The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Fiscal Year 2015 50th Anniversary Edition OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR OFCM FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH A Half-Century of Multi-Agency Collaboration FCM-P1-2014 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH (ICMSSR) MR. SAMUEL P. WILLIAMSON, Chairman MR. PAUL FONTAINE Federal Coordinator Federal Aviation Administration Department of Transportation MR. MARK BRUSBERG Department of Agriculture DR. JONATHAN M. BERKSON United States Coast Guard DR. LOUIS UCCELLINI Department of Homeland Security Department of Commerce DR. DAVID R. REIDMILLER RADM JONATHAN WHITE Department of State United States Navy Department of Defense DR. ROHIT MATHUR Environmental Protection Agency MR. RALPH STOFFLER United States Air Force MR ROY WRIGHT Department of Defense Federal Emergency Management Agency Department of Homeland Security MR. RICKEY PETTY Department of Energy DR. RAMESH KAKAR National Aeronautics and Space MR. JOEL WALL Administration Science and Technology Directorate Department of Homeland Security DR. PAUL SHEPSON National Science Foundation MR. JOHN VIMONT Department of the Interior MR. DONALD E. EICK National Transportation Safety Board MR. MARK KEHRLI Federal Highway Administration MR. SCOTT FLANDERS Department of Transportation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission MR. MICHAEL F. BONADONNA, Secretariat Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research FISCAL YEAR 2015 50th Anniversary Edition FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH Silver Spring Metro Center, Building 2 (SSMC 2) 1325 East West Highway, Suite 7130 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301.628.0112 FCM-P1-2014 Editor: Mr. Anthony Ramirez September 2014 Assistant: Ms. Erin McNamara WASHINGTON, D.C. Assistant: Mr. Kenneth Barnett PREFACE This edition of the Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research marks the 50th anniversary of the annual plan. The plan today articulates the provision of meteorological services and supporting research by agencies of the Federal Government just as it did 50 years ago. Dr. Robert M. White, the first Federal Coordinator for Meteorology, noted in the preface to the first plan: “The best guarantee of achieving an economical use of Federal meteorological resources is to have all agencies working together toward a common goal. The many similarities in agency requirements and programs present both a challenge and an opportunity for the Federal Government to achieve a higher return on its investment in meteorological programs, better use of scientific manpower, and improved meteorological services.” These words still ring true today, reverberating across decades that have seen interagency coordination and collaboration deliver better weather reconnaissance aircraft systems, numerical weather prediction, and research strategies to improve hurricane forecasting and warning, a national network of highly-capable Doppler weather radars, significant reductions in weather- related aircraft accidents, and successful advocacy for the high performance computing that powers today’s weather forecasts and atmospheric dispersion models critical to responding effectively to major emergencies. I am pleased to report that today our agencies are continuing to work together toward a common goal in a number of important areas. In 2014, we reactivated the Committee for Operational Environmental Satellites to improve interagency communication and coordination of matters regarding the use of environmental satellites. In 2014 we began and in 2015 will complete a mid- course assessment of progress in achieving our strategic research plan for tropical cyclones. We will continue to plan, organize, and host the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference to share information and prepare for next year’s hurricane season, including publishing the 2015 National Hurricane Operations Plan. I am also eager to see the proof of concept system under development for dual-polarization phased array radar and the possibility to move forward with a full-scale Advanced Technology Demonstrator for Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR). MPAR represents a potential breakthrough in economy across a number of radar applications. This is also an exciting time for discovering, acquiring, and employing new data streams from satellites, networks of observing networks across the country, and unmanned aerial systems—all of which our interagency coordinating groups will be addressing in fiscal year (FY) 2015. In data-related work, we will also seek to reactivate the Satellite Telemetry Interagency Working Group (STIWG) in FY 2015. Reactivating STIWG will heighten agency awareness of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Data Collection System (DCS) and opportunities for data sharing and collaboration. GOES DCS has grown to approximately 26,000 stations sending almost 700,000 transmissions containing an estimated 6 million observations per day. iv This edition of the Federal Plan provides additional information on the topics I’ve just described as well as much more information about activities across the agencies. It provides Congress and the Executive Branch with a review of agency programs and activities in FY 2014 and a comprehensive account of proposed programs for FY 2015. The Federal Plan's narratives, timelines, and schedules are current as of September 2014. I extend my thanks to our agency partners and their staffs for their dedicated efforts to contribute to this important document. //Signed// Samuel P. Williamson Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research v Table of Contents PREFACE……………………………………………………………………………………………….iv SECTION 1 AGENCY FUNDING FOR METEOROLOGICAL OPERATIONS AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH .................................................................................................................. 1-1 AGENCY BUDGET SUMMARIES…………………………………………………………...………1-1 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE………………………………………………………...……1-1 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NATIONAL OCEANIC AND AMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION .......................................................................................................................... 1-2 National Weather Service ............................................................................................................. 1-2 National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services .............................................. 1-3 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research .............................................................................. 1-5 National Ocean Service ................................................................................................................. 1-6 Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ................................................................................... 1-7 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE .......................................................................................................... 1-7 U.S. Air Force ............................................................................................................................... 1-7 U.S. Army ..................................................................................................................................... 1-9 U.S. Navy .................................................................................................................................... 1-10 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY .............................................................................. 1-13 U.S. Coast Guard ........................................................................................................................ 1-13 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR .............................................................................................. 1-14 Bureau of Land Management ...................................................................................................... 1-14 National Park Service ................................................................................................................. 1-15 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................... 1-15 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................... 1-15 Federal Aviation Administration ................................................................................................ 1-15 Federal Highway Administration ................................................................................................ 1-16 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ............................................................................. 1-16 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION .............................................. 1-17 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ................................................................................. 1-18 BUDGET TABLES Table 1 Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research Costs by Agency ....................... 1-19 Table 2 Operational Costs by Budget Category .......................................................................... 1-20 Table 3 Supporting Research and Development Costs by Budget Category .............................. 1-21 Service Category Definitions ......................................................................................