ATTACHMENT 1

Microwave Sounder (MWS) Data Buy Statement of Work

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. DATA REQUIREMENTS 2

II.A. DEFINITIONS 2

II.B. OBSERVATION CAPABILITY AND REQUIREMENTS 4

II.C. DESIRED CAPABILITY - HYPERSPECTRAL OBSERVATION 6

III. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS 8

IV. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE 10

V. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 11

VI. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS 12

VII. DATA RIGHTS 12

I. INTRODUCTION

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) relies on timely, accurate environmental observations to support weather forecasting and mission-critical decision-making. Microwave (MW) sounders provide all-weather measurements of atmospheric temperature and moisture and have been a cornerstone of the global numerical weather prediction (NWP) observing system for more than two decades. These observations play a critical role in short-range forecast skill, tropical cyclone tracking, precipitation estimation, and broader environmental monitoring.

Under the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Commercial Data Buy, NOAA is advancing a hybrid-observing architecture that integrates government, international, and commercial MW sounder (MWS) assets. The data buy evaluates available commercial MWS datasets by characterizing data quality and assessing forecast impacts. Results from this work will inform future acquisition strategies and may support sustained commercial data purchases to strengthen NOAA’s operational forecasting missions.

This acquisition seeks access to acquire commercial, near‑real‑time MWS data, including optional hyperspectral observations, from on‑orbit MWS systems. The focus is on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observations suitable for operational data assimilation, short-term forecast improvement, tropical cyclone monitoring, precipitation-related applications, and environmental hazard assessment. Depending on sensor design, MWS may also provide imagery and atmospheric vertical wind profiles. The capabilities described in Section II.B and II.C will provide NOAA with scalable and flexible access to commercial MW data, enhancing forecast accuracy, situational awareness, and NOAA’s role as the Nation’s authoritative source of environmental intelligence.

II. DATA REQUIREMENTS

1. The requirements set forth below define the specific measurement and data delivery requirements for this data buy period. Requirements are categorized as threshold requirements, representing minimum acceptable performance levels, and objective requirements, representing desired performance levels that provide increased utility.

The threshold and objective requirements specified in this document are intended solely for the purposes of this data buy and are not necessarily indicative of requirements that may be established for future contracts, solicitations, or operational systems.

2. The threshold requirements define the minimum acceptable performance levels; failure to meet them may result in no contract award.

3. For the objective requirements, it is understood that contractors may not be able to meet all objective requirements. Contractors proposing to deliver data that do not meet one or more objective requirements during the data delivery period shall clearly identify:

a. the requirement(s) not met,

b. the reason(s) for not meeting the requirement(s), and

c. the expected impact on data quality, operational usability, and evaluation outcomes.

II.A. DEFINITIONS

1. Metadata are structured, descriptive information that document the characteristics of a dataset. They provide essential context about a dataset’s content, origin, purpose, quality (including uncertainty estimates, calibration status, and quality flags), format, spatial and temporal coverage, processing history, and usage constraints. Metadata enables effective data discovery, interpretation, integration, management, and reuse by both humans and machines. Accurate, complete, and standards-compliant metadata are critical for operational traceability, reliability, and interoperability within NOAA’s data enterprise and across the broader scientific community.

For additional guidance on metadata standards and practices, see NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI):

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/resources/metadata/introduction-to-metadata-at-ncei

2. NOAA Data Processing Level Definitions:

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/resources/metadata/introduction-to-metadata-at-ncei

Table 1. NOAA Data Processing Level

Data Level Description Microwave Sounder Examples

Level 0

Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument and payload data at full resolution, with any and all communications artifacts (e.g., synchronization frames, communications headers, duplicate data) removed.

Raw detector counts from each microwave channel, time stamps for each scan line, scan geometry and sensor view angles, instrument telemetry.

Level 1A (L1A)

Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument data at full resolution, time-referenced, and annotated with ancillary information. This ancillary information can include instrument status, radiometric and geometric calibration coefficients and georeferencing parameters (e.g., platform ephemeris).

Uncalibrated digital counts with associated timestamp, scan-angle information. Key instrument telemetry.

Level 1B (L1B)

Calibrated and geolocated radiance data at full resolution in physical units such as brightness temperatures. Sensor measurements are converted using onboard calibration parameters.

Brightness temperature data mapped to Earth location (latitude, longitude).

Level 1C (L1C)

Resampled and geolocated brightness temperature data projected onto a standard Earth grid, enabling multi-sensor analysis and model ingestion.

