National Weather Service

Southern Region



CSSA User's Guide



March 2002



TABLE OF CONTENTS



MAIN MENU PAGE 4



REASON FOR REPORT PAGE 5



STATION INFO PAGE 6 - 10



OBSERVER DATA PAGE 11 - 13



OB INFO PAGE 14 - 17



OTHER EQUIPMENT PAGE 18 - 19



OBSTRUCTIONS PAGE 20 - 21



PUBLICATION DATA PAGE 22 - 23



CD 404 - PAYROLL PAGE 24 - 26



STATION INSPECTION PAGE 27 - 28





Guidelines to using the CSSA



1 Fields that are RED are usually mandatory. Fields that are BLUE are usually optional but there are times when a BLUE field is a required entry.



2 Distances are in feet or miles. Directions are all based on True North.

Main Menu

See Illustration:
CSSA 1


Note that there is a special button to use if the station is an ASOS location. This was necessary because some of the rules for data entry are different for ASOS versus conventional coop stations.



ESTABLISH/EDIT STATION DATA - this is used for updating metadata for stations within your CWA. When you select this option the program will ask for a station number to be entered. If the station number is for a record in the program it will bring that record up for review. If the station number is not in the database the program will ask if you want to establish a new station.



ENTER INSPECTION DATA - this is used to document station visits related to the program. The information entered in this section can be used to support the management of the program at the local, regional and national levels.



PROCESS REJECTED FORM or OPEN FORM ON HOLD - these tabs are used to review and correct submission that were started during previous sessions. ON HOLD are the documents that were started but not complete while REJECTED are those that were submitted but returned for correction or additional information.



Reason for Report

See Illustration:
CSSA 2




Change/Edit/Correct Existing Station Information and Metadata - this is used when you want to do an update to a station record. This will produce a REASON FOR REPORT code of 10.



Close Station - this is used when you want to document the closing of a station. You must have an approved B43 before submitting. If applicable, stop pay (CD404) before doing the B44 to close the station. Comments should be added to the REMARKS to indicate why the station is being closed.



Compatible Station Relocation - this is used to document a compatible station move. The station should stay within 5 miles distance and 100 feet elevation of the ORIGINAL station location. The is also used to Reactivate an inactive station. The distance and direction of the move MUST be documented in the REMARKS.



Equipment Move At a Station - this is used to document a localized equipment move. Generally this is used when equipment is moved to improve exposure and to make access easier but the observing location does not change. The distance and direction of the move MUST be documented in the REMARKS.

Station Info

See Illustration:
CSSA 3


Station Name - the name is linked to the station number and should not change except for the addition or removal of identifiers.



Station Number - entered only for Rendition 1, then locked by the program. This number is provided by NCDC. The State value is determined by the station number.



Climate Division - indicates the portion of the state where the station is located. This normally will stay the same but can change when a station is relocated. A map showing the climate grids is printed on the back of the CDs. When in doubt, please contact the RCPM.



Rendition - Automatically increased by one with each submission. This value can not be changed by the user. If this value is not correct contact the RCPM.



Latitude and Longitude - these value are entered to document the station location. The entry format must be Degrees.Minutes.Seconds with W or N for West Latitude or North Longitude. Do not enter Decimal degrees or Decimal seconds. The software will convert the entered values to Decimal Degrees.



Horiz Ref Datum - select the datum used in determining the Lat/Lon. Most of the LAT & LON readings are from a G.P.S. and the datum of the G.P.S. should be set to NAD83. Every effort should be made to determine the datum but do not assume - if you do not know what the datum is then select UNKNOWN.



Vert Ref Datum - select the datum used in determining the elevation. Every effort should be made to determine the datum but do not assume - if you do not know what the datum is then select UNKNOWN.



Lat/Lon Source -select the method/device used to determine the LAT/LON from the pull down menu. Additional methods/devices can be added to the pull down menu through coordination with the RCPM.



County - select the county from the pull down menu.



Elevation - enter the station elevation. This is the height of the ground surrounding the SRG or other primary gage. Note: for ASOS sites there are different rules for determining the station elevation.



Zero Datum - enter the zero datum if the station does hydrology observations. This entry is REQUIRED for stations that provide river, lake or reservoir data. This value can be obtained from the Service Hydrologist or Hydro Focal Point at the WFO.



Time Zone - select the proper time zone from the pull down menu.



Station Type - select the proper type of station from the pull down menu.



Coop Network - select the network of the station. Climate stations are in the "a" network, hydrology stations are in the "b" network and stations that support the NWS meteorological needs are in the "c" network. Any combination of networks can be selected.

