NOAA Cites Data-sharing Obligations in Draft Commercial Weather Policy

摘要

The U.S. government is interested in procuring weather data from commercially operated satellites and instruments provided that the data meet government standards and can be used in a way that complies with U.S. obligations to share such information with other nations. So says a draft commercial weather data policy released Sept. 1 by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 13-page draft NOAA Commercial Space Policy essentially codifies what NOAA officials have been saying publicly for years. Interested parties have until Oct. 1 to comment on the proposed policy, which the agency hopes to finalize before the end of the year. This would comply with pending legislation known as the Weather Research and Forecast Innovation Act of 2015 (H.R. 1561), whose prospects for passage are uncertain. Under the draft policy, NOAA's National Weather Service would first determine what sorts of data would be considered for a data buy. NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, which manages the U.S. civilian weather satellite enterprise, would then judge whether existing or proposed commercial systems can meet those requirements.