NOAA asks industry to fund open data program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking to industry to fund its open data initiatives in partnerships intended to meet its unfunded mandates while also spurring innovation in the private sector.

NOAA creates and gathers terabytes of information each day, much of which could be highly valuable if utilized within its window of usefulness. The agency wants to get the data to the people but doesn’t have the resources to make that happen, according to David McClure, lead analyst for NOAA’s Open Government Data Services.

With budgets flat, McClure’s team is looking to private industry to support this effort by providing public clouds to maintain copies of NOAA’s raw data. In turn, the companies leading the effort would charge at the point of access as a means of recouping their costs and reap the economic benefits of having the data available, along with everyone else. Continue>>>