To adequately comment requires far more space than is appropriate for the Forum, but I will try to give some brief remarks.
First, I disagree that the National Weather Service readily shares its data. Go read "Isaac's Storm" to learn how the Weather Bureau of 100 years ago didn't like to share data. Some of that culture still exists. Moving forward to my lifetime, the private sector has had to pry geostationary satellite data, NEXRAD data (they originally did not plan an external data port), interstate dissemination of tornado warnings, etc., etc. out of the NWS. Most recently, WeatherData tried two years to get Level II WSR-88D data from the Weather Service. It finally took the personal intervention of Sen. Brownback to get this accomplished. Currently, NOAA has refused multiple requests since 1999 to make its hurricane wind analysis data available in real time.
None of this is opinion, I can document all of it. If you like the array of data available today, you can thank private sector meteorologists for getting the Weather Service to release it.
In 1991, the Weather Service issued a policy defining the roles of the private sector and National Weather Service. Among other things, the policy emphasized the role of the NWS in providing data, forecasts and warnings and the private sector in creating value-added products.
The NWS has repealed that successful policy. See:
www.nws.noaa.gov/partnershippolicy/index.htm There is now no policy that focuses the NWS on data, warnings and public forecasts. As a result we are seeing activities like NDFD and wireless initiatives that duplicate services created by, and are designed to compete with, the private sector.
Finally, the top managment of NOAA is openly hostile to the private sector in meteorology. At a meeting in San Diego, Admiral Lautenbaucher, when asked about the private sector said, "I don't want to get my forecast from Enron. I believe weather forecasting should be done by the government." Enron, in context, was supposed to mean the commercial weather industry. Adm. Lautenbaucher has also said he wants to make NOAA a "household name."
So, if there is no policy that defines a role for the private sector and if people are supposed to get their forecasts from NOAA, why disseminate raw data, especially when their culture tends to work against dissemination?
Do I think data shrinkage will happen next month or next year? No. But, as I indicated earlier, these are disturbing signs.
Since there is no longer a boundary between the NWS and private sector, what is to stop them from offering custom services for businesses? Once that happens, we will be like Europe and raw data will be much more difficult or expensive to obtain because the Weather Service will be in direct competition and will want to protect its market position.
The "AccuWeather" position (it is really the position of the Commercial Weather Services Association) has been mischaracterized on a number of occasions and it is pertinent to these remarks. We believe 100% of NOAA's data should be released in real time for no cost or the cost of dissemination. NO ONE in the commercial weather industry is trying to cut off anyone's data.
Our concern is defining the proper role of NOAA and the NWS. To use an example: We aren't against disseminating the NDFD data -- we are against the NWS creating this product to begin with. A number of private sector companies already have these databases. The NDFD is not intended for the public at large, so we believe this falls outside the proper role of the Weather Service. That said, as long as the NWS produces this product, it should be disseminated.
Mike
