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Stennis Space Center, Mississippi
August 26 - 28
Building 1100, Log Town Conference Room 11161
228-688-1457


Download pdf file: Workshop 2014

This meeting will be separated into two parts:

Part 1 – The VOS Program from PMO, Regional and NDBC Perspectives. (Day 1)

The PMO brief will be held to a 15 minute limit. The PMO’s brief will provide:

a. Briefly cover your area of responsibility/ports.
b. Any unique issues and/or challenges.
c. Success, endeavors, highlights. Any above and beyond activities to showcase.
d. “Forward-looking”, how do you see VOS in the future? Ideas, hopes, opinions. *this will contribute to later discussions and the overarching topics at hand.


Part 2 – VOS Topics, Specific Discussions – (Days 2 and 3)

NDBC and others will facilitate the open forum to develop the VOS Program’s short term goals and targets from now until 2016 as well as some long term objectives reaching out to 2024. The outcome will be a draft document that will be provided to VOS Program Managers and NWS Headquarters as guidance to move the VOS program forward and normalize VOS under the guidelines of NWS Headquarters.

*Day 2, there will be one Breakout Session at 1400 (PMO Position Discription) and two concurrent sessions at 1530 (Equipment and database)
*Day 3, there will be one Breakout Session at 1130 (Recruitment practices) Breakout Sessions: ~1 hr 10 min:

· 10 Min- for identifying specific questions, issues and challenges.
· 5 Min- for choosing:
Group leader (keeps session participants on task)
Timekeeper (insures the group stays within time constraints)
Spokesperson (to report back with results for action)
· 45 Min- for group participation within the breakout session.
· 10 Min- for the Spokesperson to report results.


Panel Disscussion: Day 3 0900-1045

Timekeepers and Note Takers:

Day 1: Timekeeper: Terry Brisbin (SRH)       Scribe: Wayne Weeks (NWSHQ)
Day 2: Timekeeper: Melinda Bailey (SRH)   Scribe: Jeff Lorens (WRH)
Day 3: Timekeeper: Brian Hirsch (CRH)       Scribe: Hector Machado (ERH)

Logistics and general information

Meeting attire: Business Casual

Welcome/Gathering: Hollywood Hotel Lounge (on your own $)

Icebreaker: Hollywood Hotel Lounge (on your own $)

Morning coffee: Coffee/Tea and water is not paid by VOS (against NOAA policy), if you drink coffee/Tea and water, please donate $ what you can. Much appreciated!

Lunch: The Cafeteria hosts several items for all tastes. Cafeteria hours are from 10:00 - 1:00 pm. Hot and cold sandwich station as well as daily plate special which features things such as Redbeans and rice, fried chicken, baked potatoes with all the fixings. Salad bar and potato bar.

PJ’s New Orleans style coffee is located close to the cafeteria in building 1100. There you can Find snacks, sandwiches, and yogurt. Very similar to Starbucks.

Quick stop is just a convenience type store. Snacks, sodas, and the like. Located in building 1100 As soon as you enter the lobby of building 1100 across from the courtyard area, located on the right.

Dinner: At the Hollywood Hotel, you will find a nice choice of dining pleasures.

If you venture into the town of Bay St. Louis, you will find a nice variety of restaurant choices and get a great view of our small and quaint coastal town. Remember, it is now SHRIMP Season on the Gulf Coast!

*Bogarts located at the Hollywood Hotel: VOS Dinner (on your own $):

Wednesday evening-- Bogarts Steakhouse, 1830ish until ... *If you are interested in dining together at Bogarts, Please make your own reservations by calling 228 466 8032. They have a great special running, a four-course select menu for two $39.99. This is a really good deal. Please call ahead for reservations to insure a space.

Things to do for spouse/partners/guests of participants:
*Bay St. Louis: Old Town
*One of the “coolest” small towns in America. Budget Travel Magazine’s annual contest, Bay St. Louis was chosen as one of the top three Coolest small towns in the country 2013.
*so many shops, cafés, and quaint little spots to visit and love. Only 10 minutes from the Hollywood Casino/Hotel. A bus runs from the Casino to Old Town.

*New Orleans is 40 minutes away! Walk to the Quarter and take a horse and buggy ride through all the historical places you always wanted to see. Food, fun and music galore. (don’t forget to return!)

*Golf....Hollywood is situated on an Arnold Palmer designed golf course overlooking the bay of St. Louis....just beautiful.

*The lazy river....just newly designed and opened.

*Biloxi Schooner rides...1 hour east.

*Ship Island Excursions

Monday, 25 August - Travel Day, arrival of participants.

