Weather Observation Service Standards

The American people have demanded a smaller, more efficient government; toward that end, the resources of the National Airspace System must be streamlined and service provided in a safe yet economical way. In November 1994, senior management officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) met with executives from fourteen national aviation associations concerning surface aviation observation services. They reached an agreement that the government would work with industry to define various support levels for surface observations. In addition, in March 1995, and in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy, the FAA began the process to assume responsibility for aviation surface weather observations beginning in FY 1996. As the NWS automates field offices and reallocates their personnel under this plan, the FAA will undertake accountability for observations at many NWS ASOS sites. The NWS has begun transitioning these ASOS sites to the FAA as the ASOSs are commissioned and has solicited public comment (61 FR 19595; May 2, 1996). The FAA also expanded by more than two hundred, the sites to receive ASOSs, thus enhancing safety at sites without weather observations. All of these activities prompted the FAA to take aggressive action in addressing surface aviation observation requirements and do it within modest resource gains. As a result, a government/industry team has worked for a year and a half to comprehensively reassess the requirements for surface observations at the nation's airports. That work has resulted in agreement on a set of service standards as well as the FAA and NWS Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) sites to which the standards will apply. This notice outlines the four kinds of service, explains the method used to determine which airports receive which type of service, and contains a listing of the airports and the service categories in which they fall. The FAA, NWS and Industry representatives believe the service standards approach supports the best allocation of scarce resources.