1. January 20091 NWS and Social Science: Role of Social Science in Future Services Jennifer M. Sprague Strategic Planning & Policy Office National Weather Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NWS Partners Workshop AMS 2009 Annual Meeting

2. January 20092 Social Science and NWS Social Science: “the process of describing, explaining and predicting human behavior and institutional structure in interaction with their environments.” (Social Science Working Group to the NOAA Science Advisory Board, 2008) Physical Science and Social Science –To a physical scientist “social science” connotes ambiguity. –To a social scientist, physical science (e.g. a good forecast) is meaningless unless it considers how people will respond to that forecast. Why is Social Science important to NWS? –Explain and predict how people behave in the context of their environment –Improve the effectiveness and delivery of products and services –Justify and prioritize the existence or enhancement of those products and services –Identify new constituent needs and prioritize our investments by estimating the economic and social benefits from our activities

3. January 20093 “Show Me the Social Science…” What has NWS done to integrate social science U.S. Weather Research Program Collaborative Program on the Societal Impacts and Economic Benefits of Weather Information –Weather and Society*Integrated Studies program (WAS*IS) –41 NWS Participants (so far) have been involved in their summer program Assignment of a social scientist to lead NWS activities and create a culture of awareness throughout NWS regarding the importance of social science tools and methodologies Included a social scientist in recent service assessments (Mother’s Day Weekend Tornado Outbreak). Established a W&W/NWS Social Science Working Group Participated in the drafting of a W&W Social Science Strategic Plan

4. January 20094 Further NWS Commitments to Integrate Social Science Include social science in the end-to-end development of NWS products and services. Integrate social science methodologies in our evolving commitment to improve decision support services. Integrate social science into NWS budget, programs and plans. Integrate social science into the next generation NWS Strategic Plan. Partner with the social science community and leverage their expertise.