Proposed new indicator for FY 2022. Measure is under development.

Proposed new indicator for FY 2022. Measure is under development.

This performance indicator measures sum of private investment leveraged by communities and regions attributable to the EDA grant to support workforce development through training.

This measure tracks cumulative progress of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey toward completing gravity observations for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) initiative and implementation of a new National Vertical Datum. The measure indicates the percentage of the U.S. for which NOAA has airborne gravity data necessary to support the new National Vertical Datum. This improved vertical reference system is critical for all observing systems and activities requiring accurate heights. For example, this system is important for helping determine where water flows in order to make accurate inundation models and assessments.

This metric measures the level of customer service provided by the Office of Space Commerce to the U.S. commercial space industry and other external stakeholders in response to specific requests for support. This metric applies only to major requests requiring application of labor hours or other resources towards the investigation, coordination, and resolution of policy/regulatory issues or achievement of activities that promote the interests of U.S. space companies.

The public, private sectors, emergency managers, and government institutions at all levels in this country and abroad use NOAA tropical cyclone forecasts to make decisions regarding the protection of life and property. This goal measures the difference between the projected and actual location of the center of tropical cyclones in nautical miles (nm) for the Atlantic Basin, averaged over all the 48-hour forecasts occurring during the calendar year.

* Annual Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends November 30. The final values are produced after a verification and validation period.

Because tropical cyclones are relatively rare events, this measure can show significant annual volatility. Projecting the long-term trend, and basing out-year goals on that trend, is preferred over making large upward or downward changes to the targets each year.

Proposed new indicator for FY 2022. Measure is under development.

This indicator measures the number of the Department's acquisition workforce members receiving targeted training on innovative and underutilized procurement and program management techniques through the acquisition innovation lab (The Lab).

The lower this measure is the better, so being below the target is exceeded and above the target is not met. Visibility and cloud ceiling forecasts are critical for aircraft safety and efficient operations. When visibility or cloud ceilings are low, pilots rely on instruments to navigate instead of visual reconnaissance. The Federal Aviation Administration establishes Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) thresholds—visibility less than three statute miles and/or cloud ceilings at, or below, 1000 feet—for safety. NWS assesses the quality of IFR threshold forecasts in response to these requirements. Fundamental statistical metrics, specifically Probability of Detection (POD) and False Alarm Ratio (FAR), are used to track IFR forecast performance. Probability of Detection (POD), also known as Accuracy, is a ratio that describes the number of times IFR is correctly forecasted compared to the total number of IFR occurrences. FAR is a ratio that describes the number of IFR forecasts when IFR was not observed compared to the total number of forecast attempts. These two metrics must always be used in conjunction, as one can be improved at the expense of the other. Greater accuracy and a minimized FAR result in safer flights and fewer flight delays; conversely, poorer accuracy and an increased FAR result in a greater incidence of unnecessary flight delays.

*Please also note that a FAR is the number of false alarms per the total number of warnings. So if a FAR actual is higher than the target, then the target has not been met. If the actual is the same number or less, then it has been met or exceeded.