GAO 

United States Government Accountability Office

Report to the Chairman, Committee on 

Science and Technology, House of 

Representatives 

AVIATION WEATHER

FAA and the National 

Weather Service Are 

Considering Plans to 

Consolidate Weather 

Service Offices, but 

Face Significant 

Challenges 

September 2009 

GAO-09-761 
What GAO Found

United States Government Accountability Office

Why GAO Did This Study

Highlights

Accountability Integrity Reliability

September 2009

AVIATION WEATHER

FAA and the National Weather Service Are 

Considering Plans to Consolidate Weather Service 

Highlights of GAO-09-761, a report to the Offices, but Face Significant Challenges

Chairman, Committee on Science and 

Technology, House of Representatives 

The National Weather Service’s 

(NWS) weather products are a vital 

component of the Federal Aviation 

Administration’s (FAA) air traffic 

control system. In addition to 

providing aviation weather 

products developed at its own 

facilities, NWS also provides onsite staff at each of FAA’s en route 

centers—the facilities that control 

high-altitude flight outside the 

airport tower and terminal areas. 

Over the last few years, FAA and 

NWS have been exploring options 

for enhancing the efficiency of the 

aviation weather services provided 

at en route centers. 

GAO agreed to (1) determine the 

status and plans of efforts to 

restructure the center weather 

service units, (2) evaluate efforts to 

establish a baseline of the current 

performance provided by these 

units, and (3) evaluate challenges 

to restructuring them. To do so, 

GAO evaluated agency plans for 

the restructuring and for 

establishing performance 

measures. GAO also compared 

agency efforts to leading practices 

and interviewed agency officials. 

What GAO Recommends

GAO is recommending that the 

Departments of Commerce and 

Transportation document baseline 

performance for several measures, 

and take steps to address 

challenges. In commenting on a 

draft of this report, Commerce 

officials agreed with the 

recommendations and identified 

steps to address them; 

Transportation officials agreed to 

consider the recommendations. 

NWS and FAA are considering plans to restructure the way aviation weather 

services are provided at en route centers, but it is not yet clear whether and 

how these changes will be implemented. In 2005, FAA requested that NWS 

restructure its services by consolidating operations to a smaller number of 

sites, reducing personnel costs, and providing services 24 hours a day, 7 days 

a week. NWS developed two successive proposals, both of which were 

rejected by FAA—most recently because the costs were too high. FAA 

subsequently requested that NWS develop another proposal by late December 

2008. In response, NWS developed a third proposal that involves consolidating 

20 of 21 existing center weather service units into two locations. NWS sent 

this proposal to FAA in early June 2009. FAA responded to NWS in August 

2009 by requesting more information regarding NWS’s proposal. 

In response to GAO’s prior concerns that NWS and FAA lacked performance 

measures and a baseline of current performance, the agencies have agreed on 

five measures and NWS has proposed eight others. In addition, the agencies 

initiated efforts to establish a performance baseline for 4 of 13 potential 

performance measures. However, the agencies have not established baseline 

performance for the other 9 measures. NWS officials stated they are not 

collecting baseline information on the 9 measures for a variety of reasons, 

including that some of the measures have not yet been approved by FAA, and 

that selected measures involve products that have not yet been developed. 

While 4 of the 9 measures are tied to new products or services that are to be 

developed if NWS’s latest restructuring proposal is accepted, the other 5 could 

be measured in the current operational environment. For example, both 

accuracy and customer satisfaction measures are applicable to current 

operations. It is important to obtain an understanding of the current level of 

performance in these measures before beginning any efforts to restructure 

aviation weather services. Without an understanding of the current level of 

performance, NWS and FAA may not be able to measure the success or failure 

of changes they make to the center weather service unit operations. As a 

result, changes to the current structure could degrade aviation operations and 

safety—and the agencies may not know it. 

NWS and FAA face challenges in their efforts to improve the current aviation 

weather structure. These include challenges associated with (1) interagency 

collaboration, (2) defining FAA’s requirements, and (3) aligning any changes 

with the Next Generation Air Transportation System—a long-term initiative to 

increase the efficiency of the national airspace system. If the restructuring 

proposal is accepted, the agencies face three additional challenges in 

implementing it: (1) developing a feasible schedule that includes adequate 

time for stakeholder involvement, (2) undertaking a comprehensive 

demonstration to ensure no services are degraded, and (3) effectively 

reconfiguring the infrastructure and technologies. Unless and until these 

challenges are addressed, the proposed restructuring of aviation weather 

services at en route centers poses new risks and has little chance of success. 

View GAO-09-761 or key components.

For more information, contact David A. 

Powner at (202) 512-9286 or at 

pownerd@gao.gov. 
Page i GAO-09-761 

Contents 

Letter 1

Background 2 

Proposal to Consolidate Center Weather Service Units Is under 

Consideration 12 

NWS and FAA Are Working to Establish a Baseline of Current 

Performance, but Are Not Assessing Key Measures 15 

NWS and FAA Face Challenges in Efforts to Modify the Current 

Aviation Weather Structure 18 

Conclusions 24 

Recommendations for Executive Action 24 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 25 

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 27 

Appendix II Comments from the Department of Commerce 29 

Appendix III GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 33 

Tables 

Table 1: Key Weather Products Provided by the Aviation Weather 

Center 5 

Table 2: Systems Used in the Center Weather Service Units 8 

Table 3: Key Products and Services Provided by Center Weather 

Service Units 9 

Table 4: Chronology of Efforts by FAA and NWS 10 

Table 5: Approximate Costs (in millions) for the Transition 15 

Table 6: Performance Measures Identified by FAA and NWS 16 

Table 7: Status of Efforts to Identify Baseline Performance 17 

Table 8: Key Events in FAA and NWS Interactions 19 

Figures 

Figure 1: FAA Facilities Involved in Air Traffic Control 4 

Figure 2: Center Weather Service Unit Locations and Service Areas 7 

Figure 3: Proposed Center Weather Service Unit Structure 13 

 Aviation Weather 
Abbreviations 

FAA Federal Aviation Administration 

NextGen Next Generation Air Transportation System 

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NWS National Weather Service 

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. 

Page ii GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
Page 1 GAO-09-761 

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

 

September 9, 2009 

The Honorable Bart Gordon 

Chairman 

Committee on Science and Technology 

House of Representatives 

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

The National Weather Service (NWS) plays a significant role in providing 

weather services to the aviation community. NWS’s weather products and 

data are vital components of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 

air traffic control system, providing weather information to local, regional, 

and national air traffic management, navigation, and surveillance systems. 

NWS aviation weather products include forecasts and warnings of 

meteorological conditions that could affect air traffic, including 

thunderstorms, air turbulence, and icing. In addition to providing aviation 

weather products that are developed at its own facilities, NWS also 

provides staff on site at each of FAA’s en route centers—the facilities that 

control high-altitude flight outside the airport tower and terminal areas. 

This group of NWS meteorologists—called a center weather service unit—

provides air traffic staff with forecasts, advisories, and periodic weather 

briefings on regional conditions. 