See Illustration:
CSSA 4


CPA - Cooperative Program Area. This is entered when the station is established and is then locked by the program. Contact the RCPM if this value needs to be changed.



CWA - County Warning Area. Select the identifier for the WFO that has warning responsibility for the county the station is located in. This normally - but not always - the same as the CPA.



HSA - Hydrologic Service Area. Select the identifier of the WFO where the Service Hydrologist for the station is located. This normally - but not always - the same as the CPA.



ET - Electronic Technician. Enter the SID of the WFO for the ET that performs maintenance at this site. Only make an entry when there is ET support for the location. If no ET maintenance at the site then leave this blank.



RFC - River Forecast Center. Select the identifier for the RFC with responsibility for the area.



Authorizing Doc - enter the document that authorized the establishment of this station or the document that authorized the last major change in services provided by the station. This will often be the B43 that authorized the establishment of the station.



Authorizing Date - date that the authorizing document was signed.



Station Began Date - this is the date the first observations were taken at this site. This value is entered on Rendition 1 and then is hardcoded into the software. If this value is not correct coordinate a correction with the RCPM.



Primary Auth - Identification of the person responsible for the management of the program within the CWA. This is normally either the MIC or DAPM.



Secondary Auth - optional field to identify an additional authorizing person at the WFO. This would most often be used to identify the DAPM if the MIC were documented as the Primary Authorizing Official.



Reason for Report - this is automatically completed by the software based on the selection made from the REASON FOR REPORT menu.



Effective Date - this is the date the changes on this submission took effect. If an MMTS were installed on the 15th and you are doing the submission update on the 25th you would still use the 15th date since that is when the action took place.



NWSREP - this field is used to document which NWSREP is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the site. Normally this is completed with the NWSREPs initials.



Topography - use this section to describe the topography of the area surrounding the station. Note that you have a maximum of 512 characters that can be entered in the block and a block reports the number of characters that could still be used.



Driving Directions - use this section to detail driving directions to this station. These directions should be written so someone that has no knowledge of the area can drive to the location. There are a maximum of 512 characters that can be entered in the block and a block reports the number of characters that could still be used.



REMARKS - this field should be used to report additional information that does not have an assigned section within the document. This section should also be used to document what changes were made to the submission, direction and distance of equipment moves.



Navigation Buttons for STATION INFO



SAVE WORK IN PROGRESS - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.



SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



CLEAR CHANGES - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



CANCEL FORM - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.

Observer Data



See Illustration:
CSSA 5




If there are multiple observers a page must be completed for each one. All the pages must have all the required information. Mouse controls will not allow you to copy or paste information.



To copy information use Ctrl-C. To paste the information use Ctrl-V.



Title - select the title of the Observer or Focal Point for the station.



Observer's Name/Focal Point - this is the name of the observer for the location or the name of a focal point for the observations if this is an institution. Every observing site must have a least one person. Do not add spouse or wife or other comments.



Institution Name - enter the name of the institution if the Observer Type is INSTITUTION. If Observer Type is INDIVIDUAL this field is left blank.



Mailing Address - enter the mailing address that would be used to send information to the observer/focal point. Enter only one address - if you have a PO box enter it in this field and document the street address in the Observer Contact Information area. Do not enter the observers name or the institution name.



City - enter the city that mail should be sent to.



State - select the state for mailing items from the pull down menu.



Zip Code - enter the zip code that is used to mail information to the observer/focal point. This should include the +4 if available.



Observer Type - select the type of observer for the station.



Gender - select the gender of the observer or the focal point for the station.



Observer Ranking -select the ranking of the observer. Every station must have a primary observer but can only have one primary observer. Additional observers must be secondary or Alternates.



Observer Svc Date - enter the date that the observer took their first observation. If this is an institution enter the date the institution started taking observations - not the date the focal point started taking observations.



Family Svc Date - if the station has been operated by more than one generation of a family use this field to document when the first member of the family started taking observation.



Last Award Date - use this field to record when the last award was presented to the observer. This may be LOS awards, special service awards or national awards. Additional information about the award can be documented in the Observer Contact Information section.



Home Phone - enter the home telephone number for the observer. A telephone number is required for every observer. Either a Home Phone or Office Phone number must be reported. If the observer does not have a telephone a comment to that effect is required in the Observer Contact Information section.



Office Phone - enter the office telephone number for the observer. A telephone number is required for every observer. Either a Home Phone or Office Phone number must be reported. If the observer does not have a telephone a comment to that effect is required in the Observer Contact Information section.



