User, Application & Social Science Programme

1. User, Application & Social Science Programme Programme Committee Rowan Douglas (Willis Research Network) Eve Gruntfest (University of Colorado) William (Bill) Hooke (AMS) Michel Jancloes (Health and Climate Foundation) Haleh Kootval (WMO) William Mahoney (NCAR) Claire Martin (IABM and CBC) Hassan Virji (START) Brian Mills & David Rogers Co-chairs, WWRP-OSC-UASSP Meteorological Research Division Environment Canada Brian.Mills@ec.gc.ca Health and Climate Foundation drogers@hc-foundation.org

2. Overview User, Application and Social Science Programme provides an open forum where the experiences and perspectives of a variety of information providers and users will be combined with the latest applications and methodological advances in social science to: • Demonstrate and document recent progress, highlighting and sharing lessons from both successful and ‘less successful’ projects and applications; • Identify and deliberate areas of practice, social science research methods, and training and education requiring new or continued attention; • Expand and connect the interdisciplinary weather and society community; and • Develop conference positions and recommendations regarding the state and advancement of knowledge and practice.

3. Audience Train derailment and explosion Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, 8-July-2013 Sources: La Presse, Y. Tremblay (Photo Helico), R. Remiorz (The Canadian Press) Bow and Elbow River flooding (downtown Calgary) 21-June-2013 Source: T. Martin, Calgary Herald

4. Audience User, Application and Social Science Programme will appeal to four primary groups: • Representatives from businesses, organizations and government agencies with experience in, and responsibility for, managing weather-related risks and opportunities; • Private enterprise, non-government organizations, and public sector institutions that provide, communicate, and tailor weather and related risk or impact information, advice and services to others in support of their decision-making; • Academic, government, or private sector researchers who study and evaluate the communication and use of weather-related information in decision-making and resulting societal and economic impacts and outcomes. • Natural or physical scientists and practitioners interested in understanding the current and future needs and preferences of users for weather information.

5. Key Topics Three cross-cutting and interrelated focal areas will be targeted for examination during the conference: • Individual, collective, and institutional behaviour in response to the communication, interpretation, and application of weather-related information in decision-making; • Understanding, measuring, and predicting the societal impacts of weather and the costs, benefits, and other impacts of weather-related information; and • Better practices and guidance for designing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining decision support systems and tools.

6. Session Themes Four session categories have been identified that align to generic application areas, decision-making responsibilities, or sets of key information providers through which improved predictions must eventually flow in order to benefit society: • Good and Services Economy • Government Organizations and Functions • Disaster Risk Reduction and Management • Communication

7. Session Themes: Goods & Services Economy • Traditional weather-sensitive sectors of the market (or mixed) economy: • natural resource sector (e.g., agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, tourism) • insurance and finance • energy, transportation, telecommunications, and construction sectors • retail/small enterprise/consumer focus

8. Session Themes: Government Organizations & Functions • Agencies empowered to provide public services and programs, develop policy, and establish and enforce standards or regulations that are affected by, or intended to directly influence, weather-related risks, impacts and opportunities: • defense/military/civil security focus • health, public safety, and vulnerable population focus • communities focus • National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services focus

9. Session Themes: Disaster Risk Reduction & Management • Large scale disasters are often the result of weather events exposing underlying social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities. Weather often becomes a critical variable in response, recovery, and managing the effects of disasters. Session topics have been oriented to decision timeframes: • disaster response • recovery • preparedness and longer-term mitigation

10. Session Themes: Communication • Private and public forecasters and communicators based in broadcast media, NMHS agencies, large weather-sensitive businesses, or consulting firms, still represent the most important value-adding or value-limiting interface with the vast majority of users. Session topics focus on: • broadcaster/media • public and private sector forecasters • social media and conflicting/coordinating messaging • skills/training for the next generation fxer/communicator

11. Suggested Format and Structure • Joint plenary with Scientific Programme each day (focused on one of the 4 session categories) • Opening morning panel session on the highlighted session category (half-plenary room to maintain cohesion) • Two sets of afternoon panel and/or traditional parallel sessions running across all 4 categories (depending on demand/papers). Each session consists of: i) up to 4, 15-minute presentations + 5 minutes for clarification questions, ii) panel discussion with 3-4 10-minute statements followed by 40-minute moderated Q&A period, or iii) facilitated group scenario exercise • Late afternoon (or over lunch) parallel Practical Workshop or Primer Session related to the key session category of the day • Poster session run parallel with the Workshop sessions • Shorter, reworked final day that emphasizes conference statements and findings across session categories, focal areas, and between science and user programmes

18. Potential Speakers, Panelists, Invitees

19. Documentation & Interaction with Participants • Pre-conference survey(s) and white paper(s) to solicit initial input, statements, and ideas for the conference • Potential use of social media before, during and after the conference • Potential live demonstrations Conference statements and recommendations • Post-conference survey(s) • Proceedings, archived video/audio, special journal issue (e.g., Weather, Climate and Society) • Follow-up meetings, presentations, training, and projects based on recommendations, interest and available resources

20. Q&A topics • Integration with Scientific Programme • Incorporation of Sponsor and Exhibitor input • Alignment with communication strategy/plan/activities • Promotion as single, joint, separate conference and required resources (e.g., working list of business, academic and professional associations; NMHS contacts) • Voluntary contributions (esp. from university students) • …