Immersive Testing & Evaluation of NWS Hazard Services via NRAP (NOAA's Rotational Assignment Program)

The National Weather Service is developing Hazard Services as the next generation of software for watch, warning, and advisory capabilities. Hazard Services consolidates multiple hazard generation interfaces into one, versatile and easy to use tool. There will be multiple phases of Hazard Services integration into the field over the next five years. The first phase will be exclusively hydrology products, and is expected to be implemented this Fall (2019). Subsequent phases will be released over the coming months and years until all NWS products have been incorporated.

Hazard Services has been under development for several years, however prior to implementation at NWS Weather Forecast Offices, rigorous full time user testing had yet to be completed by NWS meteorologists. The NOAA Rotational Assignment Program (NRAP) offered an excellent opportunity to immerse NWS meteorologists with an interest in Hazard Services directly into the testing and evaluation process with developers. In late winter of 2019, NWS Morehead City, NC and NWS Omaha, NE collaborated with NWS Headquarters and NOAA Global Systems Division (GSD) to integrate an NRAP-participant meteorologist as a full time user and evaluator of Hazard Services. Testing occurred in a near-operational environment, initially centered on hydrology products with an additional focus on winter, non-precipitation, and marine products as time allowed. This was accomplished by simulating NWS forecaster operations and using real time weather data when applicable. Constant communication with program leaders and developers led to a successful testing period where improvements and fixes to the software were applied, and the user experience was improved. This opportunity benefited all parties involved, and the NWS as a whole, through building experience and knowledge in Hazard Services while also improving the development and field readiness of Hazard Services prior to operational implementation.