The risks of contracting the acquisition and processing of the nation's weather and climate data to the private sector

Yolande L. Serra, Jennifer S. Haase, David K. Adams, Qiang Fu, Thomas P. Ackerman, M. Joan Alexander, Avelino Arellano, Larissa Back, Shu-Hua Chen, Kerry Emanuel, Zeljka Fuchs, Zhiming Kuang, Benjamin R. Lintner, Brian Mapes, David Neelin, David Raymond, Adam H. Sobel, Paul W. Staten, Aneesh Subramanian, David W. J. ThompsonGabriel Vecchi, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debate

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We are deeply concerned with the trend toward the purchase of commercial weather and climate data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other government agencies that may follow. One major concern is for the stability of both the raw and processed forms of these datasets as commercial enterprises come and go. Also of concern is the loss of free, publicly available data, which provide the backbone for much of the non-profit research at universities, government laboratories, and other nonprofit organizations. Related to this latter point is the questionable practice of private companies gaining the rights over data

We are deeply concerned with the trend toward the purchase of commercial weather and climate data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other government agencies that may follow. One major concern is for the stability of both the raw and processed forms of these datasets as commercial enterprises come and go. Also of concern is the loss of free, publicly available data, which provide the backbone for much of the non-profit research at universities, government laboratories, and other nonprofit organizations. Related to this latter point is the questionable practice of private companies gaining the rights over data
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)869–870
Number of pages2
JournalBulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Volume99
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2018

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