NOAA Commercial Data Program (CDP)
NOAA’s Commercial Data Program (CDP) successfully engages with the commercial sector through pilots and acquisition of operational satellite data-as-a-service for commercial data to help improve weather forecasts and provide risk reduction to the overall observing system.
The program includes two lines of effort: Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) demonstrations of the quality and impact of commercial data on weather forecast models; and Commercial Data Purchase in support of operational weather forecasting.
The December 2024 Guidance for NOAA Commercial Data Buys lays out the considerations, best practices, and guidelines which NOAA programs and offices should consider when engaging in commercial data buy opportunities from sources that contribute to environmental intelligence.
Commercial Purchase: Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2, 2023-2028)
Request for Information
On March 14, 2025, NOAA issued a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting information on GNSS radio occultation capabilities, especially low latency, highly accurate GNSS-RO-derived Ionospheric products such as total electron content (TEC) and scintillation. The RFI includes the Statement of Work for the RODB-2 IDIQ contract.
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Previous Activity
- Sep 2024: Delivery Order 4 to PlanetiQ and Spire Global
- May 2024: On-Ramping Opportunity
- Jan 2024: Delivery Order 3 to Spire
- Sep 2023: On-Ramping Opportunity
- Apr 2023: Delivery Order 2 to PlanetiQ
- Mar 2023: Delivery Order 1-Test to PlanetiQ and Spire Global
- Mar 2023: Contract Awards
- Jul 2022: Request for Proposal
- Dec 2021: Draft Statement of Work
CWDP Round 5: Microwave Sounder (2024-)
Contract Awards
On September 17, 2024, NOAA awarded contracts totaling $4,266,400 to purchase Microwave Sounder (MWS) data from two commercial satellite companies in support of new Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) studies. The first contract for $2,266,400 is to Tomorrow.io of Boston, MA. The second contract for $2,000,000 is to Orbital Micro Systems of Boulder, CO.
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Previous Activity
- Jul 2024: Request for Proposal
- Jul 2021: Sources Sought Notice – Microwave Sounder
General/Other Requests for Information
Request for Information
On March 14, 2025, NOAA issued a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting information on commercial satellite environmental data and related capabilities available in the FY2026 through FY2032 timeframe that are currently on-orbit or planned to be on-orbit.
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Previous Activity
- Sep 2024: Industry Day
- Dec 2023: Request for Information
- Nov 2023: Industry Day
- Sep 2022: Request for Information
- Sep 2020: Request for Information
- May 2018: Request for Information – CWDP & Other NOAA Requirements
CWDP Round 4: Ocean Surface Winds (2023-2024)
Contract Award
On Monday, September 18, 2023, NOAA awarded a Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) Ocean Surface Winds (OSW) Pilot contract to Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc.
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Previous Activity
- Aug 2023: Request for Proposals
- Jul 2023: Request for Information
Commercial Purchase: Radio Occultation Data Buy (RODB-1, 2020-2022)
- Sep 2022: Delivery Order 5 to Spire Global
- Feb 2022: Delivery Order 4 to GeoOptics & Spire Global
- Feb 2022: Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Aug 2021: Delivery Order 3 Award to Spire Federal
- Feb 2021: Delivery Order 2 Award to GeoOptics
- Nov 2020: Contract Awards to GeoOptics & Spire Global; Delivery Order 1
- Aug 2020: Request for Proposal
- Apr 2020: Draft Statement of Work
CWDP Round 3: Space Weather Data (2022-2027)
Contract Awards to GeoOptics, PlanetiQ, & Spire
On July 14, 2022, NOAA awarded three Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) space weather contracts to GeoOptics Inc. (Pasadena, CA), Space Sciences and Engineering LLC, dba PlanetiQ (Golden, CO), and Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc (San Francisco, CA). These contract awards constitute the next round of NOAA’s CWDP studies with a particular focus on space weather data. Read more
Previous Activity
- May 2022: Request for Proposal
- Apr 2022: Pre-Announcement of RFP
- Nov 2021: Request for Information
- Oct 2020: Legislation on Commercial Space Weather Data Pilot (PDF, page 11)
New Legislation
CWDP Round 2: Radio Occultation Data (2018-2019)
- Jun 2020: Summary of Results
- Sep 2018: Contract Awards to GeoOptics, Spire Global, & Space Sciences and Engineering
- Apr 2018: Final Request for Proposals
- Jun 2017: Industry Day
- May 2017: Draft Request for Proposals
CWDP Round 1: Radio Occultation Data (2016-2018)
- Sept 2016: Contract Awards to GeoOptics & Spire Global
- July 2016: Request for Quotation
- July 2016: Industry Day
- June 2016: Draft Request for Quotation
- May 2016: Request for Information
- Mar 2016: Report to Congress – Initial Execution Plan
- Dec 2015: Originating Legislation (23 MB PDF, p. 44)