[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20622-20623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08063]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 151014950-5950-01]
RIN 0648-XE260


Notice of Availability of a Draft NOAA/NESDIS Commercial Space 
Activities Assessment Process

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft NOAA/NESDIS Commercial Space 
Activities Assessment Process; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: On January 8, 2016, NOAA released the NOAA Commercial Space 
Policy. Consistent with that policy, the Draft National Environmental 
Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Commercial Space 
Activities Assessment Process identifies the NESDIS process for 
engagement with the commercial sector by which NESDIS will assess and 
pursue commercial opportunities to support NOAA's space-based 
observational information requirements. In order to ensure 
consideration of a broad range of ideas for optimal methods of engaging 
with the commercial sector, NESDIS seeks comments on the Draft NESDIS 
Commercial Space Activities Assessment Process. Through http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NESDIS-2015-0132, the public 
can view the Draft NESDIS Commercial Space Activities Assessment 
Process, submit ideas, review submissions from other parties, and make 
comments.
    All comments are welcome. In particular, NOAA would like comments 
on the following areas:
    What contractual or other mechanisms could NOAA use to work with 
commercial sector data providers beyond traditional acquisition 
approaches?
    What steps should NOAA take to consider the long-term viability of 
a commercial data provider prior to an operational data purchase?
    What are the key aspects of demonstration projects that allow the 
commercial sector to gain necessary insights?
    What are the key aspects of demonstration projects that would allow 
NOAA to perform the necessary data validation for the continued success 
of NOAA's public safety mission?

DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m. on May 9, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NESDIS-2015-0132, by either of the following methods:
    Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via 
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NESDIS-2015-0132, click the ``Comment Now!'' 
icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
    Mail: Submit written comments to: NOAA NESDIS, c/o Ms. Kate Becker, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information 
Service, Room 8229, 1335 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NOAA. All comments

[[Page 20623]]

received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted 
for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal 
identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential 
business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted 
voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept 
anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to 
remain anonymous). Additional information as well as instructions on 
how to submit comments can be found at the following Web site: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NESDIS-2015-0132. The Draft 
NESDIS Commercial Space Activities Assessment Process can also be 
viewed here.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kate Becker, NESDIS Office of the 
Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and 
Information Service, Room 8229, 1335 East West Highway, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910. (Phone: 301-713-7049, [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA is a science-based services agency 
charged with understanding and predicting changes in Earth systems in 
order to provide critical environmental intelligence to the American 
public, decision makers, and our partners. NOAA's environmental 
intelligence depends on observations obtained via a variety of systems, 
including satellites, ships, ground, and in situ networks.
    The NOAA Commercial Space Policy and the NESDIS Commercial Space 
Activities Assessment Process are two steps of NOAA's multi-step 
approach to engaging the commercial sector to ensure best use of 
commercial sector capabilities. NOAA has developed these documents as 
timeless guidance to provide a foundation for a long-term endeavor. 
Both documents formally establish core principles that will guide 
NOAA's engagement with the commercial sector. In January, NOAA released 
the Commercial Space Policy to establish the broad principles for the 
use of commercial space-based approaches to meet NOAA's observational 
requirements. Now, to supplement the principles established in the 
policy, NESDIS has released the draft NESDIS Commercial Space 
Activities Assessment Process.
    The NESDIS Process lays out the phases of the process that NESDIS 
will follow leading to any potential commercial data acquisition. 
First, NESDIS will release one or more Requests for Information (RFIs) 
to gather a sense of commercial capabilities and convey our interest in 
a new dataset. Based on assessment of the RFI responses, NESDIS will 
then release one or more Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to acquire and 
evaluate commercial data, which will include the data specifications we 
require. Based on RFP responses, NOAA may purchase data from one or 
more vendors for analysis and evaluation through a demonstration 
project.
    Because specifications are unique to each individual dataset, RFPs 
are an appropriate vehicle for sharing data specifications rather than 
through the policy or the process. The RFPs will focus on individual 
systems and allow for an in-depth, detailed description of 
requirements.
    Following the demonstration project and the pending results, NESDIS 
may issue one or more RFPs to purchase on-orbit observations from 
commercial sources for operational use by NOAA.
    These steps are formally outlined in the draft NESDIS Commercial 
Space Activities Assessment Process, which can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NESDIS-2015-0132.
    Both the NOAA Commercial Space Policy and the NESDIS Commercial 
Space Activities Assessment Process firmly establish the principles 
that will guide NOAA's engagement with the commercial sector and the 
practices for how NOAA will assess, pursue, and determine the viability 
of using commercial data. We are actively implementing the activities 
identified in the two documents toward this end. In the near future, we 
plan to share more specific information on individual datasets and 
steps involved in our process. NOAA will use multiple platforms to 
share important information, including RFIs, RFPs, the Office of Space 
Commerce Web site, and ongoing engagement events to promote dialogue 
and transparency.

    Dated: April 1, 2016.
Stephen M. Volz,
Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services.
[FR Doc. 2016-08063 Filed 4-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-HR-P