Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026

302. Commercial Data Program

(a) Program establishment. The Under Secretary, in coordination with the heads of appropriate offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall maintain a program, to be known as the Commercial Data Program, to coordinate and execute acquisition of weather and environmental data and services from private sector entities for operational use.

(b) Program elements. The Under Secretary may acquire satellite, ground-based, airborne, or marine-based in situ, remote sensing, or crowd-sourced data and services for operational use relating to weather and environmental forecasting and modeling.

(c) Coordination and collaboration. The Under Secretary shall ensure the Commercial Data Program coordinates, collaborates, and ensures access to data across the Administration, including among the following:

(1) The National Mesonet Program.

(2) The Aircraft Based Observation Program.

(3) The National Integrated Drought Information System, including the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network.

(4) The National Integrated Flood Information System.

(5) The Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program.

(6) The National Data Buoy Center.

(7) The Uncrewed Systems Operation Center.

(8) The Ocean Exploration Program.

(9) Any other program or office the Under Secretary determines appropriate.

(d) Standards and specifications. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section and on a continuous basis thereafter, the Under Secretary shall publish data, metadata, and service standards and specifications required for acquired observation services and data for use, licensing, and attribution to ensure quality, impact, and compatibility of such services and data with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration modeling capabilities, meteorological situational awareness, and forecasting.

(e) Prioritization. In acquiring data and services from private sector entities, the Under Secretary shall prioritize obtaining surface-based, airborne-based, space-based, and coastal- and ocean-based data, metadata, and services for operational use from entities that participate in the Commercial Data Pilot Program under section 303 or other programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that acquire commercial data or observations.

(f) NOAA Observing Systems and Fleet Councils

(1) In general. The Under Secretary shall maintain the Observing Systems Council, or successor program, and the Fleet Council of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (in this subsection collectively referred to as the Councils) to provide strategic recommendations and guidance regarding the prioritization, design, development, acquisition, upgrading, lifecycle, performance monitoring, and retiring of major components of observing systems and portfolios, including related to the acquisition of commercial weather and environmental data and services.

(2) Line office coordination. The Councils shall ensure coordination and adherence to uniform policies by providing guidance to all line offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration engaged in observing systems portfolio design, technology, development, execution, and operation.

(g) Data and hosted payloads. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Commerce may enter into agreements relating to the following:

(1) The purchase of weather and environmental data and services through contracts with private sector commercial data and service providers.

(2) The placement of weather instruments on co-hosted Federal, international, or private space, airborne, maritime, or ground platforms.

(h) Ombudsman. The Under Secretary shall establish or designate at least one Ombudsman position within the Commercial Data Program to implement the recommendations of the Observing Systems Council under subsection (f) related to commercial weather and environmental data and services acquisitions. Such an Ombudsman shall act as the liaison between private sector data and service providers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with respect to receiving recommendations and resolving issues related to engagement, testing, contracting, or other areas related to the Administration’s efforts to acquire commercial weather and environmental data and services.

(i) Report. Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report evaluating the activities and needed authorities related to data governance and management practices, including acquisition, collection, documentation, quality control, validation, reprocessing, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and long-term preservation activities across all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration line, staff, and corporate offices.