H. R. 353—10 
information throughout the State, including to county 
and tribal governments; and 
‘‘(B) require matching funds of at least 50 percent, 
from the State, a university, a nongovernmental organiza-
tion, a trade association, or the private sector. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Assistance to an individual State under 
this subsection shall not exceed $100,000 in a fiscal year. 
‘‘(g) COOPERATION FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Each Fed-
eral department and agency shall cooperate as appropriate with 
the Under Secretary in carrying out this section. 
‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of the Weather Research and Forecasting 
Innovation Act of 2017, the Under Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives a report, including— 
‘‘(A) an analysis of the how information from the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on sub-
seasonal and seasonal forecasts, as provided under sub-
section (c), is utilized in public planning and preparedness; 
‘‘(B) specific plans and goals for the continued develop-
ment of the subseasonal and seasonal forecasts and related 
products described in subsection (c); and 
‘‘(C) 
an 
identification 
of 
research, 
monitoring, 
observing, and forecasting requirements to meet the goals 
described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the report under para-
graph (1), the Under Secretary shall consult with relevant 
Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local government agencies, 
research institutions, and the private sector. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) FOUNDATIONAL
FORECAST.—The term ‘foundational 
forecast’ means basic weather observation and forecast data, 
largely in raw form, before further processing is applied. 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL
WEATHER
SERVICE
CORE
PARTNERS.—The 
term ‘National Weather Service core partners’ means govern-
ment and nongovernment entities which are directly involved 
in the preparation or dissemination of, or discussions involving, 
hazardous weather or other emergency information put out 
by the National Weather Service. 
‘‘(3) SEASONAL.—The term ‘seasonal’ means the time range 
between 3 months and 2 years. 
‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means a State, a territory, 
or possession of the United States, including a Commonwealth, 
or the District of Columbia. 
‘‘(5) SUBSEASONAL.—The term ‘subseasonal’ means the time 
range between 2 weeks and 3 months. 
‘‘(6) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘Under Secretary’ means 
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. 
‘‘(7) WEATHER INDUSTRY AND WEATHER ENTERPRISE.—The 
terms ‘weather industry’ and ‘weather enterprise’ are inter-
changeable in this section and include individuals and organiza-
tions from public, private, and academic sectors that contribute 
to the research, development, and production of weather fore-
cast products, and primary consumers of these weather forecast 
products.
H. R. 353—11 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each of fiscal 
years 2017 and 2018, there are authorized out of funds appropriated 
to the National Weather Service, $26,500,000 to carry out the 
activities of this section.’’. 
TITLE III—WEATHER SATELLITE AND 
DATA INNOVATION 
SEC. 301. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 
SATELLITE AND DATA MANAGEMENT. 
(a) SHORT-TERM MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVA-
TIONS.— 
(1) MICROSATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The 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 the date of the 
enactment of this Act— 
(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 fore-
cast 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 SYSTEM.—In 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 sup-
port systems; and 
(B) support the development of real-time data sharing 
products and forecast products in collaboration with the 
regional associations of such system, including contribu-
tions from the private sector, academia, and research 
institutions to ensure timely and accurate use of ocean 
and coastal data in regional forecasts. 
(3) EXISTING MONITORING AND OBSERVATION-CAPABILITY.— 
The Under Secretary shall identify degradation of existing mon-
itoring and observation capabilities that could lead to a reduc-
tion in forecast quality.
H. R. 353—12 
(4) SPECIFICATIONS FOR NEW SATELLITE SYSTEMS OR DATA 
DETERMINED BY OPERATIONAL NEEDS.—In developing specifica-
tions for any satellite systems or data to follow the Joint 
Polar Satellite System, Geostationary Operational Environ-
mental Satellites, and any other satellites, in effect on the 
day before the date of enactment of this Act, the Under Sec-
retary shall ensure the specifications are determined to the 
extent practicable by the recommendations of the reports under 
subsection (b) of this section. 