Over the last few years, FAA and NWS have been exploring options for 

enhancing the efficiency of the aviation weather services provided at en 

route centers. In September 2005, FAA asked NWS to restructure its 

services to be more efficient. Since then, NWS has developed and 

submitted two proposals to FAA, both of which were rejected. NWS 

subsequently submitted another proposal. Because of your interest in 

possible changes to NWS’s aviation weather services, we agreed to (1) 

determine the status and plans of efforts to restructure the center weather 

service units, (2) evaluate efforts to establish a baseline of the current 

performance provided by the center weather service units so that FAA and 

NWS can ensure that any operational changes do not degrade aviation 

weather services, and (3) evaluate challenges to restructuring the center 

weather service units. 

To address our objectives, we reviewed NWS’s proposals and transition 

plans for restructuring the service units and FAA’s response to NWS’s 

proposals. We identified both agencies’ efforts to establish a baseline of 

current performance and compared these efforts to government guidance 

 Aviation Weather 
 

and best practices of leading organizations in performance management. 

To identify challenges, we compared the agencies’ plans with best 

practices of leading organizations in system development, interagency 

collaboration, and architecture planning. We also interviewed relevant 

agency officials. 

We performed our work at FAA and NWS headquarters offices, and FAA’s 

Air Traffic Control System Command Center in the Washington, D.C., 

metropolitan area. We performed our work from August 2008 to 

September 2009 in accordance with generally accepted government 

auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 

audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable 

basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We 

believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Additional details 

on our objectives, scope, and methodology are provided in appendix I. 

FAA is responsible for ensuring safe, orderly, and efficient air travel in the 

national airspace system. NWS supports FAA by providing aviation-related 

forecasts and warnings at air traffic facilities across the country. Among 

other support and services, NWS provides four meteorologists at each of 

FAA’s 21 en route centers to provide on-site aviation weather services. 

This arrangement is defined and funded under an interagency agreement. 

Background 

FAA’s Mission and 

Organizational Structure 

FAA’s primary mission is to ensure safe, orderly, and efficient air travel in 

the national airspace system. FAA reported that, in 2007, air traffic in the 

national airspace system exceeded 46 million flights and 776 million 

passengers. In addition, at any one time, as many as 7,000 aircraft—both 

civilian and military—could be aloft over the United States. In 2004, FAA’s 

Air Traffic Organization was formed to, among other responsibilities, 

improve the provision of air traffic services. More than 33,000 employees 

within FAA’s Air Traffic Organization support the operations that help 

move aircraft through the national airspace system. The agency’s ability to 

fulfill its mission depends on the adequacy and reliability of its air traffic 

control systems, as well as weather forecasts made available by NWS and 

automated systems. These resources reside at, or are associated with, 

several types of facilities: air traffic control towers, terminal radar 

approach control facilities, air route traffic control centers (en route 

centers), and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The 

number and functions of these facilities are as follows: 

Page 2 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

• 517 air traffic control towers manage and control the airspace within 

about 5 miles of an airport. They control departures and landings, as well 

as ground operations on airport taxiways and runways. 

• 170 terminal radar approach control facilities provide air traffic control 

services for airspace within approximately 40 miles of an airport and 

generally up to 10,000 feet above the airport, where en route centers’ 

control begins. Terminal controllers establish and maintain the sequence 

and separation of aircraft. 

• 21 en route centers control planes over the United States—in transit and 

during approaches to some airports. Each center handles a different 

region of airspace. En route centers operate the computer suite that 

processes radar surveillance and flight planning data, reformats them for 

presentation purposes, and sends them to display equipment used by 

controllers to track aircraft. The centers control the switching of voice 

communications between aircraft and the center, as well as between the 

center and other air traffic control facilities. Three of these en route 

centers also control air traffic over the oceans. 

• The Air Traffic Control System Command Center manages the flow of air 

traffic within the United States. This facility regulates air traffic when 

weather, equipment, runway closures, or other conditions place stress on 

the national airspace system. In these instances, traffic management 

specialists at the command center take action to modify traffic demands in 

order to keep traffic within system capacity. 

See figure 1 for a visual summary of the facilities that control and manage 

air traffic over the United States. 

Page 3 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Figure 1: FAA Facilities Involved in Air Traffic Control 

Source: GAO analysis of FAA data. 

Air Traffic 

Control Tower

Air Traffic 

Control Tower

Terminal Radar 

Approach Control

Terminal Radar 

Approach Control

Air Route Traffic 

Control Center 

Air Traffic Control System Command Center

Preflight Takeoff Departure En route Descent Approach Landing

NWS’s Mission and 

Organizational Structure 

The mission of NWS—an agency within the Department of Commerce’s 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—is to provide 

weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, 

its territories, and its adjacent waters and oceans to protect life and 

property and to enhance the national economy. In addition, NWS is the 

official source of aviation- and marine-related weather forecasts and 

warnings, as well as warnings about life-threatening weather situations. 

The coordinated activities of weather facilities throughout the United 

States allow NWS to deliver a broad spectrum of climate, weather, water, 

and space weather services in support of its mission. These facilities 

include 122 weather forecast offices located across the country that 

provide a wide variety of weather, water, and climate services for their 

local county warning areas, including advisories, warnings, and forecasts; 

9 national prediction centers1

 that provide nationwide computer modeling 

to all NWS field offices; and 21 center weather service units that are 

located at FAA en route centers across the nation and provide 

meteorological support to air traffic controllers. 

 

1

These centers include the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Central 

Operations, Aviation Weather Center, Environmental Modeling Center, 

Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Ocean Prediction Center, Storm Prediction Center, 

Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center, Climate Prediction Center, and 

Space Environment Center. 

Page 4 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

NWS Provides Aviation 

Weather Services to FAA 

As an official source of aviation weather forecasts and warnings, several 

NWS facilities provide aviation weather products and services to FAA and 

the aviation sector. These facilities include the Aviation Weather Center, 

weather forecast offices located across the country, and 21 center weather 

service units located at FAA en route centers across the country. 

The Aviation Weather Center located in Kansas City, Missouri, issues 

warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous weather for aviation. 

Staffed by 65 personnel, the center develops warnings of hazardous 

weather for aircraft in flight and forecasts of weather conditions for the 

next 2 days that could affect both domestic and international aviation. 

Aviation Weather Center 

The center also produces a Collaborative Convective Forecast Product, a 

graphical representation of convective occurrence at 2, 4, and 6 hours. 

This is used by FAA to manage aviation traffic flow across the country. 

The Aviation Weather Center’s key products are described in table 1. 

Table 1: Key Weather Products Provided by the Aviation Weather Center 

Weather product Description 

Significant Meteorological Information An advisory concerning the occurrence or expected occurrence of potentially hazardous 

weather conditions that may affect the safety of aircraft operations in the en route 

environment. 

Convective Significant Meteorological 

Information 

A text product describing the occurrence or expected occurrence of thunderstorms and 

related weather conditions over the contiguous United States within 2 hours of issuance 

time. 

Airman’s Meteorological Information An advisory concerning the occurrence or expected occurrence of certain weather 

conditions that may affect the safety of aircraft in the en route environment, but at intensities 

that do not meet the criteria to develop a Significant Meteorological Information product. 

Collaborative Convection Forecast 

Product 

A graphical convection forecast developed for strategic planning and management of en 

route air traffic. It is produced every 2 hours through collaboration – by way of an online chat 

room – among the Aviation Weather Center, the Meteorological Services of Canada, airline 

meteorology departments, FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center, and the 

center weather service units. These collaborative forecasts are produced between March 1 

and October 31 every year. 

Source: GAO analysis of NWS data. 

