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NWS Hydrologic Service Program
 
 
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Hydrologic Services-Related NDS Directives

This Web Page lists directives relevant to operational personnel in the NWS Hydrologic Services Program. For changes and additions, please notify Timothy.Helble@noaa.gov in the OCWWS Hydrologic Services Branch.

Operations and Services
(Functional Area 10)

Training and Education (Functional Area 20)

Maintenance, Logistics, and Facilities
(Functional Area 30)

Information Technology (Functional Area 60)

Science and Technology (Functional Area 80)

Functional Area 10: Operations and Services

Series 10-1: NWS Requirements

NWSI 10-101 - NWS Operational Requirements Management Process Describes the NWS Operational Requirements Management Process. Note: this instruction applies to the Awaiting finalization.
NWSI 10-102 - New or Enhanced Products and Services Describes the administrative documents and procedures that must be completed to implement a new product or to make changes to an existing product. Note: "product" is defined broadly here to include not only AWIPS text and graphical products but also web page displays.

Series 10-3: Marine and Coastal Weather Services

NWSI 10-320 - Coastal/Lakeshore Flood Services Provides guidelines for issuing Coastal/Lakeshore Flood Statements, Watches and Warnings for significant coastal/lakeshore flood events.

Series 10-5: Public Weather Services

NWSI 10-505 - Public Zone Change Process Describes the process for requesting, coordinating, and implementing changes to to the public zones used in hydrologic and other NWS products.
NWSI 10-511 - WFO Severe Weather Products Specification Provides specifications for the severe weather products issued by WFOs, associated issuance guidelines, detailed content descriptions as needed, and a generic format for each product type. May be useful in comparing hydrologic products to other public warning products.
NWSI 10-517 - Multi-Purpose Weather Products Specification. Provides specifications for miscellaneous products issued for severe, winter and/or non-precipitation weather hazards. Includes the Hazardous Weather Outlook product, which summarizes near-term outlook information for multiple weather-related hazards, including flash flooding and longer-duration river flooding.

Series 10-6: Tropical Cyclone Weather Services Program

NWSI 10-601 - (Tropical Cyclone) Products Provides specifications for the tropical cyclone products issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), and WFOs. Includes products which will be relevant during hydrologic forecasting activities.
NWSI 10-602 - Coordination, Backup, and Emergency Operations Describes coordination, backup, and emergency operations during tropical cyclone events. Includes a short section on flooding-related activities (e.g., coordination calls between tropical cyclone centers, RFCs, and WFOs).
NWSI 10-603 - Hurricane Liaison Team Describes procedures for forming hurricane liaison teams consisting of TPC meteorologists and southern/eastern region personnel from WFOs and RFCs. Includes duties of hydrologists on these teams.

