Sat, Sep 12, 2009
Proposal Would Reduce The Number Of Centers From 21 To 2
A report issued this week from the
Government Accounting Office (GAO) suggests that a plan put forth
by FAA and NWS to consolidate 21 enroute weather centers down to 2
could "degrade aviation operations and safety—and the
agencies may not know it."
The proposal under consideration
involves consolidating 20 of the 21 existing weather service
center units into two locations, with one at the Aviation
Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other at a new
National Centers for Environmental Prediction office planned for
the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Missouri center is
expected to handle the southern half of the United States while the
Washington, D.C., center is expected to handle the northern half of
the United States. NWS plans for the two new units to be staffed 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, and to function as back-up sites for
each other. These new units would continue to use existing
forecasting systems and tools to develop products and services.
NWS has proposed a tentative time frame for transitioning to the
new organizational structure over a 3-year period. During the first
year after FAA accepts the proposal, NWS plans to develop a
transition plan and conduct a 9-month demonstration of the concept
in order to ensure that the new structure will not degrade its
services. Agency officials estimated that initial operating
capability would be achieved by the end of the second year after
FAA approval and full operating capability by the end
of the third year.
The primary concern of the GAO is
that neither the FAA nor NWS have established a baseline for
performance measurement that would evaluate the success of the
consolidation. Having a clear understanding of an
organization’s current performance—a
baseline—
is essential to determining whether new initiatives (like the
proposed restructuring) result in improved or degraded products and
services, GAO says in their report.
If the agencies move forward with plans to restructure aviation
weather services, the report concludes, they face significant
challenges including a poor record of interagency collaboration,
undocumented requirements, and a lack of assurance that this plan
fits in the broader vision of NextGen. In addition, efforts to
implement the restructuring will require a feasible schedule, a
comprehensive demonstration, and a solid plan for technology
transition. Until these challenges are addressed, GAO says, the
proposed restructuring of aviation weather services at en route
centers has little chance of success.
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