NWS’s 122 weather forecast offices issue terminal area forecasts for 

approximately 625 locations every 6 hours or when conditions change, 

consisting of the expected weather conditions significant to a given airport 

or terminal area, and are primarily used by commercial and general 

aviation pilots. 

Weather Forecast Offices 

Page 5 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

NWS’s center weather service units are located at each of FAA’s 21 en 

route centers and operate 16 hours a day, 7 days a week (see fig. 2). Each 

center weather service unit usually consists of three meteorologists and a 

meteorologist-in-charge who provide strategic advice and aviation weather 

forecasts to FAA traffic management personnel. Governed by an 

interagency agreement, FAA currently reimburses NWS approximately $12 

million annually for this support. 

Center Weather Service Units 

Page 6 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Figure 2: Center Weather Service Unit Locations and Service Areas 

Seattle

Oakland 

Los Angeles

Albuquerque

Salt Lake 

City

Fort Worth

Houston

Denver

Minneapolis

Indianapolis

Kansas City

Jacksonville

Miami

Memphis

Washington, DC

Cleveland

Atlanta

New York

Boston

Chicago

Sources: NWS (data), Map Resources (map).

Anchorage

Center Weather Service 

Units: An Overview of 

Systems and Operations 

The meteorologists at the center weather service units use a variety of 

systems to gather and analyze information compiled from NWS and FAA 

weather sensors. Key systems used to compile weather information 

include FAA’s Weather and Radar Processor, FAA’s Integrated Terminal 

Weather System, FAA’s Corridor Integrated Weather System, and a remote 

display of NWS’s Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. 

Meteorologists at several center weather service units also use NWS’s 

Page 7 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

National Center Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. Table 2 

provides a description of selected systems. 

Table 2: Systems Used in the Center Weather Service Units 

System Description 

Weather and Radar Processor FAA’s Weather and Radar Processor is used in en route centers and receives NWS 

products and data, information from automated weather sensors located at airports, and 

data from other sources such as weather satellites and radars. It compiles the 

information and provides current weather and forecasts to air traffic supervisors, traffic 

flow managers, and the center weather service unit meteorologists. 

Advanced Weather Interactive Processing 

System—Remote Display 

NWS’s Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System integrates 

hydrometeorological data from a variety of sources and produces graphical displays at 

NWS weather forecast offices, river forecast centers, and national centers. This system 

aids forecaster analysis and decision making. Meteorologists at the en route centers 

have access to this system through a Remote Display system, which provides a 

dedicated connection to the supporting weather forecast office. The Remote Display is 

funded by FAA, and maintenance is provided by NWS. 

Integrated Terminal Weather System FAA’s Integrated Terminal Weather System furnishes air traffic controllers and 

meteorologists with full-color graphic displays of weather information concerning airport 

terminal airspace within a 60-mile radius. The system also projects movement of severe 

weather systems up to 1 hour in the future and has been installed at 39 airports. 

Corridor Integrated Weather System FAA’s Corridor Integrated Weather System is a prototype decision support tool that 

gathers weather information to help controllers select the most efficient routes for 

diverting traffic to avoid severe weather conditions. This system provides traffic flow 

managers with comprehensive convective weather data needed for tactical modifications 

occurring within 2 hours to the operational plan. These tactical modifications to the 

operational plan may include the weather impacts on air traffic control capacity, a need to 

modify the mitigation plan, and the execution of a modified mitigation plan. 

National Center Advanced Weather 

Interactive Processing System 

NWS’s National Center Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System is the 

meteorological data visualization and integrated product generation system that provides 

a national scope of weather information. It is composed of software that ingests, 

analyzes, displays, and integrates various types of hydrometeorological data including 

numerical model, surface, upper-air, satellite, radar, and text data. This system is used in 

only a few center weather service units. 

Source: GAO analysis of FAA and NWS data. 

NWS meteorologists at the en route centers provide several products and 

services to the FAA staff, including meteorological impact statements, 

center weather advisories, periodic briefings, and on-demand 

consultations. These products and services are described in table 3. In 

addition, center weather service unit meteorologists receive and 

disseminate pilot reports, provide input every 2 hours to the Aviation 

Weather Center’s creation of the Collaborative Convective Forecast 

Product, train FAA personnel on how to interpret weather information, 

and provide weather briefings to nearby terminal radar approach control 

facilities and air traffic control towers. 

Page 8 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Table 3: Key Products and Services Provided by Center Weather Service Units 

Product or service Description 

Meteorological impact statement An unscheduled forecast of weather conditions that are expected to adversely impact the flow of

air traffic in the en route center’s area of responsibility within 4 to 12 hours. 

Center weather advisory A short-term, unscheduled warning of hazardous weather conditions used primarily by air crews 

to anticipate and avoid adverse weather conditions in the en route and terminal environments. It 

describes current weather conditions or adverse weather conditions—such as moderate to 

severe icing or turbulence, thunderstorms, low-level wind shear, and low ceilings and visibility—

beginning within the next 2 hours. 

Briefings Short updates provided by NWS meteorologists to FAA supervisors twice a day; these briefings 

include current weather warnings and advisories, a summary of forecasted weather across the 

national airspace, terminal forecasts, and other pertinent meteorological information. 

On-demand consultation Unscheduled verbal presentations regarding ongoing or expected weather conditions provided 

to FAA traffic control personnel, supervisors, and other FAA facilities. 

Source: GAO analysis of FAA and NWS data. 

FAA Seeks to Improve 

Aviation Weather Services 

Provided at En Route 

Centers 

In recent years, FAA has undertaken multiple initiatives to assess and 

improve the performance of the center weather service units.2

 Studies 

conducted in 2003 and 2006 highlighted concerns with the lack of 

standardization of products and services at NWS’s center weather service 

units. To address these concerns, the agency sponsored studies that 

determined that weather data could be provided remotely using current 

technologies, and that private sector vendors could provide these services. 

In 2005, the agency requested that NWS restructure its aviation weather 

services by consolidating its center weather service units to a smaller 

number of sites, reducing personnel costs, and providing products and 

services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NWS subsequently submitted a 

proposal for restructuring its services, but FAA declined the proposal 

citing the need to refine its requirements. 

In December 2007, FAA issued revised requirements and asked NWS to 

respond with proposals defining the technical and cost implications of 

three operational concepts. The three concepts involved (1) on-site 

services provided within the existing configuration of offices located at 

 

2

FAA is also involved in a longer-term initiative to increase the efficiency of the national 

airspace system and to improve its overall safety. This initiative, called the Next Generation 

Air Transportation System, is a joint effort of the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the 

Departments of Transportation, Homeland Security, Defense, and Commerce. FAA 

anticipates that this initiative may lead to major changes in the aviation weather program 

that would supersede its current restructuring efforts. 

Page 9 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

the 21 en route centers, (2) remote services provided by a reduced number 

of regional facilities, and (3) remote services provided by a single 

centralized facility. NWS responded with three proposals, but FAA 

rejected these proposals in September 2008, noting that while elements of 

each proposal had merit, the proposed costs were too high. FAA requested 

that NWS revise its proposal to bring costs down while stating a 

preference to move toward a single center weather service unit with a 

back-up site. 

