Standard Situational Awareness Displays and WarnGen Test and Practice Modes

1. Standard Situational Awareness Displays and WarnGen Test and Practice Modes Michael Dangelo Senior Forecaster NWS State College, PA (CTP) 12 July 2005 NWS Severe Weather Tech Workshop

2. The (Perceived) Need for Standard SA Displays • Many offices have Situational Awareness (SA) Displays, or have begun to adopt them recently, as an outgrowth of the best-practices of the offices in the forefront of Severe Weather Operations, and AWOC. • A STANDARD SA Display is not part of our AWIPS baseline.

3. The (Perceived) Need (cont.) • The offices that do have SA Displays have used local ingenuity and resources to develop these displays. • SA Displays keep SA of all individuals in the office (WDMs and helpers) high through use of visual cues and (at times) audible alarms and feedback.

4. Reasons for SA Displays: • In real-time, any potential Warning Decision-Maker or staff member assisting with Severe Weather Operations can see the valid warnings and threats across their area of responsibility (and beyond?). • In some cases, real-time verification may be available from outside (media/spotter) sources.

5. What’s the problem with the way it is done now? • Each WFO has a different “level” of an SA Display • None (The norm?) • Haphazard, locally grown (CTP) • Elaborate, locally grown (OUN) • Get everyone up to a similar level

6. Why we should tie SA Displays to AWIPS (baseline). • AWIPS already contains ALL of the information for the warning/verification-monitoring part of SA Displays. • Not all of this information is in the same place in AWIPS, though. – D2D/Local Warnings -- WWA/GHG -- LSR. • AWIPS is our STANDARD WFO platform, and having this info all tied together on AWIPS would be most logical.

7. CTP’s SA Display • One 42” Plasma TV Screen hooked to one windows-networked PC, and to one display screen (0:2) of our workstations (LX4). • We can switch between the PC and LX via a toggle switch.

8. Troubles with CTP’s SA Display • Not convenient • Must either keep the PC always tuned to the web site (Iowa State) that we use to monitor local warnings (in lieu of AWIPS “Local Warnings” working). • Use one screen on the LX to display D2D w/radar or WWA/GHG Monitor. (resources & LXs thin in big events)

9. SA Breakdown Example (June 6th)(Intro) • We try to employ one forecaster as a Severe Weather Coordinator, but that person is usually not at a LX. • The coordinator and newly arriving help couldn’t keep current. • Intra-office and External Coordination both suffer.

10. SA Breakdown Example (June 6th)(continued) • “Sectorized” warnings (4 forecasters) • SA Display not utilized to fullest potential due to lack of resources • Coordinator could not keep good SA – and did not contact appropriate Counties in a few cases, as the warnings were flying out fast and furious. • Coordinator could not answer minor questions from those areas that were contacted timely.

11. SA Breakdown Example (June 6th)(continued) • Troubles (no notifications and/or poor communication with External contacts) may have been avoided - if the appropriate information was available to the Coordinator via an SA Display

12. What kind of Info do I want from an AWIPS SA Display? • Watch and Warning Info, by polygon and with text-time readouts (GHG Monitor?) • Radar-overlay available (RIDGE) • LSR info (damage report locations, icons) • Use D2D? (familiar interface) • Little Configuration Needed

13. What kind of Info do I want from an AWIPS SA Display?

14. Topic #2 • The (perceived) Need for WarnGen Test/Practice Modes

15. Topic#2: The (perceived) Need for WarnGen Test/Practice Modes • Forecasters have a real need to practice warnings with the tools they must use (WarnGen (WG)). • Best done at the workstations – takes little time/attention away from current weather and operations. • Need to occasionally send TEST msgs.

16. Topic#2: The (perceived) Need for WarnGen Test/Practice Modes (cont.) • Don’t we have this? • A TEST mode is available, but difficult to start and fraught with danger (D2D frozen in time). • No PRACTICE Mode at all. • Why every forecaster cannot use it: • Test mode is difficult to invoke, and not all forecasters (me!) are comfortable with the procedure.

17. Topic#2: The (perceived) Need for WarnGen Test/Practice Modes (cont.) • WWA and GHG (as it is being deployed nationally) have these features built in! • but, only after mishaps occurred • WarnGen (WG) should have these features, too! It is our PRIMARY WARNING TOOL! • Forecasters use WG exclusively in Thunderstorm-Warning Mode. • It should be easy to use – switch available to the forecaster right on the GUI (checkbox or radio boxes) with graphical (colors/pop-ups) feedback on current WG “mode.”

18. WG Test/Practice modes, Conclusions • These adjustments to WG would: • Greatly enhance our ability to train forecasters, and keep them sharp • Keep SA higher when worrying less about how to make the machine work • Allow for EASY issuance of TEST messages • Allow for PRACTICE after local modification of WG templates

19. Two Ideas, One Goal • Enhance the operations in the WFO during the busiest time - Warning Decision Making Situations. • Both “Standard” SA Displays and WG Test/Practice Modes would be moves toward this goal.