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15 U.S. Code § 8531. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite and data management
(a) Short-term management of environmental observations
(1) Microsatellite constellations
(A) In generalThe Under Secretary shall complete and operationalize the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate–1 and Climate–2 (COSMIC) in effect on the day before April 18, 2017—
(i)
by deploying constellations of microsatellites in both the equatorial and polar orbits;
(ii)
by integrating the resulting data and research into all national operational and research weather forecast models; and
(iii)
by ensuring that the resulting data of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s COSMIC–1 and COSMIC–2 programs are free and open to all communities.
(B) Annual reports
Not less frequently than once each year until the Under Secretary has completed and operationalized the program described in subparagraph (A) pursuant to such subparagraph, the Under Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the status of the efforts of the Under Secretary to carry out such subparagraph.
(2) Integration of ocean and coastal data from the Integrated Ocean Observing SystemIn National Weather Service Regions where the Director of the National Weather Service determines that ocean and coastal data would improve forecasts, the Director, in consultation with the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service, shall—
(A)
integrate additional coastal and ocean observations, and other data and research, from the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) into regional weather forecasts to improve weather forecasts and forecasting decision support systems;
(B)
support the development of real-time data sharing products and forecast products in collaboration with the regional associations of such system, including contributions from the private sector, academia, and research institutions to ensure timely and accurate use of ocean and coastal data in regional forecasts; and
(C)
support increasing use of autonomous, mobile surface, sub-surface, and submarine vehicle ocean and fresh water sensor systems and the infrastructure necessary to share and analyze these data in real-time and feed them into predictive early warning systems.
(3) Existing monitoring and observation-capability
The Under Secretary shall identify degradation of existing monitoring and observation capabilities that could lead to a reduction in forecast quality.