As a separate initiative, NWS initiated an improvement program for the 

center weather service units in April 2008. The goal of the program was to 

improve the consistency of the units’ products and services. This program 

involved standardizing the technology, collaboration, and training for all 

21 center weather service units and conducting site visits to evaluate each 

unit. NWS reported that it has completed its efforts to standardize the 

service units and plans to complete its site visits by September 2009. Table 

4 provides a chronology of the agencies’ assessment and improvement 

efforts. 

Table 4: Chronology of Efforts by FAA and NWS 

Time frame Activity 

November 2003 FAA performed a functional audit of center weather service units and found that the services provided at 

different en route locations were inconsistent, the products were not standardized, and there was little 

communication and collaboration between neighboring service units. 

September 2005 FAA requested that NWS restructure its aviation weather services to provide improved services more 

efficiently. Specifically, FAA requested that NWS consolidate 20 of the center weather service units (excluding 

the unit in Alaska) to a smaller number of sites, reduce NWS personnel costs by 20 percent, and deliver 

forecast products and services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

January 2006 FAA initiated an analysis of the value of different activities performed by the center weather service units. 

Similar to the 2003 study, the results of this analysis noted the lack of standardization of products, services, 

tools, and procedures. In addition, the report found that quality assurance was provided on an informal basis, 

there was no formal feedback process for products and services, and meteorological training was not 

standardized. 

August 2006 NWS conducted a prototype in which center weather service unit products and services were completed and 

delivered remotely from the closest weather forecast office. This prototype showed that remote operations 

were possible and effective, but that they would be difficult to implement because of the need for cultural 

change, technology upgrades, and communication stability. Specifically, forecasters in the prototype were not 

able to provide dedicated support for the aviation mission because their other duties—including forecasting 

severe weather at the weather forecast office—took precedence. In addition, a collaboration technology used 

during the prototype was not operationally ready to use, servers were unstable, critical radar data were 

inconsistent with weather forecast office data, and communications lines were unstable throughout the 

prototype. 

September 2006 An FAA study confirmed that it is possible to deliver weather information, products, and services from one or 

many remote locations with currently available state-of-the-art technology platforms. 

Page 10 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Time frame Activity 

October 2006 FAA administered a market survey to determine whether the private sector could provide remote weather 

services at a lower cost than currently provided. Ten organizations, including private sector firms and 

government-funded laboratories, responded that they could provide the services that FAA wanted. 

Separately, NWS presented its proposal for restructuring its aviation weather services to FAA. In this proposal, 

NWS suggested moving meteorologists from the en route centers to regional weather forecast offices, and 

providing remote aviation weather services from the weather forecast offices. 

April 2007 FAA declined NWS’s proposal. Instead, FAA reported that it would redefine its requirements for the functions 

provided by the center weather service units. 

December 2007 FAA transmitted its redefined requirements to NWS and requested a written response detailing three different 

operational concepts. 

April 2008 NWS initiated a short-term improvement program for the center weather service units. The goal of this 

program was to standardize the technology and training for the units to improve the consistency of products 

and services. 

May 2008 In response to the new requirements, NWS provided FAA with three proposals to restructure the center 

weather service units. 

September 2008 FAA rejected NWS’s three proposals, stating that while elements of each proposal had merit, the agency could 

not accept them because the proposed costs were too high. Additionally, FAA requested that NWS deliver a 

revised proposal by December 2008, stating a preference to move toward a single center weather service unit 

with a back-up site. 

Source: GAO analysis of NWS and FAA data. 

Prior GAO Report 

Identified Concerns with 

Center Weather Service 

Units; Recommended 

Steps to Improve Quality 

Assurance 

In January 2008, we reported on concerns about inconsistencies in 

products and quality among center weather service units.3

 We noted that 

while both NWS and FAA have responsibilities for assuring and controlling 

the quality of aviation weather observations, neither agency monitored the 

accuracy and quality of the aviation weather products provided at center 

weather service units. We recommended that NWS and FAA develop 

performance measures and metrics for the products and services to be 

provided by center weather service units, perform annual evaluations of 

aviation weather services provided at en route centers, and provide 

feedback to the center weather service units. The Department of 

Commerce agreed with our recommendations, and the Department of 

Transportation stated that FAA planned to revise its requirements and that 

these would establish performance measures and evaluation procedures. 

 

3

GAO, Aviation Weather: FAA Is Reevaluating Services at Key Centers; Both FAA and the 

National Weather Service Need to Better Ensure Product Quality, GAO-08-258 

(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 11, 2008). 

Page 11 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

NWS and FAA are considering plans to restructure the way aviation 

weather services are provided at en route centers. After a 6-month delay, 

NWS sent FAA its latest proposal for restructuring the center weather 

service units in June 2009.4

 NWS’s proposal involves consolidating 20 of 

the 21 existing center weather service units into two locations, with one at 

the Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other at a 

new National Centers for Environmental Prediction office planned for the 

Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.5

 The Missouri center is expected to 

handle the southern half of the United States while the Washington, D.C., 

center is expected to handle the northern half of the United States. NWS 

plans for the two new units to be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 

and to function as back-up sites for each other. These new units would 

continue to use existing forecasting systems and tools to develop products 

and services. See figure 3 for a visual summary of the proposed 

consolidated center weather service unit facilities that control and manage 

air traffic over the United States. 

Proposal to 

Consolidate Center 

Weather Service Units 

Is under 

Consideration 

 

4

NWS sought two extensions to the December 2008 deadline in order to allow NWS and 

FAA a chance to address public misperceptions, to brief the incoming administration, and 

to arrange discussions between the appropriate NWS and FAA executives. 

5

NWS proposed that the center weather service unit located in Anchorage, Alaska, remain 

unchanged. 

Page 12 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Figure 3: Proposed Center Weather Service Unit Structure 

Seattle

Oakland 

Los Angeles

Anchorage

Alaska

Albuquerque

Salt Lake 

City

Fort Worth

Houston

Denver

Minneapolis

Indianapolis

Jacksonville

Miami

Memphis

Washington, DC

Cleveland

Atlanta

New York

Boston

Chicago

DC metro area

Kansas City

Current 21 center weather service unit locations at en route centers

Proposed 2 center weather service unit locations (Kansas City, MO and the Washington, D.C., 

metropolitan area) 

Proposed area of responsibility for center weather service unit North

Proposed area of responsibility for center weather service unit South

Center weather service unit location not part of proposed consolidation

Sources: NWS (data), Map Resources (map).

While these new units would continue to use existing forecasting systems 

and tools to develop products and services, NWS has also proposed new 

products, services, and tools. Two new products are the Collaborative 

Weather Impact Product and the terminal radar approach control forecast. 

The former is expected to expand the Aviation Weather Center’s existing 

Collaborative Convective Forecast Product to include convection, 

Page 13 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

turbulence, icing, wind, ceiling/visibility, and precipitation type/intensity. 

The latter is expected to extract data from the Collaborative Weather 

Impact Product and include precipitation, winds, and convection for the 

terminal area; the display will allow the forecaster to layer this information 

on air traffic management information such as jet routes. In addition, NWS 

plans to create a Web portal to allow FAA and other users to access its 

advisories, forecasts, and products as well as national, regional, and local 

weather briefings. To support on-demand briefings at the new center 

weather service units, NWS plans to use collaboration tools, such as 

instant messaging and online collaboration software. 

