The NOAA/NESDIS Commercial Data Program (CDP) annual Industry Day drew 355 attendees from more than 160 companies to hear of opportunities for the private sector to support NOAA’s weather observation and prediction mission. Taylor Jordan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, kicked off the presentation with remarks covering NOAA’s strategy to leverage the rapid acceleration of commercial Earth observation capabilities. Irene Parker, Acting Assistant Administrator for NESDIS, delivered an overview of the agency’s overall strategy to collect weather data not just from its own satellites, but also from missions flown by partnering international and federal agencies. Natalie Laudier, CDP Program Manager, spoke about CDP’s objectives to support NOAA’s observational requirements, pilot projects to test microwave sounding and wildfire imagery capabilities, and NOAA’s expansion of operational data purchases. More information, including presentation slides, can be found here.
Commercial Data Program Draws Major Private Sector Engagement with Industry Day
May 6, 2026