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NOUS41 KWBC 272131
PNSWSH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 02-59
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
430 PM EST WED NOV 27 2002
TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS
WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...
NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
/NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: ROBERT MCLEOD
CHIEF...AWARENESS BRANCH
SUBJECT: STANDARDIZED NWS FORMATS AND CODES FOR PLAIN LANGUAGE
PRODUCTS...EFFECTIVE NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 12 2002
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INSTRUCTION /NWSI/ 10-1701...ENTITLED
TEXT PRODUCT FORMATS AND CODES...IS A NEW COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE
FOR PLAIN LANGUAGE TEXT PRODUCT FORMATS GATHERED FROM VARIOUS NWS
REFERENCES. THIS INSTRUCTION PROVIDES RULES FOR FORMATS AND
CODES APPLICABLE TO TEXT PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR PUBLIC
/NON-TECHNICAL/ AUDIENCES. NWS STAFF AND NWS PARTNERS/CUSTOMERS
ALIKE REQUESTED CONSISTENT FORMATS TO FACILITATE AUTOMATED
PROCESSING AND PARSING OF PLAIN LANGUAGE PRODUCTS.
NWS OFFICES AND NATIONAL CENTERS MAY CHANGE...AT A DATE AND TIME
THEY DETERMINE BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY 12 2003...PRODUCT FORMATS
TO CONFORM TO THE SPECIFICATIONS IN NWSI 10-1701. MANY NWS
PRODUCTS ALREADY COMPLY WITH THE FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS IN
NWSI 10-1701...AND WILL NOT REQUIRE ANY CHANGE OR ONLY SMALL
CHANGES...SUCH AS THE ADDITION OF THE DOUBLE DOLLAR SIGN CODE
/$$/ OR A BLANK LINE IN A PRODUCT TEMPLATE. THE SLIDING
IMPLEMENTATION TIME LINE ALLOWS NWS STAFF FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE THE
NECESSARY CHANGES WHEN THEY PERFORM OTHER ROUTINE SOFTWARE WORK.
INDIVIDUAL NWS OFFICES AND NATIONAL CENTERS MAY ISSUE THEIR OWN
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS HIGHLIGHTING SPECIFIC FORMAT
CHANGES THEY WILL MAKE TO CONFORM TO THE CONSISTENT FORMAT
SPECIFICATIONS. THESE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS WILL LIKELY
ADDRESS ONLY MAJOR CHANGES...SUCH AS CHANGES TO THE PRODUCT TYPE
LINE OR ISSUING OFFICE LINE IN A PRODUCT/S MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR
HEADER BLOCK.
NWSI 10-1701 PROVIDES INFORMATION AND REFERENCES ON TEXT
FORMATS...FROM THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION /WMO/
ABBREVIATED HEADER AND ADVANCED WEATHER INTERACTIVE PROCESSING
SYSTEM /AWIPS/ ID TO THE MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR HEADER BLOCK AND
THE CONTENT BLOCK. THIS INSTRUCTION EXPANDS GREATLY ON THE SMALL
AMOUNT OF FORMAT INFORMATION ORIGINALLY IN OLD /NOW OBSOLETE/
WEATHER SERVICES OPERATIONS MANUAL /WSOM/ CHAPTER C-63...NOAA
WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ DISSEMINATION...AND OTHER
MISCELLANEOUS WSOM SERVICE PROGRAM CHAPTERS.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL NWS PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS TO READ NWSI 10-1701
TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE STANDARDIZED PLAIN LANGUAGE
FORMATS AND CODES. FOLLOWING ARE IMPORTANT NEW FORMAT AND CODE
PROCEDURES IN NWSI 10-1701:
1/ PRODUCT CONTENT BLOCK /SECTION 5.1/: ON OR BEFORE
FEBRUARY 12 2003...THE DOUBLE DOLLAR SIGN CODE /$$/ WILL END ALL
PLAIN LANGUAGE TEXT PRODUCTS...INCLUDING:
- THOSE PRODUCTS THAT DONT USE THE UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHIC
CODE /UGC/
- NON-SEGMENTED PRODUCTS THAT DO USE THE UGC
AND CONTINUES TO END ALL SEGMENTS OF SEGMENTED PRODUCTS. THIS
PROVIDES REQUESTED STANDARDIZATION FOR USERS AND FORMAT CREATORS.
