Christine Thropp
Spire Global has secured a contract from NOAA to supply the agency with radio occultation weather data that it will use to enhance the accuracy of its national weather prediction models and lessen forecasting uncertainties.
The order for Level 0 and Level 1 RO profiles was made under NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Buy Program to support operational Numerical Weather Prediction models, the company said Tuesday.
Spire will provide the agency with 3,000 radio occultation profiles everyday for the order duration of six months. The data will be gathered from the company’s satellite constellation.
The volume is the largest order to date and aligns with NOAA’s plan to increase RO data purchase quantities.
“As we see the effects of global warming impacting our weather patterns and events across the globe daily, the U.S. has a duty to its citizens to increase its weather forecasting capabilities… By providing data and analytics to NOAA’s weather prediction models, we know we can strengthen those models,” said Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire.
Spire is a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services. Its constellation is capable of providing over 10,000 profiles a day. Aside from NOAA, the company also delivers data to the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
