NOAA FY08 Observing Systems Investment Analysis

Making decisions about investments in NOAA's observing systems is a daunting challenge. NOAA has a broad and diverse mission that extends far beyond weather forecasting and includes global climate observations and forecasting, assessing fish stocks and setting fishing quotas, managing marine sanctuaries, managing the Nation's geodetic reference system, and hydrographic surveying. To accomplish this mission, NOAA invests in the acquisition, operations, and maintenance of a broad array of observing systems—more than 80 different observing systems based in space, on land, in the oceans, in the air, and in the cryosphere. These systems contribute to satisfying about 800 mission-critical observing requirements across 21 NOAA programs. In the context of this complexity, NOAA leadership needs to be able to determine which investments would best support and advance NOAA's mission in a cost-constrained environment—whether to invest in sustaining existing systems, improving existing systems, or in acquiring new systems. In January 2005, the NOAA Observing Systems Council directed the NOAA Observing Systems Architect and supporting team to establish a NOAA-wide observing system investment analysis capability.