Brightness temperatures gridded to a fixed Earth coordinate system for model assimilation.

Level 2 (L2) Geophysical data products derived from L1B or L1C at the sensor’s native resolution. These are science data products used in targeted applications.

Vertical temperature and moisture profiles, surface temperature, or precipitation rate estimates, etc

3. The latency of a data product is defined as the difference between the time the instrument acquires data in orbit and the receipt of the data into the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF).

4. Satellite data availability is the percentage of satellite‑generated data that, during a given time period, is accessible, usable, and delivered as expected to users. It reflects the overall capability of the satellite system—including onboard sensors, communication links, ground stations, and processing infrastructure—to provide data continuously and without interruption.

II.B. OBSERVATION CAPABILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

The following section contains the threshold requirements for the MWS observation capability and data in Table 3.

1. The Contractor shall supply Microwave Sounder (MWS) L1B/L1C observation data from one or more on-orbit satellites. Derived products may be provided additionally, but cannot replace the required radiances. These data will support all-weather atmospheric temperature and moisture profiling, as well as tropical cyclone observations, and related operational applications.

2. Geophysical Products driving MW Sensor Data Products:

a. Atmospheric Vertical Temperature Profile - All Weather

b. Atmospheric Vertical Moisture Profile - All Weather

c. Precipitation - contributor

d. Atmospheric Vertical Wind Profile - contributor

e. Select Land & Hydrology Products - contributor

3. Table 2 serves as general guidance for the desired spectral coverage for MWS data. These coverages are based on prior Government analyses and are intended to support the use of advanced MWS technologies while mitigating risks associated with microwave radio‑frequency interference (RFI).

Contractors shall select channels to maximize information content, with bandwidths appropriate for achieving the required range and vertical resolution of moisture and temperature sounding. For temperature‑ and moisture‑sounding channels, bandwidths should generally align with those used by ATMS for comparable channels. Additional channels may be used to increase vertical resolution through appropriately spaced weighting functions, but not all of the channels below are required.

All spectral acquisitions shall remain within Earth exploration‑satellite service (EESS) allocations, as defined in the FCC Online Table of Frequency Allocations, to ensure regulatory compliance and maintain system performance.

Table 2. Spectral Guidance for MWS Radiance Observations

Band (Function) Description Primary Use

K, KA

(Window)

Cloud, Ice, Precipitation Measure surface emissivity and Total Precipitable Water (TPW) and cloud liquid water https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-2/subpart-B/section-2.106

V, F (Temperature)

V band (50 – 60 GHz) and F band near 118 GHz contain O2 absorptions sensitive to atmospheric profile of temperatures;

52-54 GHz crucial for determining precipitation type (rain vs. snowfall)

Vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature; temperature mapping as a function of altitude Includes channels to measure surface temperature

G (Moisture)

G band near 183 GHz is dominated by water vapor absorptions, used for profiling atmospheric water vapor;

also sensitive to ice scattering and can be used to retrieve precipitation

Vertical profiles of atmospheric moisture and relative humidity;

moisture mapping at multiple altitudes; precipitation (rain and snowfall)

W, D (Window)

Used to sense near Earth’s surface and precipitation such as rain and snowfall rate

Improves temperature and moisture sensing near the Earth’s surface via sensing surface properties and the scattering signals are unique for acquiring precipitation

J (Window)

Cloud, Ice, Precipitation Experimental alternative to relatively lower frequencies with higher spatial resolution and better scattering contrast signals

Table 3 presents the recommended observational requirements for microwave sensors that most directly affect temperature and moisture sounding performance. The Contractor shall meet or exceed these requirements. The Noise Equivalent Delta Temperature (NEDT) guidance here refers to the overall noise level of the channels. Particular attention should also be paid to the striping effect, which should be minimized as much as possible (or eliminated) when designing the sensor.