Office Extension - enter the extension number of the office telephone number if known.



Fax Number - enter a fax number that could be used to send information to the observer.



Alternate Phone - enter any additional phone number in this block. A clarifying comment in the Observer Contact Information section is suggested.



Alternate Extension - if an extension is associated with the Alternate Phone enter it in this block.



Email Address - if an email address is available for communicating with the observer enter it in this block.



Web Address - if the observer has a web site the URL can be entered here.



Observer Contact Information - use this area to document additional information that may be useful. Explanations of supplemental information or other information not recorded elsewhere on the report can be recorded here.





Navigation Buttons for OBSERVER DATA



Add Observer - use this button to get a "clean" page to add an additional observer.



Previous Observer - this button will allow you to look at the observer information on a previous screen. This will cause you to get an error message if you are at 1of X.



Next Observer - this will navigate you to the page documenting information about additional observers for the station. This will cause you to get an error message if there is only one observer for the station or if you are looking at information for the "last" observer documented at the site.



Delete Observer - use this button to mark an observer page for deletion. The information will not be removed from the database until the submission has been approved.



Additional navigation button are the same as those used on the STN INFO tab. See page 10 of this guide for details.



OB INFO

See Illustration:
CSSA 6




Observed Element - select the type of meteorological element is being monitored by the station. Once the element is selected the equipment types shown will only be those capable of recording this type of data. If you select precipitation you will only be shown rain gages. If you select a temperature element you will only be shown equipment that will measure temperature.



Equipment Code - select the piece equipment from the pull down menu that is used to record the element data.



Serial Number - enter the serial number of the equipment used to record the element. For some pieces of equipment this is a mandatory entry and for others it is optional. See the CSSA manul for a complete list of equipment that require serial numbers. The most common items that require a serial number to be documented are the MMTS display, LARC and F&P.



Owner - select the owner of the equipment from the pull down menu.



Exp - select the exposure from the pull down menu. This is to document rooftop installations (R), equipment mounted on towers (T) or wind shields (S) used on precipitation gages.

See Illustration:
CSSA 7




Tel - indicate whether the equipment is telemetered. Select a 'Y" for yes or "N" for no.



Equipment Description - provide equipment description information in this area. There are a large number of required entries for this field based on the type of equipment. This information is detailed in the CSSA manual - table A-14. Some of the common required entries relate to:



soil temperature where probe depth and soil type are required

MMTS type of lightning protection that is installed.

Capacity of certain recording rain gages.



Azimuth - document the direction of this equipment FROM the primary gage at the station. For the primary gage enter 000. All entries must be three digits with North as 000 - not 360. This should be based on True North.



Distance - enter the distance, in feet, from the primary gage to this piece of equipment. For the primary gage enter 0. Entries may be up to 9999 feet.



Ob Time - select the time the observation is normally completed from the pull down menu. MID is reserved for a midnight observation taken by an automated sensor. 2400 is used to document a manual observation taken at midnight.



Rept Method - select the method used to report the observation from the pull down menu. Please note that REP indicates that the observer calls the WFO to report the observed data while TEL is used to indicate that the data is telemetered.



Recipient - enter those offices or groups that receive the observations. In the case of data being collected at the WFO and then forwarded to NCDC use the format WFO,NCDC.



Sponsor - select the code for the group that is responsible for the station existing. If the station was established to support the COE and they reimburse us for the expenses then select the correct FC network. S&E(H) is hydrology and S&E is NWS base dollars.



Paid - indicate whether the observer is paid to provide the observation. Please note that you can not have a CD404 for a station unless at least one observation has been marked as paid with a "Y".



Data Ingest via - used to identify how near real-time data is moved from the observer to the NWS. Enter the telephone number of the primary PC-ROSA system for the observer if the observation is RDP. Enter the telephone number of the WFO if the observation is REP. Enter the frequency of the transmitter if the data is TEL. For B91 & B92 observations this is left blank.



Special Network - this is used to document that stations are part of specialized networks. Some of the common specialized networks are the Historical Climate Network (HCN) and the Climate Reference Network (CRN). There are also special networks established to support the needs of other agencies to include TVA and BLM. If there is not special network identified with the observation this should be left blank.



Mode - this is the relay system that is used to move the near real-time data into the NWS. For PC-ROSA this is ROSA, for other automated sites it could be CADAS. If the observation is provided by REP then this would be left blank.



Relay - this is the connection between the MODE and is the method that distributes the data to the final users. In almost all cases this will be AWIPS in the current configuration but future improvement will make WEB and INTERNET more common entries.



