Among  other support and services, NWS provides four meteorologists at each of  FAA’s 21 en route centers to provide on-site aviation weather services. Three of these en route  centers also control air traffic over the oceans. 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. FAA responded to NWS in August 2009 by requesting more  information regarding NWS’s proposal. While NWS subsequently identified 8 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. Looking forward, if a proposal is  accepted, the agencies could face three additional challenges in  implementing the proposal, including (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 poses new  risks and has little 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. Specifically, we are recommending that  the Secretaries direct the NWS and FAA administrators, respectively, to  immediately identify 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;    establish and approve a set of performance measures for the center  weather service units;  improve interagency collaboration by defining a common outcome,  establishing joint strategies to achieve the outcome, and agreeing upon  each agency’s responsibilities;    establish and finalize requirements for aviation weather services at en    ensure 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    developing a feasible schedule that includes adequate time for    undertaking a comprehensive demonstration to ensure no services are    effectively transitioning the infrastructure and technologies to the new  consolidated structure. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our review were to (1) determine the status and plans of  efforts to restructure the center weather service units, (2) evaluate efforts  to establish a baseline of the current performance provided by center  weather service units so that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  and National Weather Service (NWS) can ensure that any operational  changes do not degrade aviation weather services, and (3) evaluate  challenges to restructuring the 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 on-site staff 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 agreed to (1) determine the status and plans of efforts to restructure the center weather service units, (2) evaluate efforts to establish a baseline of the current performance provided by these units, and (3) evaluate challenges to restructuring them. To do so, GAO evaluated agency plans for the restructuring and for establishing performance measures. GAO also compared agency efforts to leading practices and interviewed agency officials.

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, 7 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 two locations. NWS sent this proposal to FAA in early June 2009. FAA responded to NWS in August 2009 by requesting more information regarding NWS's proposal. 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 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 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 or failure of changes they make to the center weather service unit operations. As a result, 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--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. Unless and until these challenges are addressed, the proposed restructuring of aviation weather services at en route centers poses new risks and has little chance of success.