The Contractor shall provide data covering at least 75% of the region, averaged over the platform’s orbital coverage for the designated period. Measurement stability and the ability to maintain required performance of the sensor is essential

Table 3. MW Sounder Threshold Observational and Data Quality Requirements

Requirement Type

Performance Area Threshold Requirement Reference

Channels for direct Temperature Sounding

Spectral channels enabling direct temperature sounding Table 1

Observation Channels for direct Moisture Sounding

Spectral channels enabling direct moisture sounding

Table 1

Data

Nadir Horizontal Resolution ≤ 32 km for Temperature ≤ 16 km for Moisture

L1B Data Product Latency ≤ 60 minutes —

NEDT for Temperature sounding channels Better than ATMS-level NEDT x 2 —

Noise level NEDT for Moisture sounding channels Better than ATMS-level NEDT x 2 —

Radiometric Calibration accuracy

1 K - 2 K depending on channels

II.C. DESIRED CAPABILITY - HYPERSPECTRAL OBSERVATION

The following are the objective requirements for the Hyperspectral MW capability.

Table 4 provides guidance for hyperspectral MW Sounder capabilities with prioritization. This capability is an optional requirement for the current data buy, and any resulting award for these services is subject to final mission needs and budgetary approval. These priorities are intended to help engineers and designers understand which sensor features have the greatest impact on global NWP performance. This guidance is not meant to be restrictive. It is intended to support informed engineering decisions, allow flexibility for technology maturation, and enable cost-effective solutions while maintaining the performance necessary for operational weather prediction.

Table 4. Guidance of Hyperspectral MW Sounder Instrument Capabilities

Priority Performance Factor Objective Target

1 Channels for Temperature Sounding Hyperspectral capability for both ranges

(≥ 20 channels) within 50.2-50.4 GHz and/or 52.6-59.3 GHz And (≥ 10 channels) within 114.25-122.25 GHz

2 Channels for Moisture sounding

Hyperspectral capability (≥ 10 Channels) within 174.8-191.8 GHz

Channels for cloud, precipitation, ice detection for direct all-sky assimilation and NWP

Channels at 23.8, 31.4, 88.2, 165.5, and 229 GHz Trade space for (a) hyperspectral capability: 22-23 GHz, 31-37 GHz, 86-92 GHz, and (b) additional channels 200-

209 and 226-231.5 GHz for cloud/precipitation detection and surface signal distinction

Noise Level Noise Equivalent

Differential Temperature (NEDT) for Temperature sounding channels

^ATMS-type NEDT levels (ATMS_NEDT) or better

Noise level NEDT for Moisture sounding channels ^ATMS-type NEDT levels (ATMS_NEDT) or better

Spatial horizontal resolution (at nadir) ATMS-type spatial horizontal resolution or better

(32 km (T), 16 km (q))

7 Spatial sampling Contiguous footprints (or better)

Oversampling (Spatial Nyquist sampling at a minimum) to allow higher spatial resolution

8 Polarization Single linear polarization for low frequencies

(18,22,37 GHz or equivalent)

9 Heritage Channels Continuity Similar to ATMS, TROPICS*, MWS

10 Calibration accuracy

0.75 K-1 K depending on channels

(0.4K max non-linearity)

*Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats.

Future microwave sounders are expected to incorporate hyperspectral capabilities to enable increased science return and enhanced radio frequency interference (RFI) detection. The frequency ranges listed in Table 5 include both the science function and the extended region of interest for RFI detection. These capabilities are provided as guidance only to inform industry of potential directions for future acquisitions and technology maturation. They do not constitute requirements for the current data buy effort.

Offerors are reminded that the only binding technical requirements for this data buy are the threshold requirements identified in Table 3. Proposed solutions will be evaluated solely against those threshold requirements and the evaluation criteria specified in this solicitation.

Table 5: Prioritization of MW Sounder Hyperspectral Capabilities

Frequency Bands1

Hyperspectral Capability

RFI Detection Capability

Hyperspectral Resolution (MHz)

K (20-25 GHz) Objective Baseline4 ≤ 10[5]

Ka (31-33 GHz) Objective Baseline4 ≤ 10[5]

V (50-62 GHz) Baseline2 Baseline4 ≤1 between 56-58 GHz ≤ 10 outside of 56-58 GHz[5]

W (85-92 GHz) Baseline Baseline4 ≤ 20[5]

F (108-123 GHz) Baseline2 Objective ≤ 20

D (164-167 GHz) Objective Objective N/A

G (173-193 GHz) Baseline3 Objective ≤ 100

J (200-235 GHz) Objective Objective N/A

Note 1: Instrument design may cover a subset of frequency range associated with a letter designation. The frequency range is not prescribing the precise start and stop frequencies or bandwidths.

Note 2: Capability required for Temperature Sounding (Table 4 Factor 1).

Note 3: Capability required for Moisture Sounding (Table 4 Factor 2).

Note 4: RFI detection capability required for continuous operational use.