When? - this is used to detail when near real-time observations are provided but should not be used to restate the observation time. Entries of DAILY, EVENT or CRITERIA are most commonly used. If you use CRITERIA please document what the criteria are in the REMARKS section of the STN INFO tab.



Navigation Buttons for OB INFO



Add Element - this button to get a "clean" page to add an additional element.



Previous Element - this button will allow you to look at the observation element on a previous screen. This will cause you to get an error message if you are at element number 1.



Next Element - this will navigate you to the page documenting information about additional elements for the station. This will cause you to get an error message if there is only one element for the station or if you are looking at information for the "last" element documented at the site.



Delete Element - use this button to mark an element page for deletion. The information will not be removed from the database until the submission has been approved.



Additional navigation button are the same as those used on the STN INFO tab. See page 10 of this guide for details.





OTHER EQUIPMENT

See Illustration:
CSSA 8




EqCat - equipment category which is the equivalent of Element on the OB INFO tab. Select the equipment type from the pull down menu. Once a category is selected it becomes hard coded.



Equip - select the type of equipment used for the EqCat.



Serial Number - document the serial number of the equipment when required by the CSSA manual. Serial numbers are required for MMTS displays or F&P gages.



Owner - select the equipment owner from the pull down menu.



Exp - document the exposure for the equipment. R for rooftop, T for tower and S for shielded.



Tel - indicate whether the data from this EqCat is telemetered with Y for yes and N for no.



Azimuth - direction from the primary gage to this piece of equipment based on True North.



Dist - distance from the primary gage to this piece of equipment measured in feet.





Backup - indicate whether this piece of equipment is used as a backup to equipment documented on the OB INFO tab.



Equipment Description - same rules apply as on OB INFO tab. Certain pieces of equipment have required entries.





Navigation Buttons FOR OTHER EQUIPMENT



Save Work in Progress - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.



Submit for Approval - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



Clear Changes - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



Cancel Form - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.







OBSTRUCTIONS



This information was previously referred to a Exposure. The word was changed in an attempt to reduce confusion. This is the section of the report that documents any item that would effect the catch of the primary gage. Do not add equipment layout information to this section.

See Illustration:
CSSA 9






Obstruction - enter the item that may effect the catch of the primary gage. This could include buildings, towers or vegetation. Do not report equipment layout information on this tab.



Azimuth/True Direction - enter the direction the obstruction is from the primary gage based on True North. The entry must be to 3 digits. You must have the same number of parameters reported as Distance or Angle parameters. If you report multiple directions you must report the same number of distances and angles.



Distance/Range (feet) - enter the distance, in feet, from the obstruction to the primary gage. You must have the same number of parameters reported as direction or angle parameters. If you report multiple distances you must report the same number of directions and angles.





Angle/Elevation - enter the elevation angle to the top of the obstruction measured from the top of the primary gage. This is reported as an elevation angle and must be less than 90 degrees. You must have the same number of parameters reported as direction or distance parameters. If you report multiple angles you must report the same number of directions and distances.





Navigation Buttons FOR OBSTRUCTIONS



Save Work in Progress - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.



Submit for Approval - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



Clear Changes - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



Cancel Form - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.





PUBLICATION DATA

See Illustration:
CSSA 10




This page is used to document what NCDC should do with the data - not what the observer or WFO does with the data.





Published - Is the data to be published by NCDC? Select Yes or no for each of the elements. Be certain you have an observation for each element that you want published



Distribution - If the observer wants a copy of the publication select Paper. If the observer does not want a copy of the publications select None.



Frequency - Which publication does the observer want? Select either Monthly or Annually Only.



Navigation Buttons FOR PUBLICATIONS



Save Work in Progress - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.





Submit for Approval - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



Clear Changes - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



Cancel Form - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.





CD 404 - PURCHASE ORDER

See Illustration:
CSSA 11




This page is used to document the information that will be printed on a CD 404 for observer payroll. Much of the information to complete this page is imported from other pages of the B44. Please note that you can not have a pay record if there is not at least one observation marked as paid.





Observer Data section - provide information in this section to document who the paid observer is for the station.



Observer - Select the proper observer from the pull down menu. This is the primary observer for the site and is not necessarily the paid observer.



Paid Observer's Name - enter the name of the person (or institution) that is to receive the compensation. This is the name that will appear on the paper check or the name that must be on the account if EFT is available.



Address Line 1 or 2 or 3 - the mailing address for the payroll check is to be entered in this block. This information is imported from the B44 information but can be changed if needed.





City - enter the city name for the mailing of a payroll check.



