United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Accounting and Information Management Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-04-21 monographic deposited born digital 55 p. GA 1.13:AIMD-95-81 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81 P0b002ee180396977 f:ai95081 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81 AIMD-95-81 Weather forecasting Communications operations Interagency relations Testing Earth resources satellites Information resources management Meteorological research Cost control Systems design Strategic planning NWS Automated Surface Observing System NWS Next Generation Weather Radar NWS Next Generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite NOAA/NASA GOES-Next Satellite Program NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System Chapter Report AIMD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Weather Service's (NWS) Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), focusing on: (1) the extent to which NWS has addressed ASOS operational problems; (2) the costs of resolving these operational problems; and (3) whether NWS plans for enhancing ASOS are reasonable.<p/>GAO found that: (1) six of the eight sensors in the ASOS system do not meet key performance specifications; (2) ASOS shortfalls are caused by contractor failure to deliver products that meet specifications and government failure to furnish sufficient equipment; (3) ASOS reliability problems surfaced after deployment because NWS did not perform reliability testing prior to deployment; (4) NWS does not have adequate personnel or integrated information systems for it to isolate and correct ASOS failures at Federal Aviation Administration sites; (5) ASOS does not satisfy the weather observational needs of many users; (6) ASOS users state that incorrect ASOS observations could risk aviation efficiency and safety, and skew national climate research; (7) in March 1995, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration resumed the commissioning of observers on the basis of expected system and equipment improvements; (8) although NWS has recently begun to recognize user needs that go beyond ASOS specifications, it has not yet determined how it will enhance or supplement ASOS to address user needs; (9) NWS cannot reliably assess whether system enhancements will continue to be cost beneficial without a complete cost estimate; (10) ASOS problems have delayed NWS plans for releasing human weather observers; and (11) although ASOS officials stated that user needs will be met before observers are released, NWS does not have a strategy to ensure that the information needs of all users will be met. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81/html/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81/pdf/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81.pdf GAO/AIMD-95-81 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-95-81 Chapter Report GAO/AIMD-95-81; Weather Forecasting: Unmet Needs and Unknown Costs Warrant Reassessment of Observing System Plans; Weather forecasting Communications operations Interagency relations Testing Earth resources satellites Information resources management Meteorological research Cost control Systems design Strategic planning NWS Automated Surface Observing System NWS Next Generation Weather Radar NWS Next Generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite NOAA/NASA GOES-Next Satellite Program NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System Public Law 100-685 Public Law 102-567