Note 5: RFI detection capability required for diagnostic purposes only.

III. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

The Government will evaluate each data delivery package for acceptance upon receipt.

Acceptance is contingent upon the Contractor meeting all applicable threshold requirements specified in this contract, including but not limited to data completeness, format compliance, and successful performance of a continuous seven (7) calendar day data stream with no critical errors or interruptions. If a delivery package is rejected, the Government will provide written notification within 5 business days of receipt and will identify the deficiencies. The Contractor shall then correct and resubmit the package within 5 business days at no additional cost to the Government. Acceptance of re-delivered data packets will occur only upon written confirmation by the Government.

Contractors shall supply data and metadata that meets the following requirements:

1. The data delivery process along with file naming conventions, data formats, and metadata formats shall follow standard NESDIS methods and protocols. The Contractor shall deliver all files for secure ingest to the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF) in accordance with the NESDIS Cloud System Data Ingest and Data Distribution Services ICD or alternative secure ingest methods such as the NESDIS Innovation Hub cloud services.

2. The data descriptor files shall conform to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19115-1:2014 and applicable amendments (content) and ISO 19139-1:2019 and applicable amendments (XML schema) standards.

3. Data shall be provided only from instruments on satellites with an assigned World Meteorological Organization (WMO) satellite identifier or a unique, internationally recognized identifier such as the COSPAR ID.

4. The Contractor shall deliver Level 1 data products in formats and data content fully compatible with NOAA’s operational processing and assimilation systems, such as those used for Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS).

5. While this work primarily focuses on data quality and operational usability, all deliveries are expected to meet a target of at least 70% average data availability at the constellation level, calculated on a daily basis. This availability accounts for routine maintenance, calibration activities, and orbital dynamics, and ensures that the spacecraft are capable of supporting NOAA’s needs.

6. The Contractor shall, to the greatest extent possible, maintain continuous and contiguous near‑real‑time delivery of data collected during science observations to ensure a complete and uninterrupted data record. At a minimum, the Contractor must have the capability to provide continuous and contiguous data along-track for one satellite. One satellite of data represents the minimum ordering quantity.

7. The L1B product latency of microwave soundings delivered by the Contractor shall meet or exceed the required latency as specified in Table 3.

8. The Contractor shall ensure cross-platform data consistency across their constellation of commercial microwave sounder instruments. All instruments shall support "mix-and-match" interoperability, enabling seamless integration of radiance data regardless of satellite platform.

9. In the event of data anomalies or as requested by the Government, the Contractor shall provide Level 0 data spanning 1 to 3 months to support diagnostic analysis and root cause https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/s3/2024-01/474-00001-01_JPSS-CDFCB-X-Vol-I_F.pdf https://www.iso.org/home.html https://www.iso.org/home.html investigation and/or to perform independent calibration/validation by the Government or its designated representatives.

10. The Contractor shall provide all necessary technical documentation to support data understanding, usage, and validation. At a minimum, this shall include:

a. Algorithm Theoretical Basis Documents (ATBDs) – Describing the scientific rationale, processing methodology, and assumptions underlying data generation algorithms.

b. Documentation and data files to support characterization, quality control, and calibration/validation activities, including but not limited to:

i. Spectral response functions.

ii. Polarization information.

iii. Limb correction coefficients.

iv. Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) coefficients for each sensor.

c. Pre-launch and on-orbit calibration reports.

d. Documentation of quality control flags and calibration/validation indicators.

e. User guides and detailed data specification documents.

f. Description of instrument(s) used in the data acquisition and their sampling characteristics.

g. Pre-launch characterization and calibration as well as on-board calibration and stability metrics for each instrument.

11. The Contractor may provide Level-1B data in BUFR format. The BUFR data shall conform to current WMO standards and shall meet all applicable NOAA operational data formatting, validation, and ingest requirements, as defined by the Government.

The Contractor is required to deliver all data according to threshold requirements. Failure to deliver data, or delivery of data that does not meet threshold requirements, shall result in suspension of acceptance, corrective action requests, withholding of payment, or termination of the contract for non-performance.

IV. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE

In accordance with CAR Clause 1352.201‑72, a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will be designated at contract award. The COR may provide technical direction and has the authority to accept deliverables. The COR is not authorized to make commitments, obligate the Government, or authorize any changes affecting the contract price, terms, or conditions. Any Contractor request for changes must be referred to the Contracting Officer, either directly or through the

COR, and no changes shall be made without the express written authorization of the Contracting Officer.

