Seven Years of Testing Experimental NOAA Severe Weather Products with Broadcast Meteorologists

Broadcast meteorologists serve as primary communicators of severe weather information to the public. As experimental concepts and new products evolve under the Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs) framework, NOAA researchers have sought to create a highly interdisciplinary environment to test these concepts and products with many end users, including broadcast meteorologists. By leveraging techniques from user research, computer science, social science and physical science fields, researchers implemented novel methods in order to introduce broadcast meteorologists into NOAA’s Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT). This presentation will reflect on the past seven years of scientific development of FACETs-related products with the involvement of broadcast meteorologists, including; (1) the creation of a research television studio known as “KPHI-TV” within the HWT; (2) the introduction of new research methods for data collection and testing; and (3) the results of how broadcast meteorologists have influenced the iterative development of experimental products. Over the years, experiment formats have featured in-person participation, virtual workshops and nationwide surveys. Concepts and products which researchers have tested include storm scale probabilistic hazard information (PHI), hazard simplification, Threats-in-Motion (rapidly updating warnings), products derived from the Warn on Forecast System, dynamically-evolving watches and severe weather timing guidance from the Storm Prediction Center. Data and feedback gathered from these testbed experiments are analyzed and integrated back into the design cycle, as developers implement needed changes and re-test updates. This iterative process continues until products become refined and meet user requirements. By integrating end users such as broadcast meteorologists into the testbed environment, the research and development process continues to strengthen. Looking forward, researchers will highlight future development and opportunities to become involved.