(b) INDEPENDENT STUDY ON FUTURE OF NATIONAL OCEANIC 
AND
ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION
SATELLITE
SYSTEMS
AND 
DATA.— 
(1) AGREEMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with the National Academy of 
Sciences to perform the services covered by this subsection. 
(B) TIMING.—The Under Secretary shall seek to enter 
into the agreement described in subparagraph (A) before 
September 30, 2018. 
(2) STUDY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement between the 
Under Secretary and the National Academy of Sciences 
under this subsection, the National Academy of Sciences 
shall conduct a study on matters concerning future satellite 
data needs. 
(B) 
ELEMENTS.—In 
conducting 
the 
study 
under 
subparagraph (A), the National Academy of Sciences 
shall— 
(i) develop recommendations on how to make the 
data portfolio of the Administration more robust and 
cost-effective; 
(ii) assess the costs and benefits of moving toward 
a constellation of many small satellites, standardizing 
satellite bus design, relying more on the purchasing 
of data, or acquiring data from other sources or 
methods; 
(iii) identify the environmental observations that 
are essential to the performance of weather models, 
based on an assessment of Federal, academic, and 
private sector weather research, and the cost of 
obtaining the environmental data; 
(iv) identify environmental observations that 
improve the quality of operational and research 
weather models in effect on the day before the date 
of enactment of this Act; 
(v) identify and prioritize new environmental 
observations that could contribute to existing and 
future weather models; and 
(vi) develop recommendations on a portfolio of 
environmental observations that balances essential, 
quality-improving, and new data, private and nonpri-
vate sources, and space-based and Earth-based sources. 
(C) DEADLINE AND REPORT.—In carrying out the study 
under subparagraph (A), the National Academy of Sciences 
shall complete and transmit to the Under Secretary a 
report containing the findings of the National Academy 
of Sciences with respect to the study not later than 2
H. R. 353—13 
years after the date on which the Administrator enters 
into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences 
under paragraph (1)(A). 
(3) ALTERNATE ORGANIZATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—If the Under Secretary is unable 
within the period prescribed in subparagraph (B) of para-
graph (1) to enter into an agreement described in subpara-
graph (A) of such paragraph with the National Academy 
of Sciences on terms acceptable to the Under Secretary, 
the Under Secretary shall seek to enter into such an agree-
ment with another appropriate organization that— 
(i) is not part of the Federal Government; 
(ii) operates as a not-for-profit entity; and 
(iii) has expertise and objectivity comparable to 
that of the National Academy of Sciences. 
(B) TREATMENT.—If the Under Secretary enters into 
an agreement with another organization as described in 
subparagraph (A), any reference in this subsection to the 
National Academy of Sciences shall be treated as a ref-
erence to the other organization. 
(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are author-
ized to be appropriated, out of funds appropriated to National 
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, to 
carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for the period encom-
passing fiscal years 2018 through 2019. 
SEC. 302. COMMERCIAL WEATHER DATA. 
(a) DATA AND HOSTED SATELLITE PAYLOADS.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, the Secretary of Commerce may enter 
into agreements for— 
(1) the purchase of weather data through contracts with 
commercial providers; and 
(2) the placement of weather satellite instruments on 
cohosted government or private payloads. 
(b) STRATEGY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in 
consultation with the Under Secretary, shall submit to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
of the House of Representatives a strategy to enable the 
procurement of quality commercial weather data. The strategy 
shall assess the range of commercial opportunities, including 
public-private partnerships, for obtaining surface-based, avia-
tion-based, and space-based weather observations. The strategy 
shall include the expected cost-effectiveness of these opportuni-
ties as well as provide a plan for procuring data, including 
an expected implementation timeline, from these nongovern-
mental sources, as appropriate. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy shall include— 
(A) an analysis of financial or other benefits to, and 
risks associated with, acquiring commercial weather data 
or services, including through multiyear acquisition 
approaches; 
(B) an identification of methods to address planning, 
programming, budgeting, and execution challenges to such 
approaches, including—