A Project Manager (PM) will also be designated at award. The PM is responsible for day-to-day coordination of contract activities, monitoring cost, schedule, performance, and risks, and providing progress updates to the Government. The PM may perform technical oversight and facilitate communication between the Contractor and the Government; however, the PM does not have authority to represent the Contracting Officer or bind the Government and cannot change, waive, add, or request any modifications to the specifications or performance requirements of the contract.

V. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The total period of performance is approximately 12 months from award Phase 1: Preparation – 3 months Phase 2: Data Delivery / Observation Period – 6 or 12 months (see below) Phase 3: Data Evaluation Period – 3 months

For vendors whose data was previously evaluated with NOAA/NESDIS CDP, the data delivery period will be considered for 12 months, and they may proceed directly to Phase 2, bypass the Phase 1 Preparation Phase and also skip the Phase 3 Evaluation Period. Vendors whose data has not been previously evaluated will be considered for a 6-month data delivery period and must complete all phases.

The Contractor shall participate in a post-award kick-off meeting, no later than 2 weeks after award.

Phase 1: Preparation – 3 Months During this initial phase, the Contractor shall provide all necessary technical documentation, including but not limited to data format specifications, sample data, and other information required for data ingestion and processing. Delivery mechanisms and data handling procedures will be communicated to the Contractor. The Contractor shall provide engineering support as needed to enable Government acquisition and processing of the supplied datasets.

Additionally, the Contractor shall deliver 24 hours of sample data for testing and adjustment of delivery and data flow processes.

Phase 2: Data Delivery – 12 Months During this phase, the Contractor shall provide a series of data deliveries over a period of 6 to 12 months, in accordance with the requirements specified in this document. The start and end date/time of this delivery period will be coordinated with the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Phase 3: Evaluation – 3 Months In the final phase, the Contractor shall be available for limited engineering or technical support as needed for problem resolution and technical assistance, while the Government evaluates the supplied datasets.

VI. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with CAR 1352.239-72, section (i). The Contractor may request COR approval of alternate security accreditation methodologies for compliance with section (i) including: information security assessment methodology promulgated by the U.S Federal Government (specifically, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-37, NIST SP 800- 53, and NIST SP 800-171), or internationally recognized private industry information technology (IT) security frameworks (such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 27033, 27001, 27006 and 27002, or Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT)).

The Contractor will provide an analysis for alternative methodologies compared to SP 800-53 high impact baseline identifying any gaps.

The Contractor shall deliver files to NOAA ingest using either Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) (preferred) or Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). The Contractor shall use a data integrity method compliant with the NESDIS Cloud System Data Ingest and Data Distribution Services Interface Control Document (ICD) and approved by NOAA.

VII. DATA RIGHTS

Per this contract, the Contractor grants NOAA a perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and create NOAA derived and value-added products with the data, in any manner and for any purpose, and to authorize others to do so on its behalf (including other contractors and recipients of financial assistance awards).

Furthermore, the Contractor shall provide NOAA the right to distribute all Contractor-provided data to all U.S. Government agencies, foreign government partners, including National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO-designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers, and members of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, and also university research centers and other entities responsible for national meteorological, space weather, or hydrological services, immediately after receipt at NOAA, for non-commercial use but not for further distribution. The Contractor shall provide NOAA the right to distribute NOAA derived and value-added products, to include Level 2 and higher-level products, to any entity immediately after product creation with no restrictions on their use or further distribution.

In addition to data deliveries, the Government requests specific documentation to support understanding, usage, and validation of the data. Contractors shall define the distribution rights for the documentation required. All documentation provided that is marked as 'Proprietary' or 'Confidential'—including detailed instrument specifications and satellite engineering data—shall be treated as vendor-proprietary. NOAA agrees to protect such documentation from unauthorized disclosure and will not share, publish, or distribute it to non-NOAA entities or third parties without the express written consent of the Contractor.

NOAA will ensure that any non-NOAA entity receiving restricted data, including documentation, is made aware of the identified use and distribution restrictions associated with the data sharing rights specified in this contract. If NOAA becomes aware that an entity is not adhering to those restrictions, NOAA will seek to ensure compliance, and if unsuccessful, may terminate the entity’s access to the data. NOAA, however, has no additional obligations under this contract related to data use by third parties. In no event is NOAA liable to the contractor for third party use or release of contractor data.