Given the reduced number of locations in the revised organizational 

structure, NWS also proposed reducing the number of personnel needed to 

support its operations from 84 to 50 full-time staff—a reduction of 34 

positions. Specifically, the agency determined that it will require 20 staff 

members for each new center weather service unit; 4 staff members at the 

Alaska unit; 5 additional forecasters at the Aviation Weather Center to 

help prepare the Collaborative Weather Impact Product; and a quality 

assurance manager at NWS headquarters. NWS anticipates the staff 

reductions will be achieved through scheduled retirements, resignations, 

and reassignments. However, the agency has identified the transition of its 

existing workforce to the new centers as a high-impact risk because staff 

may decline to move to the new locations. 

NWS also proposed tentative time frames for transitioning to the new 

organizational structure over a 3-year period. During the first year after 

FAA accepts the proposal, NWS plans to develop a transition plan and 

conduct a 9-month demonstration of the concept in order to ensure that 

the new structure will not degrade its services. Agency officials estimated 

that initial operating capability would be achieved by the end of the 

second year after FAA approval and full operating capability by the end of 

the third year. 

NWS estimated the transition costs for this proposal at approximately 

$12.8 million, which includes approximately $3.3 million for the 

demonstration. In addition, NWS estimated that the annual recurring costs 

will be about 21 percent lower than current annual costs. For example, 

using 2009 prices, NWS estimated that the new structure would cost $9.7 

million—about $2.6 million less than the current $12.3 million cost. See 

table 5 for the estimated costs for transitioning the centers. 

Page 14 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Table 5: Approximate Costs (in millions) for the Transition 

Description Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total cost

Legacy centers $12.3 $12.7 $11.7 $1.6 $0 $38.2a

Transition costs $4.6 $4.0 $3.0 $1.1 $0 $12.8a

New centers $0 $0 $4.8 $10.8 $11.0 $26.6

Total $16.9 $16.7 $19.5 $13.5 $11.0 $77.6

Source: GAO analysis of NWS data. 

a

Numbers do not add correctly due to rounding. 

However, it is not clear when and if the agencies will move forward with 

the proposal. FAA responded to NWS in August 2009 by requesting more 

information regarding NWS’s proposal. One consideration that may affect 

the proposal involves the current interagency agreement. The most recent 

agreement between the two agencies, signed in December 2007, is to 

expire at the end of September 2009. Before it expires, the two agencies 

could choose to exercise an option to continue this agreement for another 

year, terminate the agreement, or sign a new agreement. An FAA official 

reported that the agency wanted to create a new agreement that includes 

key dates from the proposal, such as those related to the concept 

demonstration. This official added that such agreements typically take 

time to develop and coordinate between the agencies. 

According to best practices in leading organizations, performance should be 

measured in order to evaluate the success or failure of programs.6

Performance measurement involves identifying performance goals and 

measures, establishing performance baselines, identifying targets for 

improving performance, and measuring progress against those targets. Having 

a clear understanding of an organization’s current performance—a baseline—

is essential to determining whether new initiatives (like the proposed 

restructuring) result in improved or degraded products and services. 

NWS and FAA Are 

Working to Establish 

a Baseline of Current 

Performance, but Are 

Not Assessing Key 

Measures 

In January 2008, we reported that NWS and FAA lacked performance 

measures and a baseline of current performance for the center weather 

 

6

Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Guide for Developing 

and Using Information Technology (IT) Performance Measurements (Washington, D.C., 

October 2001); General Services Administration, Office of Governmentwide Policy, 

Performance-Based Management: Eight Steps To Develop and Use Information 

Technology Performance Measures Effectively (Washington, D.C., 1996). 

Page 15 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

service units and recommended that they develop performance measures.7 In 

response to this recommendation, FAA established 5 performance standards 

for the center weather service units. FAA also recommended that NWS 

identify additional performance measures in its proposal for restructuring the 

center weather service units. While NWS subsequently identified 8 additional 

performance measures in its proposal, FAA has not yet approved these 

measures. All 13 performance measures are listed in table 6. 

Table 6: Performance Measures Identified by FAA and NWS 

Performance measure Description Source 

Service provision 

(organizational) 

A measure of time that the unit is operating (either through 

on-site staff or through off-site staff providing back-up 

operations) 

Required by interagency agreement 

Product participation A measure of the unit’s participation in the development of 

the Collaborative Convective Forecast Product when 

convection is expected to occur within the unit’s domain 

Required by interagency agreement 

Format consistency A measure of the consistency of product formats, content, 

and procedures for the issuance of key existing products 

Required by interagency agreement 

Service provision (briefings) A measure of the unit’s provision of twice-daily stand-up 

briefings 

Required by interagency agreement 

and proposed by NWS 

Forecast accuracy A measure of the accuracy of forecasts used in traffic 

management decisions 

Required by interagency agreement 

and proposed by NWS 

Customer satisfaction A measure of satisfaction with product quality, timeliness, 

accuracy, and customer service, as well as the number of 

complaints received 

Proposed by NWS 

Service delivery conformity A measure of the conformity of both standardized and 

customized services to a checklist of components 

Proposed by NWS 

Timeliness of on-demand 

services 

A measure of the time taken to respond to requests for ondemand service Proposed by NWS 

Training completion A measure of completion of standardized training Proposed by NWS 

Product consistency A measure of the consistency of the proposed Collaborative 

Weather Impact Product with other products 

Proposed by NWS 

Timeliness of information 

updates 

A measure of NWS’s ability to provide timely updates to the 

proposed Collaborative Weather Impact Product 

Proposed by NWS 

Product availability A measure of the availability of products via a proposed 

Web portal 

Proposed by NWS 

Timeliness of management 

reports on the restructuring 

A measure of NWS’s ability to provide timely management 

reports associated with the restructuring 

Proposed by NWS 

Source: GAO analysis of NWS and FAA data. 

 

7

GAO-08-258. 

Page 16 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

NWS officials reported that they have historical data for 1 of the 13 

performance measures—participation in the Collaborative Convective 

Forecast Product—and are working to obtain a baseline for 3 other 

performance measures. Specifically, in January 2009, NWS and FAA began 

evaluating how the center weather service units are performing and, as 

part of this initiative, are collecting data associated with organizational 

service provision, format consistency, and briefing service provision. As of 

June 2009, the agencies had completed evaluations of 13 service units and 

plan to complete evaluations for all 21 service units by September 2009. 

However, the agencies have not established a baseline of performance for 

the 9 other performance measures. NWS officials reported that they are 

not collecting baseline information for a variety of reasons, including that 

the measures have not yet been approved by FAA and that selected 

measures involve products that have not yet been developed. A summary 

of the status of efforts to establish baselines and reasons for not 

establishing baselines is provided in table 7. 

Table 7: Status of Efforts to Identify Baseline Performance 

Performance measure 

Status of efforts to identify baseline 

performance 

NWS reason for not capturing a performance 

baseline 

Service provision (organizational) Performance at 21 sites is being 

documented during site visits 

Not applicable—is being measured. 

Product participation Historical performance is being captured Not applicable—is being measured. 

Format consistency Performance at 21 sites is being 

documented during site visits 

Not applicable—is being measured. 

Service provision (briefings) Performance at 21 sites is being 

documented during site visits 

Not applicable—is being measured. 

Forecast accuracy Not measured More work is needed to determine how to measure 

accuracy. 

Customer satisfaction Not measured FAA has not approved this measure; in addition, 

NWS officials stated they do not currently have the 

resources to develop and implement this measure. 

