NOUS41 KWBC 051430
PNSWSH

SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 08-50
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1030 AM EDT TUE AUG 5 2008 

TO:      SUBSCRIBERS:
	 -FAMILY OF SERVICES
	 -NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE
	 -EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
         OTHER NWS PARTNERS...USERS AND EMPLOYEES

FROM:    ROBERT J. MCLEOD
         CHIEF...AWARENESS BRANCH
         OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES

SUBJECT: OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF CALL-TO-ACTION 
         MARKERS IN WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY/ AND FOLLOW-UP
         STATEMENTS: BEGINNING FEBRUARY 11 2009 

ON WEDNESDAY...FEBRUARY 11 2009... NWS WEATHER FORECAST 
OFFICES /WFO/ WILL BEGIN A PHASED IMPLEMENTATION OF 
CALL-TO-ACTION /CTA/ MARKERS IN ALL WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY 
AND FOLLOW-UP STATEMENTS /W/W/A/S/.  THE IMPLEMENTATION WILL 
CONTINUE THROUGH APPROXIMATELY MAY 15 2009... AT WHICH TIME 
ALL WFOS WILL BE ISSUING W/W/A/S PRODUCTS WITH CTA MARKERS 
INCLUDED. THE CTA MARKERS IMPLEMENTATION IS PART OF ADVANCED 
WEATHER INTERACTIVE PROCESSING SYSTEM /AWIPS/ OPERATIONAL 
BUILD 9 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AT EACH WFO.  CTA MARKERS WILL 
IDENTIFY THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE CTA STATEMENT/S/ IN A 
PRODUCT. INSERTION OF CTA MARKERS ENABLES SPECIALIZED USE OF 
CTA STATEMENTS BY NWS... PARTNERS AND OTHER USERS.  

A PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ON FEBRUARY 13 2008 ANNOUNCED 
A COMMENT PERIOD THAT WAS CONDUCTED FROM FEBRUARY 13 2008 TO 
MARCH 7 2008 ON THE PROPOSAL TO DELINEATE CTA STATEMENTS 
WITH MARKERS. THE MARINE WEATHER WARNING /MWW/ PRODUCT 
PROTOTYPED CTA MARKERS STARTING IN EARLY OCTOBER 2007. SEE 
SCN 08-36 FOR INFORMATION ON THE OPERATIONAL USE OF CTA 
MARKERS IN THE MWW PRODUCT BEGINNING AUGUST 5 2008.  

THE CTA MARKERS WILL USE THE PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS 
ACTIONS... AND && CHARACTER STRINGS AS THE CTA BEGINNING AND 
ENDING MARKERS RESPECTIVELY.  THE PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS 
ACTIONS... AND && CHARACTER STRINGS WILL BE LEFT JUSTIFIED 
WITH NO OTHER PRINTABLE CHARACTERS ON THE SAME LINE OF TEXT.  

THE GENERIC CTA MARKER FORMAT IS SHOWN BELOW:

    /BLANK LINE/
    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 
    /BLANK LINE/
    /SINGLE- OR MULTI-LINE TEXT CONTENT OF CALL-TO-ACTION OR 
    INSTRUCTION STATEMENT/S//
    /BLANK LINE/
    &&
    /BLANK LINE/

ONE SET OF CTA MARKERS WILL BE INSERTED INTO EACH WFO 
W/W/A/S PRODUCT SEGMENT THAT CONTAINS A CTA STATEMENT/S/.   
IN CERTAIN HYDROLOGIC POINT-FORECAST FLOOD PRODUCTS IN WHICH 
CTA STATEMENTS ARE IN THE OVERVIEW/SYNOPSIS SECTION... CTA 
MARKERS WILL BE INSERTED ONLY IN THE OVERVIEW/SYNOPSIS 
SECTION.   

AN EXAMPLE OF THE CTA MARKER FORMAT IN A TORNADO WARNING IS 
SHOWN BELOW:

  PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

  THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING 
  SITUATION. A LARGE TORNADO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.  IF YOU ARE
  IN THE PATH OF THIS DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO... TAKE COVER
  IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR OTHER UNDERGROUND SHELTER AND
  GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY.

  &&

IF THERE IS NO CTA... CTA MARKERS NORMALLY WILL NOT BE 
INCLUDED IN THE PRODUCT OR PRODUCT SEGMENT. THIS OCCURS MOST 
FREQUENTLY WITH CANCELLATION OR EXPIRATION PRODUCTS. 

THIS CHANGE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE NEXT UPDATE TO NWS 
INSTRUCTION /NWSI/ 10-1701...TEXT PRODUCT FORMATS AND 
CODES... AND IN INDIVIDUAL SERVICE PROGRAM PRODUCT 
SPECIFICATION NWSIS.  

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON CTA MARKERS... INCLUDING A 
DRAFT OF NWSI 10-1701 DESCRIPTION OF CTA MARKERS... A 
LISTING OF THE AFFECTED PRODUCT CATEGORIES... AND SAMPLE 
PRODUCTS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

  HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/CTAMARKER/INDEX.SHTML

USERS WHO AUTOMATICALLY PROCESS PRODUCTS DESCRIBED AT THE 
ABOVE WEBSITE SHOULD REVISE THEIR PROCESSING PROCEDURES NO 
LATER THAN FEBRUARY 11 2009 TO ENSURE THEIR CONTINUED 
ABILITY TO PROCESS THESE PRODUCTS.

THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO AWIPS IDENTIFIERS...WMO PRODUCT 
HEADINGS OR PRODUCT ISSUANCE TIMES.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... PLEASE CONTACT:

   HERB WHITE
   DISSEMINATION SERVICES MANAGER
   NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
   SILVER SPRING MD 20910
   PHONE:  301-713-0090 EXT. 146 
   E-MAIL:  HERBERT.WHITE@NOAA.GOV

NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE/: 

  HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM

$$
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