What is the NOAA Data Strategy?
The 2020 - 2025 NOAA Data Strategy was one of six science and technology strategies guiding transformative advancements in the quality and timeliness of NOAA’s products and services across mission areas. The six strategies included: Data, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Uncrewed Systems (UxS), Citizen Science, and ‘Omics. Since the NOAA Data Strategy was published NOAA has taken a number of steps to meet the stated goals and objectives.
Data Strategy Outcomes
Leadership | Established authorities, roles, organizational structures, and policies to support the management and maximum use of NOAA data assets including the role of the NOAA Chief Data Officer and Assistant Chief Data Officers. |
Governance | Established a NOAA data governance body, updated and consolidated data policies and published the NOAA Data Management Handbook. |
Open Data | Promoted flexible, open data access to meet stakeholder needs while protecting privacy and proprietary interests; and disseminated data with verifiable authenticity, and encourage appropriate attribution by users. |
Capabilities | Increased staff data skills and literacy to expand capacity for critical data-related activities; and optimized the use of collaborative data platforms to minimize costs and improve performance. |
Collaboration | Engaged with data users to share expertise, promote wider use, improve usability, and advance innovation and commercialization; and built partnerships to advance our mission and maximize economic opportunities, intellectual value, and the public good. |
NOAA Data Strategy Update
In recent years, NOAA has witnessed rapid advancements in the technology landscape, particularly in areas of AI and Machine Learning (ML), as well as cloud, cloud computing, and high performance computing (HPC) that render much of the Data Strategy out of date. In January 2025 NOAA formed a cross-discipline team to kick off a technology strategy rapid refresh. The goal of this effort was to coordinate across data, AI, cloud and HPC teams to develop updated, brief, and integrated strategies that build on the success of the strategies published in 2020. With the same two-page template, a common vision statement, and interlinked goals and objectives, the new NOAA technology strategies represent a north star to guide agency modernization.
The draft NOAA Data Strategy vision states: “NOAA data are managed as a strategic asset maximizing openness and transparency, efficiently delivering on NOAA’s mission, stewarding resources while protecting quality, integrity, security, privacy, and confidentiality.” The strategy includes four goals each with a set of objectives.
The four strategy goals focus on:
1) Open Data: NOAA data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) accelerating NOAA data use and impact.
2) AI-Ready: NOAA data re governed and managed strategically to enhance AI-supported, data-driven decision making.
3) Implement Data Services: Robust data services are in place to enhance access to NOAA data across sectors to maximize economic opportunities and build national resilience.
4) Innovation: Prioritize data innovation to ensure NOAA continues to be a global leader in Earth system data stewardship and environmental intelligence.
Publication and public release of the new NOAA Data and AI strategies is expected in 2026.