The National Oceanographic and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) awarded Spire Global a $9.4 million data buy for radio occultation (RO) data for an 8-month period. This award is part of  NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Program for RO data. 

Spire has provided data to the agency since 2016, and also received a $2.8 million contract from NOAA in September to provide data on ocean surface wind speeds. The near-real-time RO data provided by Spire will be used for NOAA’s operational weather forecasts, space weather models and climate research. Spire’s RO data consists of vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements, including pressure, humidity and temperature across.

“The increasing pace of extreme weather events is causing significant harm – impacting individuals, communities, businesses, and the economy at large,” said Chuck Cash, vice president of Federal Sales for Spire. “Through our long-standing relationship with NOAA, we are using space-based radio occultation measurements to address the critical need for accurate weather forecasts globally and help the world better prepare for and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather.”