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NOUS41 KWBC 041612
PNSWSH
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 08-01
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1112 AM EST FRI JAN 4 2008
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/ PARTNERS AND USERS...NWS
EMPLOYEES
FROM: ELI JACKS
CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH
SUBJECT: EDITING HEADLINES TO ENHANCE CLARITY AND ACCURACY
OF LONG DURATION WEATHER PRODUCTS: EFFECTIVE BEGINNING
JANUARY 2008.
STARTING JANUARY 2008 THROUGH APRIL 2008, AS NWS WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICES /WFOS/ IMPLEMENT ADVANCED WEATHER INTERACTIVE PROCESSING
SYSTEM /AWIPS/ OPERATIONAL BUILD OB8.2 SOFTWARE...HEADLINES IN
LONG DURATION WEATHER PRODUCTS MAY OCCASIONALLY BE EDITED DURING
COMPLICATED WEATHER SCENARIOS. THIS EDITING WILL BE DONE BECAUSE
AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED HEADLINES ARE SOMETIMES CONFUSING OR
INACCURATE. THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS MAY BE AFFECTED:
-WINTER WEATHER /WSW/
-NON PRECIPITATION /NPW/
-RED FLAG /RFW/
-COASTAL HAZARD /CFW/
-COASTAL WATERS FORECAST /CWF/
-NEAR SHORE /NSH/
-MARINE WEATHER /MWW/
-MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT /MWS/
-HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT /HLS/
-FLOOD WATCH /FFW/
WHEN VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ WAS IMPLEMENTED IN NOVEMBER
2004...AWIPS LONG DURATION WEATHER HEADLINES WERE NO LONGER
EDITABLE. THIS CHANGE RESULTED IN AN OCCASIONAL LACK OF CLARITY
AND ACCURACY IN HEADLINES. AS OB8.2 IS IMPLEMENTED...FORECASTERS
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EDIT THESE HEADLINES TO BETTER CONVEY THE
APPROPRIATE MESSAGE TO USERS. THE DECISION TO ALLOW THIS PRACTICE
WAS MADE WITH INPUT FROM MANY NWS STAKEHOLDERS AND NATIONAL
PARTNERS. MOST LONG DURATION WEATHER HEADLINES WILL NOT BE
EDITED.
USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE VTEC...WHICH WILL REMAIN UNEDITABLE
...BECAUSE IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO AUTOMATICALLY PARSE NWS
HEADLINES WITH THIS CHANGE.
NATIONAL GUIDELINES REGARDING HEADLINE EDITING WILL BE MADE
AVAILABLE AS AN APPENDIX TO A FUTURE UPDATE OF NWS INSTRUCTION
/NWSI/ 10-1701...TEXT PRODUCT FORMATS AND CODES...AT /USE LOWER
CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/DIRECTIVES/SYM/PD01017001CURR.PDF.
GUIDANCE FOR EDITING HEADLINES HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO NWS
FORECASTERS AND IS AVAILABLE AT /USER LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC/PDFS/HEADLINES.PDF
NWS FORECASTERS WILL USE THE GUIDANCE TO EDIT HEADLINES.
FORECASTERS WILL NOT DEVIATE FROM THIS GUIDANCE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY TO PROVIDE A CLEAR AND ACCURATE FORECAST.
FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING VTEC ARE AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE
LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/VTEC/INDEX.SHTML
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS CHANGE IS SOONER THAN SPECIFIED BY NWS
POLICY INSTRUCTION 10-1805 /NATIONAL SERVICE CHANGE AND TECHNICAL
IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES/. THE REDUCTION OF THE NORMAL ADVANCE LEAD
TIME WAS APPROVED BECAUSE THIS CHANGE WAS REQUESTED BY USERS FOR
IMPLEMENTATION THIS WINTER SEASON. THIS CHANGE HAS BEEN BRIEFED
TO PARTNERS AND USERS DURING NATIONAL PARTNERS MEETINGS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
NOTICE OR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE HEADLINE EDITING GUIDANCE
PROVIDED FORECASTERS...PLEASE CONTACT
PAUL STOKOLS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH
1325 EAST WEST HWY
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
PHONE: 301-713-1867 EXTENSION 139
EMAIL: PAUL.STOKOLS@xxxxxxxx
THIS NOTICE AND OTHER SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES CAN BE FOUND ONLINE
AT/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF/HTM
$$
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