Time Event Presenter
1800 – 2100 Welcome/Gathering Hollywood Hotel Lounge

(Relaxed and casual gathering on the arrival of participants. On your own $)

Tuesday, 26 August Location: Log Town Conference Room, Building 1100, SSC

Timekeeper: Terry Brisbin (SRH) Scribe: Wayne Weeks (NWSHQ)

*PMO and Regional/Manager Briefs (Focus topics indicated in Italics)

Time Event Presenter
0830 - 0900 Morning Coffee/Tea
0900 - 0915 Welcome-Meeting Overview and Goals/Logistics
VOS Program Manager
VOS Operations Manager
OPS 51 Branch Chief
Steve Pritchett
Paula Rychtar
Joe Swaykos
0915 - 1000 Deputy Director, NOAA’s National Weather Service
Keynote Speaker Establishing a framework for success		 Laura Furgione
1000 - 1025 Director, NWS Office of Science and Technology
Observations Portfolio perspective		 John Murphy
1025 - 1050 Welcome – NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center
Director of NDBC/ Deputy Director NDBC
NDBC Command Brief
Helmut Portmann
Kathleen O’Neil
1050 - 1100 VOS Program Manager/VOS Operation Manager
State of VOS		 Steve Pritchett/Paula Rychtar
1100 - 1130 Break (30 min)
1130 - 1145 Houston PMO (SR)
Overview Turbowin +
Chris Fakes
1145 - 1200 Seattle PMO (WR)
Marine Debris Surveys		 Matt Thompson
1200 - 1215 Duluth PMO (CR)
Turboweb, how it is utilized through cell-phone, DMAWDS District 9 USCG Cutters and their observations, Shipmasters Association		 Ron Williams
1215 – 1310 Lunch (55 min)
1310 – 1340 New York/New Jersey PMO (ER)
Port Vision – demonstration for its uses and benefits		 Jim Luciani
1340 - 1355 Charleston PMO (ER)
PMO Area of Responsibility		 Tim Kenefick
1355 -1410 Norfolk PMO (ER) Coordination efforts promoting observations from the Chesapeake Bay Pete Gibino
1410 – 1425 Jacksonville PMO (SR)
Growth and expansion of JAX ports and WFO support efforts and Responsibilities. Maritime partners in community.		 Rob Niemeyer
1425 - 1440 Alaska PMO Focal Point (AR)
Alaska ship observation encoder, websites, data collection and Team members		 Larry Hubble
1440 – 1455 Miami/Port Everglades PMO (SR)
Newly initiated cost effective practices.		 Dave Dellinger
1555 – 1510 Baltimore PMO (ER) OPC interaction Lori Evans
1510– 1535 Break (25 min)
1535 – 1545 AR Marine, Public and Severe Weather Program Manager
NWS AR Headquarters
AR overview and goals of VOS AR perspective		 Louise Fode
1545 – 1555 SR Public and Marine Program Mngr.
NWS SR Headquarters
SR overview and Tsunami’s		 Melinda Bailey
1555 - 1605 Program Support Division
NWS WR Headquarters
Overview and goals of VOS WR perspective		 Jeff Lorens
1605– 1615 Deputy SOD Chief
NWS ER Headquarters
Overview and goals of VOS ER perspective		 Hector Machado
1615 – 1625 Transportation Sector Services PM
NWS CR Headquarters
Overview and goals of VOS CR perspective		 Brian Hirsch
1525 – 1640 NWSEO President Dan Sobien
1640 - 1700 Senior International Program Analyst
Cooperation and Compliance with The International Community.		 Jennifer Lewis
1700 Adjourn for the Day
1800 – 2000 Ice- Breaker – Hollywood lounge at Hollywood Hotel

Wednesday, 27 August Location: Log Town Conference Room, Building 1100, SSC

Timekeeper: Melinda Bailey (SRH) Scribe: Jeff Lorens (WRH)

Time Event Presenter
0830 – 0900 Morning Coffee/Tea
0900 – 0930 NWS Reorganization, how will VOS be affected,where does VOS fit in?
*PPA’s
*Budget
*Normalization of VOS under Headquarters		 Steve Pritchett
0930 – 1000 United Kingdom- Ship Observations Manager
E-SURFMAR VOS Activities/VOS recruitment		 Sarah North
Ship Observations Manager
1000 – 1015 National Climatic Data Center
SEAS 2000 Archive Issues Data Flow Importance of US VOS reports for ICOADS and the International Community.		 Eric Freeman
Marine Observation Analyst
1015 - 1030 Ocean Prediction Center
OPC perspective on the value of the relationship Between the VOS program and the PMO’s.Data Quality, how the data is used, ship data ingested into the Models and How data is flagged for errors.		 Christy Schultz
Technical Ops Coordinator
Meteorologist
1030 - 1045 Break (15 min)
1045 – 1100 National Hurricane Center
Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch Chief
-Proposed E Pacific offshore waters forecast
-Recent changes to Radio-fax charts
-TAFB gridded marine forecasts to commercial users 		Hugh Cobb
1100 – 1115 Environmental and Safety Program Manager
NWS SR Headquarters
Port Safety		 Terry Brisbin
1115 - 1130 USCG Search and Rescue Operations Program Manager
Commandant
AMVER		 Jack R. Frost
1130– 1230 Lunch (*be back promptly by 1225 if you intend to go on the tour, bus will be waiting)
1230 – 1320

