The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced guidance for its offices and programs in purchasing commercial data for environmental intelligence.
The 25-page document, titled “Guidance for NOAA Commercial Data Buys”, lines up the agency’s preferred approaches when sourcing data from commercial providers, including the requirements in licensing, risk assessment, cost-effectiveness and testing new technologies for pilot projects.
The standardization of the data sourcing practices seeks to establish consistency and transparency in dealings with commercial data sources, NOAA said. In addition, the agency noted that the guidance shows the ways by which it will collaborate with private sector data providers, such as through the Commercial Data Program.
Guiding Principles and Exclusions
NOAA developed the data purchase roadmap based on several guiding principles, including innovation, quality and service benchmarks, international commitments, cost-efficiency, and supply chain and security.
The agency said the guidance will be applied to government contracts with non-federal environmental observing entities covered under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Cooperative agreements and NOAA purchases of space situational awareness data are excluded from guidance coverage.
