INDUSTRY DAY: NOAA'S Commercial Data Program 2026

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically its National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Systems Architecture and Engineering, published this Special Notice on March 13, 2026, to announce an Industry Day event for its Commercial Data Program (CDP). This was a virtual event held on April 9, 2026, from 1:00-2:30pm Eastern Time via Adobe Connect. NESDIS leadership provided a status update on the program's future plans and objectives to interested industry participants. The posting was subsequently updated on April 13, 2026, to include presentation slides and responses to questions from the Industry Day. This Special Notice represents a community engagement opportunity for vendors and stakeholders interested in supporting NOAA's satellite data acquisition initiatives.

The Commercial Data Program aims to acquire commercial space-based environmental observation data to diversify and improve NOAA's observational capabilities in support of weather forecasting and environmental monitoring. NESDIS operates through a hybrid acquisition strategy of "Buy and Partner where we can, Build what we must," leveraging government-owned systems, commercial data, and international partnerships. Key procurement opportunities discussed include the new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) IDIQ contract with a $2.3 billion estimated value and ten-year ordering potential (five-year base plus five-year option), with RFP release targeted for April 24, 2026; the Microwave Sounder Data Buy with RFP released April 2, 2026 and proposals due April 22, 2026; and the Wildfire Imagery Pilot with RFP released April 7, 2026 and proposals due April 30, 2026. The SBEM IDIQ is open and full competition with a reserve for small businesses, requiring vendors to submit concurrent proposals for both the IDIQ solicitation and Task Order 1. Active operational programs include Radio Occultation data purchases at $35.5 million annually, and the government encourages vendors to minimize cancellation fees in multiyear proposals to maximize funding for actual data acquisition.