2/ PRODUCT CONTENT BLOCK /SECTION 5.1/: PROVIDES INFORMATION
ON USE OF THE DOUBLE AMPERSAND CODE /&&/. THE && MAY BE USED TO
SEPARATE DIFFERING KINDS OF INFORMATION IN ANY PLAIN LANGUAGE
TEXT PRODUCT. ALSO...THE USE OF && IS NOT LIMITED TO PRODUCTS
USING THE UGC.
3/ PRODUCT TYPE LINE /SECTION 4.2.2/: PROVIDES INFORMATION ON
USING THE ELLIPSIS AND SUCH TERMS AT THE END OF THE PRODUCT LINE
OF THE MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR HEADER BLOCK AS...UPDATED OR
AMENDED...CORRECTED...DELAYED...AND TWO IMPORTANT ADDITIONS:
- USE OF RESENT INSTEAD OF RETRANSMITTED
- USE OF THE NEW TERM TEST WHEN A PRODUCT IS USED FOR TEST
OR DRILL PURPOSES
4/ ISSUING OFFICE LINE /SECTION 4.2.3/: PROVIDES INFORMATION
ON USING...RELAYED BY...INSTEAD OF...ISSUED BY...ON THE SECOND
LINE OF THE ISSUING OFFICE LINE OF A NON-WEATHER-RELATED CIVIL
EMERGENCY OR OTHER CRITICAL PRODUCT ORIGINATED BY AN EXTERNAL
AGENCY DISSEMINATED BY AN NWS OFFICE.
EXAMPLES OF INDIVIDUAL PLAIN LANGUAGE TEXT PRODUCT MESSAGE
COMPONENTS ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT NWSI 10-1701. IN ADDITION...
COMPLETE SAMPLE PRODUCTS ARE IN NWSI 10-1702...ENTITLED UNIVERSAL
GEOGRAPHIC CODE.
WE ARE UNAWARE OF ADVERSE PARTNER/CUSTOMER IMPACT OF MOVING
TOWARD THE CONSISTENT FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS AS WORKLOAD
PERMITS...FROM NOW UNTIL FEBRUARY 12 2003. IF ANY PARTNERS/
CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THEY WILL BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THIS
SLIDING IMPLEMENTATION TIME LINE...PLEASE CONTACT HERB WHITE OR
CHRIS ALEX /SEE CONTACT INFORMATION BELOW/. IF AN NWS OFFICE
SHOULD BECOME AWARE OF ADVERSE CUSTOMER IMPACT...THEY SHOULD
INFORM THEIR REGIONAL DISSEMINATION FOCAL POINT WHO SHOULD THEN
COORDINATE WITH HERB WHITE OR CHRIS ALEX.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT NWSI 10-1701 OR THE TEXT PRODUCT
FORMAT AND CODE CHANGES...PLEASE CONTACT:
HERB WHITE CHRIS ALEX
DISSEMINATION SERVICES MANAGER OR DISSEMINATION SERVICES
PHONE: 301-713-0090 X 146 301-713-0090 X 142
E-MAIL: HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx CHRISTINE.ALEX@xxxxxxxx
NWSI 10-1701 IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT /USE LOWER CASE
LETTERS/:
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/DIRECTIVES
CLICK ON 10-OPERATIONS AND SERVICES...AND THEN SCROLL DOWN AND
CLICK ON 10-1701 TEXT PRODUCT FORMATS AND CODES.
THIS NOTICE AND OTHER SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES CAN BE FOUND ON THE
INTERNET AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM
$$
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