Series 10-9: Hydrologic Services

NWSPD 10-9 - Hydrologic Services Program Establishes authorities and responsibilities for the NWS Hydrologic Services Program.
NWSI 10-901 - Hydrologic Services Program Management Provides moderately detailed descriptions of the roles various levels of the NWS have in managing the main components of the Hydrologic Services Program.
NWSI 10-902: Future Title To Be Determined Provides instructions on the hydrologic requirements process, including roles and responsibilities of NWS offices, categories of requirements, the writing of requirements, processing and prioritization of requirements, implementation of requirements, disposition of requirements not addressed during a given year, and the tracking of implementation progress.
NWSI 10-903 - Geographic Areas of Responsibility Describes the geographic areas of responsibility for RFCs and WFOs.
NWSI 10-911 - River Forecast Center Operations Describes national policies on RFC operations needed to ensure basic consistency among all centers.
NWSI 10-912 - River Forecast Center Products Specification Provides the basic specifications for products and services provided by RFCs.
NWSM 10-913 - River Forecast Center Product Examples Provides examples of RFC products.
NWSI 10-921 - Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Operations Describes national policies on hydrologic operations at WFOs needed to ensure basic consistency among all WFOs.
NWSI 10-922 - Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Products Specification Provides basic specifications for hydrologic products and services provided by WFOs.
NWSI 10-924 - Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Reports Provides instructions on event-based and periodic hydrologic reports required of WFOs (E-3, E-5, E-19).
NWSI 10-925 - Guidelines for Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Services Manuals Provides guidelines on format and content of the WFO hydrologic services manual.
NWSI 10-930 - National Hydrologic Products Specification Provides basic specifications for hydrologic products provided by the OCWWS (e.g., National Hydrologic Summary), HADS, NRCS (SNOTEL), NOHRSC, and the NCEP HPC.
NWSI 10-931 - National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center Provides general guidelines on operations of the NOHRSC, emphasizing its role in responding to requests from field offices and other customers.
NWSI 10-940 - Hydrologic Data Network Services Provides general instructions on hydrologic network support activities relevant to NWS hydrologic services.
NWSI 10-941 - Flood Warning Systems Provides general instructions on NWS support activities for automated flood warning systems.
NWSM 10-942 - Flood Warning Systems Manual Provides detailed information on setup and support for automated flood warning systems. This is an updated version of W.S. Hydrology Handbook #2 - "Handbook on Local Flood Warning Systems."
NWSI 10-943 - Reporting Formats for Real-Time Data Specifies SHEF as the standard NWS format for the reporting of real-time hydrometeorological data.
NWSM 10-944 - Standard Hydrometeorological Exchange Format (SHEF) Manual Documents the structure and capabilities of SHEF. This is an updated version of "W.S. Hydrology Handbook #1 - Standard Hydrometeorological Exchange Format."
NWSM 10-950 - Definitions and General Terminology Provides definitions of key policy-related terms used in the Hydrologic Services Program.

Series 10-10: Climate Services

NWSI 10-1001- Climate Outlooks

Provides specifications for the narrative and graphical outlook products issued by the NCEP Climate Prediction Center (CPC) for the medium- and long-term forecast horizons. Includes drought forecast products.
NWSI 10-1002 - Drought Monitoring

Provides specifications for the narrative and graphical climate monitoring products issued by the CPC. Includes the Drought Monitor and National Drought Summary products.

Series 10-13: Surface Observing Program (Land)

NWSI 10-1305 - Observational Quality Control - General Defines the role and responsibility of NWS field offices in overseeing and performing quality control (QC) of manual and automated observations.

Series 10-16: Performance

NWSI 10-1601 - Verification Procedures Describes the general framework for verification of forecasts from all NWS service programs. Includes a section on verification of hydrologic forecasts (currently flash flood and river stage).
NWSI 10-1602 - Service Evaluation Provides general guidelines for obtaining customer/partner feedback through outreach activities and summarizing their overall level of satisfaction in key NWS program areas.
NWSI 10-1603 - Significant Event Reporting Describes how OCWWS provides rapid turn-around reports on significant hydrologic or meteorologic events to senior NWS, NOAA and DOC personnel so they can respond to inquiries from the White House, Congress, media, etc..
NWSI 10-1604 - Post Storm Data Acquisition Provides procedures for acquisition of highly perishable data needed for accurate post-analysis of significant hydrologic or meteorologic events.
NWSI 10-1605 - Storm Data Preparation Provides procedures for quality controlling and formatting event descriptions for the Storm Data publication.
NWSI 10-1606 - Service Assessments Provides criteria for determining if a national-level, post-event service assessment is needed and procedures for conducting such an assessment.
10-1607 - Office Evaluation Provides procedures for self evaluations to be conducted at field offices (including WFOs and RFCs).

Series 10-17: Dissemination

NWSI 10-1701 - Text Product Formats and Codes Provides rules for formats and codes which are applicable to all text products intended for public audiences. This includes hydrologic products
NWSI 10-1702 - Universal Geographic Code (UGC) Provides guidelines on UGCs, which are used in many hydrologic text products to specify the geographic areas and time frames covered by the products.
NWSI 10-1703 - Valid Time Event Code (VTEC) Describes procedures for incorporating VTEC into event-based NWS products. Includes procedures for using VTEC in hydrologic watches, warnings, and statements.
NWSI 10-1710 - NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) Dissemination Provides guidelines and instructions for broadcasting on the NOAA Weather Radio. Includes instructions on watches and warnings for flash floods and watches, warnings, and statements for floods.
NWSI 10-1715 - NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) Dissemination Provides instructions for dissemination of products via NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS). Includes instructions on the role of colocated WFO/RFCs as uplink sites and guidelines on coded products (which include SHEF).

