[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 165 (Monday, August 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68397-68398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19131]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Request for Public Comment on NOAA Commercial Data Buys Guidance

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for information (RFI).

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[[Page 68398]]

SUMMARY: The Chief Data Officer within NOAA OCIO seeks information from 
interested parties regarding NOAA Observing System Council (NOSC) 2024 
Guidance for NOAA Commercial Data Buys, a framework document developed 
for NOAA programs and offices that describes considerations for NOAA's 
engagements with the commercial sector on commercial data buy 
opportunities from all sources that contribute to environmental 
intelligence.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before September 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The public may submit written comments on issues addressed 
in this notification by the following method:
     Email: Comments may be submitted by email to 
[email protected].
    A copy of NOAA Guidance for Commercial Data Buys may be downloaded 
or viewed at: https://nosc.noaa.gov/commercial_data_buys_guidance.php.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Attachments will 
be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF formats only. 
Respondents need not reply to all questions listed. Each individual or 
institution is requested to submit only one response. All comments 
received are part of the public record and may be posted, without 
change, on a Federal website. All identifying information (e.g., name, 
address) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly 
accessible. NOAA, therefore, requests that no business proprietary 
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable 
information be submitted in response to this RFI. Please note that the 
U.S. Government will not pay for response preparation, or for the use 
of any information contained in the response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NOAA has long met its mission through collaboration and 
partnerships with the broader enterprise. In order to respond to an 
ever-growing supply and demand for environmental information, NOAA 
recognizes the need to increasingly harness the opportunities of a 
rapidly growing commercial sector to complement and potentially 
increase its current observational capabilities, as environmental data 
sources from the private sector are expanding.
    The NOSC established a task team to develop Guidance for NOAA 
Commercial Data Buys, a framework document for NOAA programs and 
offices that describes considerations for NOAA's engagements with the 
commercial sector on commercial data buy opportunities from all sources 
that contribute to environmental intelligence. This guidance is 
essential to ensure data quality and technical requirements are met, 
mission and supply chain risks are mitigated, and current data sharing 
commitments with national partners, international partners, and 
downstream private sector entities are honored. Ensuring a consistent 
approach across NOAA in working with commercial data providers is also 
important to maintain the high fidelity of NOAA services and to clearly 
communicate NOAA's plans to industry.

Discussion Points To Inform the NOAA Commercial Data Buys Guidance

    NOAA seeks response to this guidance as feedback, with discussion 
on the following points,* to the extent feasible:
    1. What does this guidance enable for you as a provider of 
commercial data or a user of commercial data? What opportunities does 
it introduce?
    2. What challenges would this guidance introduce for you and why?
    3. What do you feel NOAA is not considering?
    * Note: Only comments in response to the above questions will be 
considered. NOAA is not soliciting comments or feedback on items of an 
editorial nature or NOAA processes.
    Please note that this is an RFI only. In accordance with the 
implementing regulations of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
specifically 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(4), this general solicitation is exempt 
from the PRA. Facts or opinions submitted in response to general 
solicitations of comments from the public, published in the Federal 
Register or other publications, regardless of the form or format 
thereof, provided that no person is required to supply specific 
information pertaining to the commenter, other than that necessary for 
self-identification, as a condition of the agency's full consideration, 
are not generally considered information collections and therefore not 
subject to the PRA.

    Dated: August 21, 2024.
Anthony Andrew LaVoi,
Chief Data Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-19131 Filed 8-23-24; 8:45 am]
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