NOAA has awarded Space Sciences and Engineering LLC dba PlanetiQ (Golden, Colorado) and Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. (Vienna, Virginia) Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with a total, maximum value of $59,312,954 million — the maximum value of the IDIQ, $59,312,954, is shared between the IDIQ vendors.
The IDIQ contract vehicle with a five-year ordering period of March 27, 2023 through March 26, 2028 allows for Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Delivery Orders (DO) to be awarded. This award is a follow-on to the two-year IDIQ contracts that were awarded in November of 2020.
NOAA solicited commercial near-real-time, satellite-based, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) and ionospheric measurements that will be processed into neutral atmosphere and space weather products. These derived products will be fed into NOAA’s operational data systems, including weather and space weather analysis and prediction systems, and used for weather, climate, and atmospheric research purposes. All data and products will be archived by NOAA.
The Commercial Data Program (CDP) includes two lines of effort. The Commercial Weather Data Pilot project includes demonstrations of the quality and impact of commercial data on weather forecast models; the Commercial Data Purchase project supports operational weather forecasting. NOAA first began using commercial RO data in its operational weather forecasts on May 20, 2021.
Through CDP, NOAA continues to implement the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-25), which directs NOAA to obtain commercial weather data from private sector providers following pilot assessments that demonstrate commercial sector readiness. NOAA’s CDP has successfully engaged the commercial sector through a competitive process and has acquired operational satellite Data-as-a-Service (DaaS).
Commercial RO data constitute an important addition to NOAA’s portfolio of environmental observations, which help improve weather forecasts and reduce risk to the overall observing system. The latest updates and activities in NOAA’s CDP can be found on the Office of Space Commerce website.
