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![handle is hein.crs/govepel0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Informing the Iegislative debate since 1914
Updated May 30, 2024
NOAA's Commercial Data Program: Background and
Considerations for Congress
Since 1970, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) has operated satellites to collect
environmental and weather data from space. With the rapid
growth of the U.S. commercial space industry, both
Congress and various Administrations (e.g., the 2010 and
2020 National Space Policies) have directed federal
agencies (e.g., NOAA, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration [NASA], Department of Defense) to
purchase and use U.S. commercial space capabilities and
services (to the maximum extent practical) and to prioritize
partnerships with the commercial space industry (when
cost-effective) to meet government requirements. In
addition to the potential cost-effectiveness of commercial
hosts and data buys, commercial providers may be able to
develop services faster than federal agencies' historical
approaches to mission development. Faster development
can help meet increasing NOAA and other user demand for
commercial space data.
This In Focus provides an overview of NOAA's
Commercial Data Program, including the agency's
purchase and use of commercial space data, proposed
changes to the program, and considerations for Congress.
Commercial Data Program
NOAA's Office of Space Commerce (OSC), which serves
as the entry point for commercial space providers to engage
with NOAA, has established principles and a strategic plan
for commercial data buys. OSC also operates NOAA's
Commercial Data Program, which manages the acquisition,
ingestion, use, and dissemination of commercially sourced
satellite data. The Commercial Data Program has two
components: the Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP)
program and the Commercial Data Purchase Program
(CDPP).
Commeria Weather Data P ot Program
In FY2016 appropriations report language, Congress
directed NOAA to assess the potential viability of
commercial weather data in [NOAA's] weather modeling
and forecasting through at least one CWDP. It
appropriated $3 million to NOAA to purchase, evaluate,
and calibrate available data (Table 1). The Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (WRFIA;
P.L. 115-25) codified the CWDP program, requiring the
NOAA Administrator to publish data and metadata
standards and specifications for space-based commercial
weather data (15 U.S.C. §8532(c)(1)).
In 2020, Congress passed the Promoting Research and
Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting
of Tomorrow (PROSWIFT) Act (P.L. 116-181), which
authorized the NOAA Administrator to establish a pilot
program to enter into contracts with one or more entities in
the commercial space weather sector for the provision of ...
space weather data (51 U.S.C. §60607).
The CWDP program has evaluated several types of data in
its pilot studies, including Global Navigation Satellite
System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) data, microwave
sensor data, space weather data, and GNSS reflectometry.
For example, in 2016-2018 and 2018-2020, NOAA
conducted two rounds of CWDP studies focused on GNSS
RO data, which can be used to determine atmospheric
temperature, humidity, and pressure, important components
of weather forecasting models. Through these pilot studies,
NOAA identified that GNSS RO data had the potential to
support the agency's operational weather forecasting and
climate modeling endeavors.
If NOAA's assessment of a CWDP demonstrates, among
other factors, that the data add value to NOAA's weather
forecasts, WRFIA authorizes the NOAA Administrator
(also known as the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere) to where appropriate, cost-
effective, and feasible, obtain commercial weather data
from private sector providers (15 U.S.C. §8532(c)(2)(B)).
Table I. Enacted Appropriations for the NOAA Commercial Data Program, FY2016-FY2024
(in millions of dollars, nominal)
FY 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
CWDP $3 $5 $6 $6 $3 n/a $5 $5 n/a
CDPP - - - - $5 n/a $12 $22 n/a
Total $3 $5 $6 $6 $8 $12 $17 $27 $27.5
Source: CRS, from explanatory statements accompanying appropriations laws. FY2020 amount from S.Rept. 116-127, which was adopted by
reference in the explanatory statement accompanying Division B of P.L. 116-93.
Notes: CWDP = Commercial Weather Data Pilot program; CDPP = Commercial Data Purchase Program; n/a = not applicable. NOAA
initiated the CDPP and Congress first funded the purchase of commercial weather data in FY2020. FY2021 and FY2024 explanatory
statements do not provide a breakdown of amounts between CWDP and CDPP.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govepel0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)