2.1: Loss Reduction
Reduced loss of life, property, and disruption from high-impact events Other Information:
Essential components of a weather-ready nation are integrated, impact-based information and decision-support services so that
citizens, businesses, communities, governments, and first responders are prepared, ready to act, and able to minimize risk.
Impact-based information means NOAA understands the information needed, how it will be used to make decisions, and the value
such information brings to minimizing risk and impact. Increasing the use of weather-related information by making it more
relevant to citizens, businesses, and Government can reduce the impact of weather-related events on lives and livelihoods.
To achieve this objective, NOAA will focus its efforts on service, which will require a deeper understanding of user needs
through continuous user engagement; alignment of products, services, research, and development to user needs; and an improved
capacity to monitor and evaluate service performance and outcomes. Specifically, NOAA will provide forecasts and information
that compare weather risk to user-defined risk tolerance and redefine warnings to be applicable to a broad range of high-impact
events. This is especially important in densely populated urban areas where cities impact and are impacted by weather and
climate events. Cities increase heat stress, exacerbate poor air quality, increase flood hazards, alter precipitation patterns,
and are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. In collaboration with its partners, NOAA will provide direct, interpretive
support to public sector officials and emergency responders, and expand environmental education and weather safety programs.
Key science and technology needs to achieve this objective include improving forecasts of hurricanes, severe weather, space
weather, fire weather, and greater knowledge of the weather-climate linkage. Other needs include a better understanding of
human behavior and decision-making during weather-related events and the formulation and communication of forecast uncertainty,
or forecast confidence. Improving forecast and decision-support tools, NOAA Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, and
data architecture (including the four-dimensional environmental information database known as the 4-D Cube, which is discussed
further below) will ensure data and information are available, accessible, and timely. Over the next five years, evidence
of progress toward this objective will include: * Fewer weather-related fatalities; * Improved community preparedness leading
to fewer weather-related fatalities; and * Avoidance of economic loss from property damage and unnecessary evacuations.
Indicator(s):
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