The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) Weather Working Group Policy Team II (Wx Policy Team) has developed the initial governance structure for the NextGen Four-Dimensional Weather Data Cube (NextGen 4-D Wx Data Cube) and the NextGen Network-Enabled Weather (NNEW) System. These efforts were coordinated with input from the JPDO Four-Dimensional Weather Cube Team (4-D Wx Cube Team) and the Net-Centric Operations Division (NCOD). The initial governance concept and approach in developing the governance structure was approved by the NextGen Executive Weather Panel (NEWP) in April 2011, and formal governance documents to establish the governance structure are expected to be complete in early 2012.

This initial governance structure is intended to evolve as NextGen capabilities and requirements mature. The governance documents will detail roles and responsibilities, including a hierarchy for handling dispute resolution, an important consideration given the multi-agency nature of the NextGen 4-D Wx Data Cube.

Robust and comprehensive governance policies are required to ensure that whenever a decision must be made, the identity of the organization, or position within an organization to which that decision falls, is clearly defined. The goal of the Wx Policy Team was not to develop policies addressing every possible issue that might arise in the Cube/NNEW System, but rather to define decision-making authorities within an initial governance structure that is flexible-enough to manage any issues with minimum disruption to the system.

This paper will describe the initial governance structure of the NextGen 4-D Wx Data Cube/NNEW System, as approved by the NextGen Executive Weather Panel (NEWP), and elaborate on the roles and responsibilities of key functions within that structure. It will also discuss a number of important questions that will likely be some of the first decisions made by the various governance functions.