St - select the state from the pull down menu.



Zip - enter the zip code for mailing the payroll check.





Contract Data section - provide information in the section to document payroll information need to complete the Purchase Order (CD 404).



Sub - select the number of months remaining in the FY. For POs issued to start the first day of the FY the SUB is 12 months which will print as MM on the CD 404. For POs issued to start on the first day of the second quarter (01-01-yyyy) the correct SUB is 9 months which will print as M9 on the PO. For POs that start on the first day of the third quarter (04-01-yyyy) select 6 months which will print as M6. For POs that start on the first day of the fourth quarter (07-01-yyyy) select 3 months which will print as M3.



Order Date - enter the date that the PO should take effect. This must be the first day of a quarter. The dates should be either 10-01-yyyy or 01-01-yyyy or 04-01-yyyy or 07-01-yyyy.



Cancellation Date - this is the date the PO is cancelled and compensation is stopped. This must be the last day of a quarter. The date should be either 12-31-yyyy or 03-31-yyyy or 06-30-yyyy or 09-30-yyyy.



Tax/Social Security no - enter the observer Social Security Number or the institutions Tax ID number. Do not enter hyphens when entering the values.





Pay Services section - this section documents the cost codes and compensation amounts for the observations provided.



Period - enter the number of months that observer will receive compensation. In almost all cases this is 12 MONTHS.



Description - select the type of paid observation being provided.



Qty - this indicates the number of months that the observer will be compensated during this FY. If the SUB is MM then this value should be 12. If the SUB is M9 then this entry should be 9. If the SUB is M6 then this value should be 6. If the SUB is M3 then this value should be 3.





Rate - enter the amount of compensation the observer is to receive for each month of service. A common mistake is to enter the amount the observer should receive each quarter.



Task Code - select the proper cost code from the pull down menu.







Navigation Buttons FOR PURCHASE ORDER



Save Work in Progress - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.



Submit for Approval - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



Clear Changes - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



Cancel Form - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.





STATION INSPECTION

See Illustration:
CSSA 12




This page is used to document station visits. A SITE INSPECTION REPORT should be completed each time a station is visited - not just for the visits that are required by NWS policy.



INSPECTION DATA section



Inspector - select the position description that best describes the person making the visit.



Inspection Type - select the type of inspection that best describes the visit.



Inspection Date - enter the date the station was visited - not the date the inspection report is being entered into the CSSA.



Staff Hours - enter the number of hours and portion of hours expended to accomplish the visit. For each quarter of an hour enter .1 - one and a half hours is entered as 1.2. If multiple sites are visited on a day trip calculated this value to equal total hours divided by the number of stations visited. Four stations visited in a 12 hour day would equal a Staff Hour entry of 3.0 for each of the station visited..



Miles Driven - enter the number of miles driven to visit the station. Enter this value in whole miles. If multiple sites are visited on a day trip calculated this value to equal total miles driven divided by the number of stations visited. If you drove 350 miles and visited 2 stations the proper entry would be 175 Miles Driven for each of the stations.



Per Diem - select either Y or N to indicate if Per Diem was paid to the NWSREP.



Trip Number - enter the trip number - if available - for this visitation.



Supplies Cost - enter a value in this field only if supplies have been purchased/received since the last inspection report was entered into the CSSA. This entry is the total cost of all purchases and all supplies received since the last entry - not just the supplies used to service this station. While this will make a station cost appear to be very high - the end of month report will be correct. Example - if an order were placed for F&P tapes at a cost of $125.00 and the first inspection report entered after the supplies arrived was to a SRG only site you would enter a SUPPLIES COST of $125.00 on that inspection report even though the tapes would not be used at that location.



EQUIPMENT section



The program will provide a listing of equipment at the station as documented on the OB INFO & OTHER EQUIPMENT INFO tabs. Place an "x" in each appropriate box.



Remarks - use this section to document any additional information that you feel may be useful. This section is limited to 156 character - with a counter at the top of the field.



Navigation Buttons FOR INSPECTION REPORT



Save Work in Progress - this saves the entries made to the report in a HOLD section of the database. It is a good idea to use this button routinely to prevent loss of information in the event the internet session is interrupted before you complete the data entry/review.



Submit for Approval - once all entries have been completed and the entire document has been review this button will send the B44 to the next level in the workflow process.



Clear Changes - use this button to remove any entries you have made since last saving your work. This returns the fields to the values that were in place when you started the update session.



Cancel Form - this button will cancel the submission that is being worked on. If you use this button all data entered for the updated will be deleted.