Service delivery conformity Not measured FAA has not approved this measure. 

Timeliness of on-demand services Not measured FAA has not approved this measure. 

Training completion Not measured FAA has not approved this measure. 

Product consistency Not measured This product has not yet been developed. 

Timeliness of information updates Not measured This product has not yet been developed. 

Product availability Not measured This product has not yet been developed. 

Timeliness of management reports 

on the restructuring 

Not measured These reports involve an initiative that has not yet 

been approved. 

Source: GAO analysis of NWS and FAA data. 

Page 17 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

While 4 of the potential measures are tied to new products or services 

under the restructuring, the other 5 could be measured using current 

products and services. For example, accuracy and customer satisfaction 

are measures that could be tracked for current operations. NWS 

continually measures the accuracy of a range of weather products—

including hurricane and tornado forecasts. Customer satisfaction 

measures could be determined by surveying the FAA managers who 

receive the aviation weather products. 

It is important to obtain an understanding of the current level of 

performance in these measures before beginning any efforts to restructure 

aviation weather services. Without an understanding of the current level of 

performance, NWS and FAA will not be able to measure the success or 

failure of any changes they make to the center weather service unit 

operations. As a result, any changes to the current structure could degrade 

aviation operations and safety—and the agencies may not know it. 

NWS and FAA face challenges in their efforts to modify the current 

aviation weather structure. These include challenges associated with (1) 

interagency collaboration, (2) defining requirements, and (3) aligning any 

changes with the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)—

a long-term initiative to increase the efficiency of the national airspace 

system. Specifically, the two agencies have had difficulties in interagency 

collaboration and requirements development leading to an inability to 

reach agreement on a way forward. In addition, the restructuring 

proposals have not been aligned with the national strategic vision for the 

future air transportation system. Looking forward, if a proposal is 

accepted, the agencies could face three additional challenges in 

implementing the proposal, including (1) developing a feasible schedule 

that includes adequate time for stakeholder involvement, (2) undertaking a 

comprehensive demonstration to ensure no services are degraded, and (3) 

effectively reconfiguring the infrastructure and technologies to the new 

structure. Unless and until these challenges are addressed, the proposed 

restructuring of aviation weather services at en route centers poses new 

risks and has little chance of success. 

NWS and FAA Face 

Challenges in Efforts 

to Modify the Current 

Aviation Weather 

Structure 

Page 18 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

To date, FAA and NWS have encountered challenges in interagency 

collaboration. We have previously reported on key practices that can help 

enhance and sustain interagency collaboration.8

 The practices generally 

consist of two or more agencies defining a common outcome, establishing 

joint strategies to achieve the outcome, agreeing upon agency roles and 

responsibilities, establishing compatible policies and procedures to 

operate across agency boundaries, and developing mechanisms to 

monitor, evaluate, and report the results of collaborative efforts. 

Interagency Collaboration 

While NWS and FAA have established policies and procedures for 

operating across agencies through the interagency agreement and have 

initiated efforts to establish a baseline of performance for selected 

measures through their ongoing site evaluations, the agencies have not 

defined a common outcome, established joint strategies to achieve the 

outcome, or agreed upon agency responsibilities. Instead, the agencies 

have demonstrated an inability to work together to resolve issues and to 

accomplish meaningful change. Specifically, since 2005, FAA has 

requested that NWS restructure its aviation weather services three times, 

and then rejected NWS’s proposals twice. Further, after requesting 

extensions twice, NWS provided its proposal to FAA in June 2009. As a 

result, it is now almost 4 years since FAA first initiated efforts to improve 

NWS aviation weather services and the agencies have not yet agreed on 

what needs to be changed and how it will be changed. Table 8 lists key 

events. 

Table 8: Key Events in FAA and NWS Interactions 

Time frame Activity 

September 2005 FAA requested that NWS restructure its aviation weather services to consolidate operations in a smaller 

number of sites at a reduced cost. 

October 2006 NWS provided a proposal to FAA on how to restructure aviation weather services; also, FAA administered a 

market study to determine whether the private sector could provide remote aviation weather services. 

April 2007 FAA rejected NWS’s proposal because it did not consolidate the offices to a smaller number of sites and it 

involved higher training costs. At that time, FAA decided to revise its requirements for aviation weather 

provided at the center weather service units. 

December 2007 FAA provided NWS with a new set of aviation weather requirements. 

May 2008 NWS provided FAA with three proposals to restructure the center weather service units. 

 

8

GAO, Results-Oriented Government: Practices that Can Help Enhance and Sustain 

Collaboration among Federal Agencies, GAO-06-15 (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 21, 2005). 

Page 19 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Time frame Activity 

September 2008 FAA rejected all three proposals and sent NWS back to the drawing board to create a hybrid solution at a 

lower cost by December 2008. 

December 2008 NWS requested and FAA approved a 60-day extension on NWS’s proposal deadline to address public 

misperceptions regarding the changes. 

February 2009 NWS requested a 60-day extension on its proposal deadline to allow the new NOAA administrator time to 

work with the then-unnamed FAA administrator on the consolidation. FAA approved a 30-day extension. 

June 2009 NWS provided FAA with a proposal that would consolidate 20 of 21 center weather service units into two 

locations. 

Source: GAO analysis of FAA and NWS data. 

Until the agencies agree on a common outcome, establish joint strategies 

to achieve the outcome, and agree on respective agency responsibilities, 

they are unlikely to move forward in efforts to restructure weather 

services. Without sound interagency collaboration, both FAA and NWS 

will continue to spend time and resources proposing and rejecting options 

rather than implementing solutions. 

Defining Requirements The two agencies’ difficulties in determining how to proceed with their 

restructuring plans are due in part to a lack of stability in FAA’s 

requirements for center weather service units. According to best practices 

of leading organizations, requirements describe the functionality needed to 

meet user needs and perform as intended in the operational environment.9

A disciplined process for developing and managing requirements can help 

reduce the risks associated with developing or acquiring a system or 

product. 

FAA released its revised requirements in December 2007 and NWS 

subsequently provided proposals to meet these requirements. However, 

FAA rejected all three of NWS’s proposals in September 2008 on the basis 

that the costs of the proposals were too high, even though cost was not 

specified in FAA’s requirements. NWS’s latest proposal is based on FAA’s 

December 2007 requirements as well as detailed discussions held between 

the two agencies in October 2008. However, FAA has not revised its 

requirements to reflect the guidance provided to NWS in those 

discussions, including reported guidance on handling the Alaska center 

 

9

Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, Capability Maturity Model® 

Integration for Development, Version 1.2 (Pittsburgh, Pa., August 2006). Capability 

Maturity Model® and Capability Maturity Modeling are registered in the U.S. Patent and 

Trademark Office. CMM is a service mark of Carnegie Mellon University. 

Page 20 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

and moving to the two-center approach. Without formal requirements 

developed prior to the development of the new products and services, 

FAA runs the risk of procuring products and services that do not fully 

meet its users’ needs or perform as intended. In addition, NWS risks 

continued investments in trying to create a product for FAA without clear 

information on what the agency wants. 

