# Presentation: 489834

##   New or Enhanced Products and Services Policy Overview

- December 6, 2002

- NWS GOES DIGITIAL
- AMS Short Course
- Esther Atkins
- Office of Climate, Water, Weather Services
- February 9, 2003

##   Purpose

- Establish an orderly process to document National Weather Service (NWS) products and services
- Subject proposed products and services to external review and comment
- Establish steps to evaluate comments
- Decide if the experimental product should become operational
- Encourage innovation while exercising sufficient controls to ensure sound scientific methods, mission relevance, and equitable services

## Process Overview

**Idea**

**Product Description**

**& Approval**

**Feedback & **

**Evaluation**

**Operational **

**Product**

**Modifications**

**Experimental Product**

## Idea

- Review new products/services guidelines to ensure the proposed product is consistent with the NWS Mission (appropriateness of product)
- Review the NWS National Catalogue of Products database to prevent product duplication
- Prepare a Products/Services Description Document (PDD)

## Process Overview for New or Enhanced Products/Services 

- Product/Service Description Document (PDD)
- Mission Connection
- Product/Service Description
- Purpose/Intended Use
- Audience
- Presentation Format
- Feedback Method
- Technical
- Format and Science Basis
- Availability
- Additional Information

## Experimental Product

- A PDD will be approved for experimental products prior to dissemination
- All approved PDDs will be available for internal and external review via the National Catalogue of NWS Products -
-              _[http://products.weather.gov](http://products.weather.gov/)_

## National Catalogue of NWS Products

## Sample List – Experimental Products

## Typical Search, and Results...

## Process Overview for New or Enhanced Products/Services 

- The responsible office will disseminate the product with the primary purpose of receiving customer feedback within a specified period
- Customers will be asked to complete a product survey for each experimental product within a specified period
- NWS Director(s) will determine if the product should be terminated or permanently implemented based upon customer feedback

## Approval for Operational Use 

- Local/Regional Products
- Regional directors will approve/disapprove new or enhanced products
- National Products
- The OCWWS Director will approve/disapprove new or enhanced products
- An expanded prototype and feedback phase may be initiated by the OCWWS Director

## Operational Product 

- Customer/Field Notification
- Customers will be provided 30 days notification prior to discontinuing or conversion of an experimental product into operations
- Notification will be made using PNS and/or Service Change Notices
- Notification should also occur on the Web site that contains the product

## Operational Product 

- Directive Review
- The product becomes operational when all directive changes are completed

## Feedback and Evaluation - Operational Product

- Product Feedback on Operational Products is Ongoing
- Feedback Statements
- The name of the person responsible for receiving feedback and instructions on how to submit comments should be included.
- Web-based products will include a link to the Customer Survey
- Periodic Feedback Notices
- Periodic notices via Public Information Statements and/or other appropriate methods will be transmitted on the same data stream as the product(s) for those products that do not lend themselves to a feedback statement

## Feedback and Evaluation - Operational Product

- Feedback Review
- Each person responsible for receiving feedback will review the feedback annually and pursue modifications to the product.

## Summary

- New/Enhanced Products/Service Policy will establish an orderly process to document NWS products and services
- PDDs will allow customer/feedback early in the process
- National Catalogue of NWS Products database will provide internal and external customers a centralized location for the status of NWS experimental and operational products