine weather

• Optimize existing technologies and resources considering future development plans

• Create, leverage, and coordinate partnerships

• Internally consistent services for customers

Specific Objectives

• Align warning, performance, verification measurement criteria

• Harmonize forecasting techniques

• Promote routine coordination between forecast offices

• Ensure consistency of forecast formats

• Share “Best Practices”

• Coordinate issuance times of forecasts

• Coordinate internal communication capabilities

• Investigate data sharing between production platforms (exchangeable data formats)

Outcomes and Deliverables (2011-2013)

1. Products and Services:a. Ensure that the outreach and customer service efforts in

private industry are collaborative.

b. Investigate the development of a website/wiki that could serve as a portal for NWS/MSC products and services. Done!

https://ocwws.weather.gov/marine_collaboration/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start

c. Harmonize the service offering and delivery issue times and definitions, or explain differences.

d. Create a joint user/client profiles and requirements for the Basins

Outcomes and Deliverables (2011-2013)

2. Science, Training and Operations:a. Create and foster a synergistic collaborative operational and

research environment between NOAA/NWS and EC/MSC in the marine weather community.

b. Develop and spread through the best practice approach Standard Operations Procedures for interoffice collaboration (NWSChat to start)

c. Explore technical solutions to improve operational collaboration efforts (i.e. white-boarding, desktop sharing, geopatially-enabled collaborative tools, etc.)

d. Establish systematic training opportunities for joint interests ranging from general marine to basin specific efforts (e.g., webinars, wiki, etc.).

Outcomes and Deliverables (2011-2013)

2. Science, Training and Operations (cont’d):e. Expand Marine training in COMET Winter Weather Course

(e.g., 2011).f. Encourage a Marine focus in the annual Great Lakes

Operational Workshop 2012 with a goal to make marine a regular part of this annual workshop. DONE!!

g. Work towards the next Collaborative Marine Workshop (East Coast) in 2013.

h. Provide a process that fosters and encourages ad hoc collaboration opportunities.

i. Identify and pursue joint science efforts for the marine environment (e.g. Freezing Spray Project)

j. Initiate a marine forecaster exchange program between NWS/MSC, including local/regional forecast offices and national centers when appropriate.

Outcomes and Deliverables (2011-2013)

3. Systems and Technology:a. Establish an electronic repository of information that can be

built upon and shared between members of both agencies freely, without restriction for the purpose of commonalities, familiarization, and knowledge exchange.

b. Investigate requirements for the Next Generation Prediction System interoperability.

c. Become a model for future international collaborative projects including a forecaster exchange program. By leveraging the bi-lateral to provide a well-documented process would serve as a template for other service, and science-technology areas.

Recent Update/Next Steps

• Marine Forecasting Project continues under the Bilateral Agreement.

• NOAA has decided on 2 year Line Office Leadership rotation.

• National Ocean Service (NOS) assumes Leadership for the next two years (2012-2014).

• David Grimes permanent EC Co-Chair.