Hazard Simplification Focus Groups 2018

OMB Control No. 0648-0342

Expiration Date: 6/30/2021

This is a voluntary survey.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response (approximate time for each focus group), including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Elliott Jacks at the NOAA/National Weather Service/Analyze, Forecast and Support Office:

Elliott.Jacks@noaa.gov

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Haz Simp Focus Group Script

Introductory Remarks (5 mins)

Welcome everyone! NWS is always working to improve the value of our services and products. Beginning in 2014, NWS has conducted a variety of social science activities to assess our current Watch, Warning, Advisory (WWA) system. These include focus groups much like these, case studies, and an institutionalization study. Much agreement was found around making short term, smaller changes to simplify our current system. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of products (consolidation) and a refinement of our product text (reformatting). NWS has also explored longer term change through a large scale public survey.

In addition to this focus group, we are talking to [forecasters, emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, and others]. We are also doing focus groups in X.

Part I: Current System (15 mins)

Before we go deeper into the results of the public survey, we’d like to get a sense of your thoughts on the current WWA system.

1. What are the greatest benefits of the current WWA system?

2. What are the greatest challenges of the current WWA system?

Part II: Prototypes - Initial Reaction (40 mins)

Most recently we’ve received results from a generalizable survey that analyzed public understanding of WWA terms as well as several prototypes to test new language. Some of this language performed well during this research and warrants further examination. We’re here today to better understand how an alternative system to WWA may function from the [forecast/EM/media/other] perspective. To explore this further, we’d like to examine how this new paradigm could perform in the ‘real world’.

Present overall options:

Current: WWA

Option 1: Notice/ Orange/ Red/ Emergency - Retain advisory level

Option 2: Notice/ Warning/ Emergency - No advisory level, include in forecast

1. What is your initial reaction to each option?

2. What are some of the challenges you foresee?

3. What are some of the benefits you foresee?

4. Do you prefer one over the other on initial inspection?
   
   

Part III: Scenarios (90 mins)

Now we’d like to apply this new language to our products to demonstrate how it may look in a real-world scenario.

Scenario of actual weather event using NWS product text and other dissemination methods (WWA terms compared to Option 1 and then Option 2)

WFO Forecaster Questions:

1. Does this system allow for WFO flexibility?

2. What aspects of the forecasting process could this improve?

3. What aspects would potentially become more challenging?

4. How would it impact your collaboration with neighboring WFOs?

5. How would it impact communication with partners?

6. How would it impact your dissemination of weather information?

7. What adjustments would you make to improve the new system?

8. What are your greatest concerns with transitioning to a new system?

9. What would make a transition to a new system more successful?

Emergency Management Questions:

1. How would this new system impact the clarity of information coming from NWS?

2. What aspects of your decision making process could this improve?

3. What aspects your decision making process could potentially become more challenging?

4. How would this new system impact your collaboration with other partners?

5. How would this new system impact your communication with the public?

6. What adjustments would you make to improve the new system?

7. What are your greatest concerns with transitioning to a new system?

8. What would make a transition to a new system more successful?

Broadcast Media Questions:

1. How would this new system impact the clarity of information coming from NWS?

2. What aspects of your forecasting/decision making process could this improve?

3. What aspects your forecasting/decision making process could potentially become more challenging?

4. How would this new system impact your collaboration with other partners?

5. How would this new system impact your communication with your audience?

6. What adjustments would you make to improve the new system?

7. What are your greatest concerns with transitioning to a new system?

8. What would make a transition to a new system more successful?

Part IV: Final Question and Conclusions (30 mins)

After having gone through scenarios for both potential alternative options to WWA, which do you prefer (including the current WWA system)? Why?