Alignment with the Next 

Generation Air 

Transportation System 

Neither FAA nor NWS has ensured that the restructuring of the center 

weather service units fits with the national vision for NextGen—a longterm initiative to transition FAA from the current radar-based system to an 

aircraft-centered, satellite-based system. Our prior work on enterprise 

architectures shows that connecting strategic planning with program and 

system solutions can increase the chances that an organization’s 

operational and information technology environments will be configured 

to optimize mission performance.10 Our experience with federal agencies 

has shown that investing in information technology without defining these 

investments in the context of a larger, strategic vision often results in 

systems that are duplicative, not well integrated, and unnecessarily costly 

to maintain and interface. 

The Joint Planning and Development Office11 is responsible for planning 

and coordinating NextGen. As part of this program, the Joint Planning and 

Development Office envisions restructuring air traffic facilities, including 

en route centers, across the country as well as transitioning to new 

technologies. However, NWS and FAA efforts to restructure the center 

weather service units have not been aligned with the Joint Planning and 

Development Office’s vision for transforming air traffic control under the 

NextGen program. Specifically, the chair of NextGen’s weather group 

stated that Joint Planning and Development Office officials have not 

evaluated NWS’s and FAA’s plans for restructuring the center weather 

service units, and have not been asked to do so. 

 

10GAO, Enterprise Architecture: Leadership Remains Key to Establishing and Leveraging 

Architectures for Organizational Transformation, GAO-06-831 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 

14, 2006). 

11The Joint Planning and Development Office has multiple federal partners, including FAA; 

the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Defense, and Homeland Security; the 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and the White House Office of Science and 

Technology Policy. 

Page 21 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Other groups within FAA are responsible for aligning the agency’s 

enterprise architecture with the NextGen vision through annual roadmaps 

that largely define near- and mid-term initiatives.12 However, recent 

roadmaps for aviation weather do not include any discussion of plans to 

restructure the center weather service units or the potential impact that 

such a change could have on aviation weather systems. Additionally, in its 

proposal, NWS stated that it followed FAA’s guidance to avoid tightly 

linking the transition schedule to NextGen’s expected initial operating 

capability in 2013, but recommended doing so since the specific role of the 

center weather service units in NextGen operations is unknown. 

Until the agencies ensure that changes to the center weather service units 

fit within the strategic-level and implementation plans for NextGen, any 

changes to the current structure could result in wasted efforts and 

resources. 

Schedule Development Looking forward, if a proposal is accepted, both agencies could also face 

challenges in developing a feasible schedule that includes adequate time 

for stakeholder involvement. NWS estimated a 3-year transition time frame 

from current operations to the two-center approach. FAA officials 

commented they would like to have the two-center approach in place by 

2012. However, NWS may have difficulty in meeting the transition time 

frames because activities that need to be conducted serially are planned 

concurrently within the 3-year schedule. For example, NWS may need to 

negotiate with its union before implementing changes that affect working 

conditions—such as moving operations from an en route center to a 

remote location.13 NWS officials acknowledge the risk that these 

negotiations can be prolonged and sometimes take years to complete. If 

the proposal is accepted, it will be important for NWS to identify activities 

that must be conducted before others in order to build a feasible schedule. 

 

12These groups include the NextGen and Operations Planning Service Unit’s Aviation 

Weather Office, Systems Engineering Office, and NextGen Integration and Implementation 

Office. 

13NWS’s agreement with its union includes the need to negotiate on the impact and 

implementation of any changes affecting working conditions before those changes can be 

implemented. As such, any effort to realign the center weather service units will involve 

negotiations between union employees and NWS management. 

Page 22 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

Demonstrating No 

Degradation of Service 

If a proposal is accepted, both agencies could face challenges in 

demonstrating that existing services will not be degraded during the 

restructuring. In its proposal, NWS identified preliminary plans to 

demonstrate the new operational concept before implementing it in order 

to ensure there is no degradation of service. Key steps included 

establishing a detailed demonstration plan, conducting risk mitigation 

activities, and implementing a demonstration that is to last at least 9 

months. NWS also proposed that the demonstration will include an 

independent evaluation by a team of government and industry both before 

the demonstration, to determine if the demonstration is adequate to 

validate the new concept of operations, and after, to determine the 

success of the demonstration. In addition, throughout the 9-month 

demonstration, NWS plans to have the independent team periodically 

provide feedback, recommendations, and corrective actions. 

However, NWS has not yet defined all of the performance measures it will 

use to determine whether the prototype is successful. In its proposal, NWS 

stated that the agencies will begin to document performance metrics and 

develop and refine evaluation criteria during the demonstration. If NWS 

waits to define evaluation criteria during the evaluation, it may not have 

baseline metrics needed to compare to the demonstration results. Without 

baseline metrics, NWS may be unable to determine whether the 

demonstration has degraded service or not. 

Technology Transition Both agencies could face challenges in effectively transitioning the 

infrastructure and technologies to the new consolidated structure, if a 

proposal is accepted. In its proposal, NWS planned to move its operations 

from 20 en route centers to two sites within 3 years. However, to do so, the 

agencies will need to modify their aviation weather systems and develop a 

communications infrastructure. Specifically, NWS and FAA will need to 

modify or acquire systems to allow both current and new products for an 

expanded view of the country. Additionally, NWS will need to develop 

continuous two-way communications in lieu of having staff on site at each 

en route center. NWS has recognized the infrastructure as a challenge, and 

plans to mitigate the risk through continuous dialogue with FAA. 

However, if interagency collaboration does not improve, attempting to 

coordinate the systems and technology of the two agencies may prove 

difficult and further delay the schedule. 

Page 23 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

For several years, FAA and NWS have explored ways to improve the 

operations of the center weather service units by consolidating operations 

and providing remote services. Meanwhile, the two agencies have to make 

a decision on the interagency agreement, which will expire at the end of 

September 2009. If FAA and NWS are to create a new interagency 

agreement that incorporates key dates within the proposal, decisions on 

the proposal will have to be made quickly. 

An important component of any effort to improve operations is a solid 

understanding of current performance. However, FAA and NWS are not 

working to identify the current level of performance in five measures that 

are applicable to current operations. Until the agencies have an 

understanding of the current level of performance, they will not be able to 

measure the success or failure of any changes to the center weather 

service unit operations. As a result, any changes to the current structure 

could degrade aviation operations and safety—and the agencies may not 

know it. 

If the agencies move forward with plans to restructure aviation weather 

services, they face significant challenges including a poor record of 

interagency collaboration, undocumented requirements, and a lack of 

assurance that this plan fits in the broader vision of NextGen. Moreover, 

efforts to implement the restructuring will require a feasible schedule, a 

comprehensive demonstration, and a solid plan for technology transition. 

Until these challenges are addressed, the proposed restructuring of 

aviation weather services at en route centers has little chance of success. 

To improve the aviation weather products and services provided at FAA’s 

en route centers, we are making six recommendations to the Secretaries of 

Commerce and Transportation. Specifically, we are recommending that 

the Secretaries direct the NWS and FAA administrators, respectively, to 

Conclusions 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action 

• immediately identify the current level of performance for the five potential 

measures that could be identified under current operations (forecast 

accuracy, customer satisfaction, service delivery conformity, timeliness of 

on-demand services, and training completion) so that there will be a 

baseline from which to measure the impact of any proposed operational 

changes; 

• establish and approve a set of performance measures for the center 

weather service units; 

Page 24 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

• improve interagency collaboration by defining a common outcome, 

establishing joint strategies to achieve the outcome, and agreeing upon 

each agency’s responsibilities; 

• establish and finalize requirements for aviation weather services at en 

route centers; 

• ensure that any proposed organizational changes are aligned with 

NextGen initiatives by seeking a review by the Joint Program Development 

Office responsible for developing the NextGen vision; and 

• before moving forward with any proposed operational changes, address 

implementation challenges by 

• developing a feasible schedule that includes adequate time for 

stakeholder involvement, 

• undertaking a comprehensive demonstration to ensure no services are 

degraded, and 

• effectively transitioning the infrastructure and technologies to the new 

consolidated structure. 

