Communicating Space Weather to an Evolving Customer Base

Great progress has been made in raising the global awareness of space weather and the associated impacts on Earth and our technological systems. However, a significant gap still exists in providing space weather information, products, and services in formats meaningful to the diverse and growing customer base. As technologies, such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), have become more ingrained in applications and fields of work that previously did not rely on systems sensitive to space weather, the customer base has grown substantially. Furthermore, the causes and effects of space weather can be difficult to interpret without a detailed understanding of the scientific underpinnings. In response to this change, space weather service providers must address this evolution and adapt by representing space weather information and impacts in ways that are meaningful to each facet of this diverse customer base. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) must work with users, spanning precision agriculture, emergency management, power grid operators and beyond, to ensure space weather information and decision support services are provided in meaningful and more easily understood forms.