(*1230 – 1320) 		Tour of NDBC (50 min)



*PMO’s - Turbowin Training (50 min)
“PMO’s only”		 Matt Thompson
Chris Fakes
1320 – 1335 Office of Marine and Coastal Services Branch
NWS Headquarters
Marine Web Portal		 Wayne Weeks
Meteorologist
1335 – 1350 AOML Physical Oceanography
PMO contributions to AOML Ocean Observations Global Drifter Program		 Shaun Dolk
1350 -1405 AOML, Oceanographer
AmverSEAS development/Status and Plans		 Francis Bringas
1405 – 1510 Breakout Session: Position Description for PMO’s (two groups)
·10 Min- for identifying specific questions, issues and challenges.
·5 Min- for choosing:
Group leader (keeps session participants on task)
Timekeeper (insures the group stays within time constraints)
Spokesperson (to report back with results for action)
·40 Min- for group participation within the breakout session.
·10 Min- for the Spokesperson to report results.
 ALL
1510 – 1540 Break (30 min)
1540 – ~1700 Breakout Sessions: Equipment Plan /Database Updates *Two concurrent Sessions will be held. We will hear the outcome of them both with the remainder of time.
· 10 Min- for identifying specific questions, issues and challenges.
· 5 Min- for choosing:
Group leader (keeps session participants on task)
Timekeeper (insures the group stays within time constraints)
Spokesperson (to report back with results for action)
· 45 Min- for group participation within the breakout session.
· 15 Min- for the Spokesperson to report results.
 ALL
1700 Adjourn for the Day
1830 till.... Dinner at Bogart’s Steakhouse, Bay St. Louis, Hollywood Hotel

Thursday, 28 August Location: Log Town Conference Room, Building 1100, SSC

Timekeeper: Brian Hirsch (CRH) Scribe: Hector Machado (ERH)

Time Event Presenter
0830 – 0900 Morning Coffee
0900 – 1045 Panel Discussion via Telecom/”goto” meeting
External Customer Forum- Customer Service/Products/Improvements
· 0900-0905: Introductions and Instructions

· 0905-0925: Panelist #1:
Commander Jeremy M. Adams, NOAA
OMAO NOAA Liaison to the USCG, CG-5PW

· 0925-0945: Panelist #2:
LCDR Lindsay Kurelja, NOAA
OMAO MO Crew Supervisor

· 0945-1005: Panelist #3:
Captain Scott Putty, Asst Professor of the Practice
Department of Marine Transportation Texas A and M Maritime Academy

1005-1025: Panelist #4:
Captain Rick Smith, New York Maritime
Master of the training ship EMPIRE STATE, New York Maritime College

· 1025 – 1045 Open forum/questions and answers		 Jeff Lorens, Moderator
1045 – 1105 Break (20 min)
1105 – 1115 VOS recruitment practices overview Sarah North
Ship Observations Manager
1115– 1225 Breakout Session: Recruitment practices (2 groups)
· 10 Min- for identifying specific questions, issues and challenges.
· 5 Min- for choosing: Group leader (keeps session participants on task)
Timekeeper (insures the group stays within time constraints)
Spokesperson (to report back with results for action)
· 35 Min- for group participation within the breakout session.
· 20 Min- for the Spokesperson(s) to report results.		 ALL
1225 – 1325 Lunch
1345 – 1400 Goals for 2015-16 (Short Term) Steve Pritchett
1400 – 1430 Long Range Goals/Plans (2016-25)
Open Forum discussion		 Steve Pritchett
1430 - 1500 Break (30 min)
1500 – 1530 Review of Meeting Steve Pritchett/Paula Rychtar
Scribes (All)
1530 – 1700 Establish Action Items/Dates
Preliminary Final Report for review		 Steve Pritchett/Paula Rychtar
Scribes (All)
Closure of Meeting

When you exit I10 for Stennis, you will come to this guard gate. If you have a CAC card, show that and proceed. If you don’t, you will need to go to the adjacent building and acquire a pass for the three days. Paula Rychtar will be your sponsor. I will need to know in advance who I will be sponsoring. If you do need to get a pass, arrive accordingly as there can be a long line waiting for badges.

paula.rychtar@noaa.gov

228-327-3210 or

228-688-1457


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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Voluntary Observing Ship Program
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