The Department of Commerce provided written comments on a draft of 

this report, signed by the Secretary of Commerce (see app. II). In the 

department’s letter, NOAA agreed with our recommendations and 

provided additional information on steps the agency has taken or plans to 

take to address the recommendations. For example, the agency reported 

that it is working with FAA to refine its baseline metrics and plans to have 

baseline metrics in place by the end of fiscal year 2009. NWS also plans to 

establish a Quality Assurance Manager to work with FAA to develop 

additional measures and metrics as appropriate. In addition, NOAA 

reported that since submitting its proposal in May 2008 and receiving a 

summary of our findings in June 2009, NWS and FAA have made progress 

in working together. Specifically, NWS has assigned a liaison to the FAA 

Air Traffic Control System Command Center, met with officials from the 

Joint Planning and Development Office to discuss the linkage of plans for 

the center weather service units and NextGen, and held discussions to 

strengthen the NWS and FAA partnership. 

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation 

The Department of Transportation’s Deputy Director of Audit Relations 

provided comments on a draft of this report via e-mail. In those comments, 

Page 25 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
 

she noted that the department agreed to consider our recommendations. 

In addition, she noted a slight concern involving our discussion of the 

alignment of plans to restructure the center weather service units with 

NextGen. Specifically, the department noted that current NextGen plans 

(1) include modifications to the weather systems used by center weather 

service units and (2) ensure the delivery of the functions currently 

provided by center weather service units. However, these statements do 

not alter the agencies’ need to align any restructuring plans with the 

NextGen initiative—and that has not occurred. NextGen roadmaps do not 

include any discussion of plans to restructure the center weather service 

units or the potential impact that such a change could have on aviation 

weather systems. The importance of this alignment is underscored by the 

NWS Director’s recommendation to FAA to provide linkage between 

restructuring plans and NextGen plans since the specific role of the center 

weather service units during NextGen operations is not yet known. 

Both departments also provided technical comments that we incorporated 

as appropriate. 

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional 

committees, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, 

the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and other interested 

parties. In addition, this report will be available at no charge on the GAO 

Web site at http://www.gao.gov.

If you have any questions about this report, please contact me at (202) 512-

9286 or by e-mail at pownerd@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are 

listed in appendix III. 

Sincerely, 

wner 

Director, Information Technology 

s 

David A. Po

Management Issue

Page 26 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Page 27 GAO-09-761 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

The objectives of our review were to (1) determine the status and plans of 

efforts to restructure the center weather service units, (2) evaluate efforts 

to establish a baseline of the current performance provided by center 

weather service units so that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

and National Weather Service (NWS) can ensure that any operational 

changes do not degrade aviation weather services, and (3) evaluate 

challenges to restructuring the center weather service units. 

To determine the status of NWS’s plans for restructuring the center 

weather service units, we reviewed the current interagency agreement, 

FAA’s proposed requirements, and NWS’s draft and final proposals for 

addressing FAA’s requirements. We analyzed NWS’s draft transition 

schedules, cost proposals, and evaluation plans. We also interviewed NWS 

and FAA officials to obtain clarifications on these plans. 

To evaluate the agencies’ efforts to establish a baseline of the current 

performance provided by center weather service units, we reviewed 

documentation including FAA’s performance standards, the current 

interagency agreement, NWS’s restructuring proposals and Quality 

Assurance Surveillance Plan, and the agencies’ plans for evaluating the 

centers. We compared the agencies’ plans for creating a baseline of 

current performance with best practices for performance management by 

the Department of the Navy and General Services Administration.1

 We also 

interviewed NWS and FAA officials involved in establishing a baseline of 

current performance provided by center weather service units. 

To evaluate challenges to restructuring the center weather service units, 

we reviewed agency documentation, including FAA’s requirements 

document and NWS’s proposals to restructure the center weather service 

units. We also reviewed planning documents for the Next Generation Air 

Transportation System. We compared these documents with best practices 

for system development and requirements management from the 

Capability Maturity Model® Integration for Development;2

 and with GAO’s 

 

1

Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Guide for Developing 

and Using Information Technology (IT) Performance Measurements (Washington, D.C., 

October 2001); General Services Administration, Office of Governmentwide Policy, 

Performance-Based Management: Eight Steps To Develop and Use Information 

Technology Performance Measures Effectively (Washington, D.C., 1996). 

2

Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, Capability Maturity Model® 

Integration for Development, Version 1.2 (Pittsburgh, Pa., August 2006). 

 Aviation Weather 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Page 28 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather

best practices in interagency collaboration and architecture planning.3 In 

addition, we interviewed NWS, FAA, and Joint Planning and Development 

Office officials regarding challenges to restructuring the center weathe

service units. 

We performed our work at FAA and NWS headquarters offices, and F

Air Traffic Control System Command Center in the Washington, D.C., 

r 

AA’s 

metropolitan area. We conducted this performance audit from August 2008 

e 

 We 

 

to September 2009, in accordance with generally accepted government 

auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform th

audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable 

basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

 ain 

t. 21, 2005); 

Enterprise Architecture: Leadership Remains Key to Establishing and Leveraging 

3

GAO, Results-Oriented Government: Practices that Can Help Enhance and Sust

Collaboration among Federal Agencies, GAO-06-15 (Washington, D.C.: Oc

Architectures for Organizational Transformation, GAO-06-831 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 

14, 2006). 
Appendix II: Comments from the Department Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Commerce 

of Commerce 

Page 29 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather 
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Commerce 

Page 30 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Commerce 

Page 31 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Commerce 

Page 32 GAO-09-761 Aviation Weather
Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments 

Page 33 GAO-09-761 

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff 

 Aviation Weather Aviation Weather

David A. Powner, (202) 512-9286, or pownerd@gao.gov

In addition to the contact person named above, Colleen Phillips, Assistant 

Director; Gerard Aflague; Kate Agatone; Neil Doherty; Rebecca Eyler; and 

Jessica Waselkow made key contributions to this report. 

Acknowledgments 

GAO Contact 

Staff 

Acknowledgments 

(310879) 
GAO’s Mission The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and 

investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and 

accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO 

examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; 

and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help 

Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s 

commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of 

accountability, integrity, and reliability. 

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost 

is through GAO’s Web site (www.gao.gov). Each weekday afternoon, GAO 

posts on its Web site newly released reports, testimony, and 

correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products, 

go to www.gao.gov and select “E-mail Updates.” 

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony 

Order by Phone The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of 

production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the 

publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and 

white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO’s Web site, 

http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm. 

Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or 

TDD (202) 512-2537. 

Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, 

MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information. 

Contact: 

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470 

Ralph Dawn, Managing Director, dawnr@gao.gov, (202) 512-4400 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7125 

Washington, DC 20548 

To Report Fraud, 

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs 

Congressional 

Relations 

Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov, (202) 512-4800 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, DC 20548 

Public Affairs