Series 10-18: Service Outreach

NWSI 10-1801 - Warning Coordination and Hazard Awareness

Provides guidelines on conduct of a WFO warning coordination and hazard awareness program. Mentions flash floods and floods as two of the weather-related events for which drills should be conducted each year.
NWSI 10-1802 - StormReady and TsunamiReady Organization and Operations Manual Provides information on two NWS programs designed to provide communities with the communication and safety skills necessary to save lives and property. Includes a reference to community participation in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program.
NWSI 10-1803 - Service Education and Feedback Provides guidelines on assessing user needs, building customer/partner knowledge of NWS services and products, increasing awareness and preparedness, and using customer and partner feedback to improve services. Includes important information on the Paperwork Reduction Act, a law which places limitations on the conduct of user surveys.
NWSI 10-1804 - Service Outreach Reporting Requirements Defines a mechanism for reporting service outreach activities to regional headquarters. These outreach activities include those conducted by Service Hydrologists and RFCs.

Series 10-22: Continuity of Operational Services

NWSI 10-2201 - Backup Operations Describes general procedures for service backup at NWS WFOs and RFCs.
NWSI 10-2202 - Collaboration Operations Describes operations required to ensure continuity of the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD)

Functional Area 20: Training and Education

Series 20-1: Training and Education

NWSM 20-102 - National Strategic Training and Education Plan (NSTEP) Process and Annual Implementation Plan for Training and Education Describes the annual process by which field office training requirements are assimilated by the NWS regions and NCEP, prioritized, and addressed given a fixed budget.
NWSM 20-104 - University Assignment Program Describes the process by which NWS employees are selected for part- and full-time university study programs intended to advance their scientific knowledge.
NWS Manual 20-105 - Individual Development Plans Describes requirement for yearly development of Individual Development Plans (IDP)

Functional Area 30: Maintenance, Logistics & Facilities

Series 30-12: Configuration and Data Management

NWSPD 30-12 - Configuration and Data Management Assigns responsibilities for oversight of, and compliance with, the NWS configuration management process.
NWSI 30-1203 - Configuration Management for Operational Systems Specifies the systems under the national configuration management process and how this process is carried out at the national, regional, and field office levels.
NWSI 30-1204 - Site Identifiers Provides instructions on the assignment of three- and five-letter site identifiers (SID) used to identify equipment supporting NWS operations such as observing sensors

Series 30-14: Radio Frequency Management

NWSPD 30-14 - Radio Frequency Management Specifies NWS responsibilities for radio frequency assignment (RFA) authorizations.

Series 30-21: System Maintenance

NWSI 30-2108 - Surface Equipment Maintenance Establishes the maintenance procedures and references technical documentation required for maintenance and modification of surface equipment (Engineering Handbook 8).
NWSI 30-2110 - Hydrologic Maintenance

Establishes the maintenance procedures and references technical documentation required for maintenance and modification of hydrologic equipment (Engineering Handbook 10).

Functional Area 60: Information Technology

Series 60-1: Internet Servers

NWSPD 60-1 - Technology and Content Requirements for Internet Servers Provides the basic NWS policy standards for field office web pages. Subjects covered include standardized NWS presentation templates, disability access, utilization monitoring, security, and required information in displays

Functional Area 80: Science and Technology

Series 80-2: System Commissioning and Decommissioning

NWSI 80-201 - System Commissioning Process Establishes process for determining if new system equipment located at an operational site can be used in an official capacity in the conduct of NWS service operations.
NWSI 80-202 - System Decommissioning Process Establishes a process for removing legacy systems and equipment located at an operational site from its official capacity in the conduct of NWS service operations.

Series 80-?: RFC Development Management

NWSPD 80-7 - RFC Development Management Provides the basic policies on the Office of Hydrologic Development's RFC Development Management (RDM) program.
NWSI 80-701 - RFC Development Management Process Provides details on how the development of hydrologic science and software techniques at 13 RFCs is guided by the RDM program (under development).
NWSI 80-702 Process for Developing and Sharing RFC Applications Provides details on the framework for collaborative application development among RFCs.

Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services
NOAA, National Weather Service
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Last Updated: December 27, 2007