Social Observatory: What Observations Matter in Addressing Community Engagement Both Across and Beyond the Weather Enterprise?

In the early part of the second decade of the 21^st century, the National Weather Service launched an inspired vision bearing the title “Weather Ready Nation” (WRN). A bold initiative, soon embraced by its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this vision has triggered a rethinking about how the NWS/NOAA should go about it business and mission to protect like and property.

In profound and prosaic ways, changes to practice within NWS have begun in earnest. One such set of changes revolves around the working relationships NOAA/NWS has with a range of partner organizations and constituencies. One aspect of these relationships, a key aspect, is called DSS – decision support services. DSS requires operational personnel and offices to better understand and collaborate with these partners.

A spectrum of partners means that the NWS must become more adept at engaging communities of various kinds, but many of which are themselves experts in areas of practice and knowledge that utilize weather and hazard related information into their decision making protocols and practices. Another group of these communities might be described as experts within the weather enterprise well invested in the knowledge, the production of that knowledge, and the access to that knowledge and the products derived from it.

In utilizing the theme of the overall conference, “Observations Lead The Way!”, this presentation will raise and seek to answer questions about how the issue of engaging across these communities might be productively addressed and what practices, challenges, and strategies might be developed and used based first on what kinds of observations of people, communities, communication media, and group dynamics might be most salient. In so doing, the author will call upon her experiences in working within and beyond the communities comprising the enterprise and its partners and beneficiaries, including WFOs, SPC, Emergency Managers, first responders, weather based professional associations (AMS and NWA), and other similar communities.

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