Three of these en route  centers also control air traffic over the oceans. 2). In 2005, the agency requested that NWS restructure its aviation weather  services by consolidating its center weather service units to a smaller  number of sites, reducing personnel costs, and providing products and  services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Proposal to Consolidate Center Weather Service Units Is Under Consideration

NWS and FAA are considering plans to restructure the way aviation  weather services are provided at en route centers. While NWS subsequently  identified eight additional performance measures in its proposal, FAA has  not yet approved these measures. However, the agencies have not established a baseline of performance for  the 9 other performance measures. NWS officials reported that they are  not collecting baseline information for a variety of reasons, including that  the measures have not yet been approved by FAA, and that selected  measures involve products that have not yet been developed. While 4 of the potential measures are tied to new products or services  under the restructuring, the other 5 could be measured using current  products and services. It is important to obtain an understanding of the current level of  performance in these measures before beginning any efforts to restructure  aviation weather services. Without an understanding of the current level of  performance, NWS and FAA will not be able to measure the success or  failure of any changes they make to the center weather service unit  operations. As a result, any changes to the current structure could degrade  aviation operations and safety—and the agencies may not know it. NWS and FAA Face Challenges in Efforts to Modify the Current Aviation Weather Structure

NWS and FAA face challenges in their efforts to modify the current  aviation weather structure. These include challenges associated with (1)  interagency collaboration, (2) defining requirements, and (3) aligning any  changes with the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)— a long-term initiative to increase the efficiency of the national airspace  system. Unless and until these challenges are addressed, the proposed  restructuring of aviation weather services at en route centers has a  reduced chance of success. Further, after requesting  extensions twice, NWS provided its proposal to FAA in June 2009. However,  FAA rejected all three of NWS’s proposals in September 2008 on the basis  that the costs of the proposals were too high, even though cost was not  specified in FAA’s requirements. Additionally, NWS will need to develop  continuous two-way communications in lieu of having staff onsite at each  en route center. Specifically, we are  recommending that the Secretaries direct the NWS and FAA  administrators, respectively, to improve their ability to measure  improvements in the center weather service units by establishing and  approving a set of performance measures for the center weather service  units, and by immediately identifying the current level of performance for  the five potential measures that could be identified under current  operations (forecast accuracy, customer satisfaction, service delivery  conformity, timeliness of on-demand services, and training completion) so  that there will be a baseline from which to measure the impact of any  proposed operational changes. In addition, we are recommending that the Secretaries direct the NWS and  FAA administrators to address specific challenges by  improving interagency collaboration by defining a common outcome,  establishing joint strategies to achieve the outcome, and agreeing upon  each agency’s responsibilities;    establishing and finalizing requirements for aviation weather services at en    ensuring that any proposed organizational changes are aligned with  NextGen initiatives by seeking a review by the Joint Program Development  Office responsible for developing the NextGen vision; and    before moving forward with any proposed operational changes, address  implementation challenges by developing a feasible schedule that includes  adequate time for stakeholder involvement; undertaking a comprehensive  demonstration to ensure no services are degraded; and effectively  transitioning the infrastructure and technologies to the new consolidated  structure. We also  interviewed NWS and FAA officials involved in establishing a baseline of  current performance provided by center weather service units.
Why GAO Did This Study

The National Weather Service's (NWS) weather products are a vital component of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air traffic control system. In addition to providing aviation weather products developed at its own facilities, NWS also provides staff onsite at each of FAA's en route centers--the facilities that control high-altitude flight outside the airport tower and terminal areas. Over the last few years, FAA and NWS have been exploring options for enhancing the efficiency of the aviation weather services provided at en route centers. GAO was asked to summarize its draft report that (1) determines the status and plans of efforts to restructure the center weather service units, (2) evaluates efforts to establish a baseline of the current performance provided by these units, and (3) evaluates challenges to restructuring them.

What GAO Found

NWS and FAA are considering plans to restructure the way aviation weather services are provided at en route centers, but it is not yet clear whether and how these changes will be implemented. In 2005, FAA requested that NWS restructure its services by consolidating operations to a smaller number of sites, reducing personnel costs, and providing services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NWS developed two successive proposals, both of which were rejected by FAA--most recently because the costs were too high. FAA subsequently requested that NWS develop another proposal by late December 2008. In response, NWS developed a third proposal that involves consolidating 20 of 21 existing center weather service units into 2 locations. NWS sent this proposal to FAA in early June 2009. FAA officials stated that they plan to respond to NWS's proposal in early August 2009. In response to GAO's prior concerns that NWS and FAA lacked performance measures and a baseline of current performance, the agencies have agreed on five measures and NWS has proposed eight others. In addition, the agencies initiated efforts to establish a performance baseline for 4 of 13 potential performance measures. However, the agencies have not established baseline performance for the other 9 measures. NWS officials stated that they are not collecting baseline information on the 9 measures for a variety of reasons, including that some of the measures have not yet been approved by FAA, and that selected measures involve products that have not yet been developed. While 4 of the 9 measures are tied to new products or services that are to be developed if NWS's latest restructuring proposal is accepted, the other 5 could be measured in the current operational environment. For example, both forecast accuracy and customer satisfaction measures are applicable to current operations. It is important to obtain an understanding of the current level of performance in these measures before beginning any efforts to restructure aviation weather services. Without an understanding of the current level of performance, NWS and FAA may not be able to measure the success of any changes they make to the center weather service unit operations. As a result, any changes to the current structure could degrade aviation operations and safety--and the agencies may not know it. NWS and FAA face challenges in their efforts to improve the current aviation weather structure. These include challenges associated with (1) interagency collaboration, (2) defining FAA's requirements, and (3) aligning any changes with the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)--a long-term initiative to increase the efficiency of the national airspace system. If the restructuring proposal is accepted, the agencies face three additional challenges in implementing it: (1) developing a feasible schedule that includes adequate time for stakeholder involvement, (2) undertaking a comprehensive demonstration to ensure no services are degraded, and (3) effectively reconfiguring the infrastructure and technologies to the new structure. Unless and until these challenges are addressed, the proposed restructuring of aviation weather services at en route centers has a reducedchance of success.