Background Interviews

OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX
Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Semi-Structured Interview Protocol
Professional Autobiography
Tell me a bit about your background – Where are you originally from/where did you grow up?
What is your field of specialty? How did you come to choose to be a ___________?
Tell me a bit more about your professional history as a meteorologist — where have you been a
meteorologist (other WFOs? private sector? military?) and what did you do then? What is different
about your current position/WFO?
What is your role at the WFO? Tell me what that means and what you do on a day-to-day basis.
What do you do during a severe weather event?
Tell me about what makes your current WFO stand out or unique — what are the things you deal
with that make WFO ____ WFO ____?
Forecasting/Modeling

What, in your own terms, is the difference between forecasting and model output/guidance in your
own experiences at NWC? [Follow-ups depending upon response to initial prompt: How do you
distinguish between the two on a day-to-day, real-world basis in your work? How does “tracking” a
storm – for instance, during a severe weather event – relate to forecasting and how does it relate to
modeling?]
What are the basic elements that your office always includes in briefings to EMs and other key
partners?
What roles have/do you play in putting together briefings?
● [FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCES AT MULTIPLE OFFICES] What differences have you
observed at the different offices you’ve at?
● To what do you attribute those differences between offices?
What about the information that you provide to the public? What is different about what you
include for the EMs versus the public?
When you’re putting together information on the timing of upcoming weather, what aspects of
timing do you usually include (PROMPTS: start time? end time? duration?)
When you have a forecast for tornado, severe wind, or hail, what kinds of questions do you get from
EMs and other core partners?
● (if they bring up confidence or gut feeling:) When they ask about confidence, what are they
looking for?
● Is there a difference between confidence and probability?
HOW DO YOU BECOME CONFIDENT IN THE FORECAST YOU PUT TOGETHER [FROM THE MODELS
AND OTHER OBSERVATIONAL GUIDANCE?]?

Technology

What kinds of observational platforms or technologies – different forms of radar, remote sensing,
etc. – do you use in your work?

Do you directly work on developing these technologies? [If yes: Please describe your work on these
technologies. How do you think that other weather scientists use these technologies?]

Do you indirectly work on developing these technologies (for instance, working on refining
software that can be used in these technologies)? [If yes: Please describe your work on these
technologies. How do you think that other weather scientists use these technologies?]

Do you only use the data from these technologies?

How confident do you feel, in general, that the data that comes to you from these observational
platforms — radar, soundings, etc. — is error-free or reliable? How much do you trust it to reflect
what is happening in the “real world”?
● [FOLLOW-UP IF THEY SAY “A LOT” OR “ENTIRELY”, ETC.: If, in 10 years, we have new
technology that provides us with an order of magnitude — or, even two orders of magnitude
— better resolution of what is being “observed” by our current technologies, would you still
look back on the confidence you have today in the same way?] Why do you trust it that much
(so much/so little)?

How do you factor your confidence or lack of confidence regarding these observational platforms
into your daily work as a weather scientist? Does it matter? Do you think about this ever? When
would you worry about this?

Role of the Public in Weather Science

Who do you think uses the forecasts, tracking information, and/or models that you and your
colleagues at the NWS produce? [IF THEY DON’T DISTINGUISH: Is there something different about
“the public” and your “core partners” (like EMs) in this regard?]

What does the average American — and, I am NOT talking about weather enthusiasts or “weather
weenies” —, in your view, understand about weather science?

What do they understand about what YOU do? How do people respond to the information you
provide?

How important is it whether or not they understand what you do? How important is it to
understand forecasts? How important is it to understand models?

Do you feel like the overall efficacy, relevance, and importance of your work is diminished if regular,
lay people don’t understand what you do? [Follow-up depending upon response to initial question: If
so, why? If not, why not?] How do you gauge their response? Do you adjust the way you present
information to the public or consumers? How?

I’ve asked you a bunch of questions about “the average American” (whatever that means!). How are
your core partners — your EMs, for instance — different (or similar) to what you described about
the average American’s understandings of weather? Do you feel like the overall efficacy, relevance,
and importance of your work is diminished if your Emergency Managers or other core partners
don’t understand what you do? [Follow-up depending upon response to initial question: If so, why? If
not, why not?]

Social Media

Do you personally use forms of social media? (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

[If no] Why not?

[If yes] What do you use? How do you use it? Who is in your social network? Do you receive Twitter
postings related to the weather or from weather/atmospheric science feeds?

Who uses social media? What, in your understanding, do people use social media for? Do they use
different platforms for different things?

How reliable is social media to tell us things about the world/to paint an accurate picture of the
world? Why?