United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Office of the Comptroller General author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-01-01 monographic deposited born digital 60 p. GA 1.13:OCG-99-3 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3 P0b002ee180372ef2 f:cg99003 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3 OCG-99-3 Census Weather forecasting Financial management Risk management Accountability Information resources management Management information systems Strategic planning Systems conversions Federal agency accounting systems 2000 Decennial Census Performance and Accountability Series 1999 1990 Decennial Census NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System Y2K Dept. of Commerce Administrative Management System NWS Next Generation Weather Radar NWS Next Generation Geostationary Operational Weather Radar NWS Automated Surface Observing System Letter Report OCG As part of its Performance and Accountability Series, GAO provided information on the major management challenges and program risks facing the Department of Commerce.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) the Bureau of the Census faces a number of challenges and uncertainties in its endeavor to conduct an accurate and cost-effective Decennial Census in 2000; (2) taken together, these challenges and uncertainties have led GAO to conclude that the nation faces a high risk of an unsuccessful census in 2000--one that is less accurate and more costly than the 1990 Census; (3) these challenges include developing an accurate address list, securing an acceptable level of public cooperation through outreach and promotion initiatives, and completing field operations effectively and efficiently; (4) in the weather forecasting area, after substantial delays and cost overruns, three of the four planned technology modernization programs are now operational; (5) the final piece of the modernization--the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System--is not scheduled to be deployed until June 1999, and then only with less than full functionality; (6) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to own, operate, and plan investments of millions of dollars in its aging in-house fleet of research and survey ships that are used for acquiring marine data; (7) although NOAA has increased its outsourcing with the private sector, universities, and other public entities for these services, it continues to rely heavily on its old, inefficient fleet; (8) continuing congressional oversight of the NOAA fleet is needed to ensure that NOAA is aggressively pursuing cost-effective alternatives for acquiring marine data; (9) in the financial management area, Commerce faces several challenges; (10) audits and the Department's own internal reviews continue to show that: (a) there are numerous areas where Commerce must improve its financial procedures to comply with federal accounting standards and to effectively reconcile and close its books at yearend; and (b) most Commerce bureaus lack effective automated systems to support sound financial management; (11) the Department continues to face significant challenges in implementing new computer systems to meet requirements and make all of its systems year 2000 compliant; (12) the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 provides an opportunity for the Department of Commerce to improve its performance and effectiveness and to enhance congressional and executive branch oversight and decisionmaking for these issues and in other program and mission support areas; and (13) the Department faces an especially formidable challenge in developing and presenting effective and useful Departmentwide strategic and performance plans that both cover all of its disparate activities and meet other criteria https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3/html/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3/pdf/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3.pdf GAO/OCG-99-3 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-3 Letter Report GAO/OCG-99-3; Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Commerce; Census Weather forecasting Financial management Risk management Accountability Information resources management Management information systems Strategic planning Systems conversions Federal agency accounting systems 2000 Decennial Census Performance and Accountability Series 1999 1990 Decennial Census NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System Y2K Dept. of Commerce Administrative Management System NWS Next Generation Weather Radar NWS Next Generation Geostationary Operational Weather Radar NWS Automated Surface Observing System