In FY 2000, NOAA requests an
increase of $42.1 million for the Natural Disaster Reduction
Initiative (NDRI) to implement a second phase of the DOC strategy
to reduce and mitigate against the impacts of extreme natural
events. Many of the extreme events, previously thought to occur
only once in a century, are recurring far more frequently, threatening
the lives, property, natural resources, and vitality of local
and regional economies throughout the nation. Over the last few
years weather-related natural disasters a lone have cost the
United States more than $50 billion a year in damages. To provide
mechanisms for people and property to escape hazards when in
their paths. This cross-NOAA initiative draws from NOAA's strengths
in environment forecast and warning systems, data and information
management, research and
development, and federal-state partnerships for coastal resource
management. FY 2000 funding will be used to support line items
such as the U.S. Weather Research Program, space weather warnings,
and accelerated deployment of the flood forecasting system.
Local Warnings & Forecasts
Within NDRI, NOAA requests an increase of $14 million for local
warnings and forecast services. This increase is an investment
which will allow NOAA to substantially improve forecast lead-times
for weather and natural disasters. NOAA also requests an increase
of $5.4 million from the FY 2000 base for Weather Forecast Office
(WFO) construction and the Secretary's mitigation actions. The
mitigation effort requires the construction and operation of
two new WFOs and attendant Advanced Weather Interactive Processing
System (AWIPS)
units in Caribou, ME and Key West, FL. These are necessary to
provide these communities with adequate protection of life and
property.
Satellite Observing Systems
This sub-activity, a $1.0 million increase initiative, provides
for the operation of current polar-orbiting and geostationary
satellites; and production and distribution of satellite products.
Included is also planning for the follow-on satellite systems
and the development of new and improved applications and products
for a wide range of Federal agencies, state and local governments,
and private users.
AWIPS Operations & Maintenance
NOAA requests a total of $38.0 million to continue the operation
and maintenance phase of the AWIPS program. This represents an
increase of $25.8 million over the FY 2000 base level. The FY
2000 request will expand operation and maintenance support for
the entire NWS AWIPS network and fund systems evolution activities.
AWIPS integrates satellite and radar data and provide the local
forecaster with a capability that will significantly improve
forecasts and warnings. It will also provide the communications
capability needed to allow internal and external users access
to much of NOAA real-time environment data. AWIPS will be the
data integrator and nerve center of the operations at each Weather
Forecast Office receiving the high-resolution data from a multiple
of sources.
Advance Hydrologic Prediction
System (AHPS)
NOAA requests an increase of $2.2 million to initiate the implementation
of the AHPS.
AHPS is an integrated a real time modeling and data management/analysis
system that will significantly improve flood forecasting and
water management in the United States. AHPS will provide new
forecasts depicting magnitudes of river levels and river flow
volumes for periods of days to several months into the future.
Its national implementation will began in the Upper Midwest,
concentrating on the Red River of the North, and the Pacific
Northwest, focusing on the Columbia River Basin. AHPS promises
to save lives and provide the National economy $600 million each
year through fewer flood losses and improved water resources
management for risk based decision making. This system will greatly
improve the Nation's capability to take timely and effective
actions to mitigate the economic losses from manor floods and
droughts.
U.S. Weather Research Program
(USWRP)
NOAA requests an increase of $1.5 million for the USWRP
to improve the forecast accuracy and lead-time for hurricane
landfall location using state-of-the art instruments deployed
from NOAA aircraft during coordinated hurricane surveillance
missions. USWRP will improve the accuracy of predictions for
emergency preparedness, ultimately saving lives and property.
Enhancing the economic and social benefits of improved hurricane
tracking and landfall predictions fulfills an important part
of NOAA's mission goal to Advance Short-Term Warning and Forecast
Services.
Global Disaster Information
Network (GDIN)
An increase of $2.0 million is requested to establish an integrated
Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) to improve all phases
of disaster management. This will be a public/private partnership
to develop an information system for those who manage and those
who are affected by disasters.
Coastal Vulnerability
An increase of $1.0 million is requested to support activities
proposed to expand work with coastal states to develop coastal
risk atlases and provide new remote sensing data in a more timely
and effective manner. This will allow coastal communities to
better prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and assess
the impacts of natural hazards on coastal habitats. Hazardous
risk tables will be developed for various habitat types important
to fisheries management.
National Polar Orbiting Environmental
Satellite System (NPOESS)
The FY 2000 request for the Polar Orbiting Systems includes an
increase of $30.1 million for NOAA's share of the National Polar
Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)
program. In FY 2000, the NPOESS program will complete Phase I
design and development of five key sensors and algorithms, initiate
Phase II production of these sensors to meet the civil and national
security requirements for acquiring and disseminating global
and regional, space based, remotely-sensed environmental data.
GOES N-Q NEXRAD Radiosondes
The FY 2000 request for the Geostationary System includes an
increase of $20.2 million due primarily to GOES N-Q space acquisition
portion of the program, inclusion of development funds for advanced
instruments to be ready for the GOES-Q satellite, and the upgrading
and replacements of aging ground systems that will remain operational
through the life of GOES-Q. NOAA requests a total of $9.6 million
for NEXRAD acquisition
in the PAC account, an increase of $2.6 million over the FY 2000
base. The NEXRAD network provides nationwide Doppler radar coverage,
improving detection of severe weather and floods and increasing
warning lead time for tornadoes. The funding request will support
the NEXRAD product im-provement initiative and continue acquisition
closeout activities. The request for product improvement will
support the migration to the open systems architecture platform,
improving the maintainability and overall cost efficiency of
the NEXRAD. NOAA requests an increase of $6.4 million to
continue the replacement the upper air radiosonde network. The
total FY 2000 planned investment of $8.4 million will permit
implementation of the program according to a five year system
replacement schedule. The radiosonde network provides critical
upper air observations which are the principal data source for
all weather forecasts. Modern radiosondes and ground receiving
equipment will permit more efficient use of radio frequency spectrum
and ensure reliable and consistent upper air data acquisition.
GEOSTORMS (follow-on to ACE)
NOAA requests an increase of $4.3 million to fund the GEOSTORM
Program. GEOSTORMS is the follow-on to the Advance Composition
Explorer (ACE)
and maintains operational satellite continuity for Real-Time
Solar Wind (RTSW) data requirement. These observations are the
only way to tell whether a solar storm will hit Earth. RTSW observations
have increased forecast accuracy dramatically. Power companies
and other vulnerable industries count on solar wind warning products
to trigger preventive measures that help avert massive utility
blackouts and satellite failures. Industry has told NOAA to make
this our number one priority. The program is so integral to USAF
and NASA requirements and plans that they are contributing 25%
to 50% of the costs.
Aircraft Service/GI-V
Upper Air Evolution: HPCC/FSL - NOAA's request for the Aircraft
Service includes an increase of $0.4 million for a second flight
crew for NOAA's G-IV
high altitude jet to meet the operational requirement of 24-hour
storm surveil-lance. NOAA's request for an increase of $0.6 million
will also provide commercial aircraft observations (ACARS) for
operational use in numerical weather prediction models. Aircraft
temperature and wind profiles already have yielded demonstrated
improvements in NWS forecasts. NOAA also requests an increase
of $1.5 million for the Forecast System Laboratory (FSL) massively
parallel computer to build and evaluate mesoscale weather prediction
models and to improve the national weather observing system.
NDRI System Reductions of
PAC
FY 2000 reflects a number of NOAA's major acquisition programs
which are nearing completion. These include GOES I-M; POLAR K-N;
AWIPS system acquisition; and Central Computer.
