Name: Sylvia K. Graff

Q: Where in NOAA do you work now?
A: Information Technology Management Office NESDIS Headquarters, Silver Spring, MD

Q: When did you begin your work with NOAA?
A: Weather Bureau Airport Station (WBAS) Honolulu, Hawaii 1968 the era of ESSA preceding NOAA

Q: Looking back, what events stand out as the most memorable during your time with NOAA?
A: Very difficult to pick out events as most memorable. Depending on how we define memorable - as good or bad or just because the event was major in scope. Some of the events that stand out were the disasters that NWS/NOAA personnel worked and gave of themselves personally and professionally. A few that come to mind are; Hurricanes Iniki and Andrew as well as the other hurricanes impacting our lives, the creation of "The Sixth Great Lake" during the Mid West flooding, and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Q: From your point of view, what have been the most significant changes NOAA has experienced during the past 30 years?
A: The evolution of satellite imagery from the one or two pass a day of TIROS (and others) using APT to download to the hourly GOES images and the increased resolution AVHRR. We can't forget the change from black and white images to color enhanced imagery which dramatically displays our environment in action. Doppler radar at every Weather Forecast Office providing new data every few minutes also with color and other display enhancements. The completing of the National Weather Service Modernization with the implementation of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). And, finally the serious embracing of electronic information technology as the way to conduct business both administratively and operationally.

This page updated on: Monday, 07-Jan-2002 21:41:56 GMT
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