FY '99 NESDIS Budget Request

The following narrative describes the total activities of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and provides a detailed narrative divided to show the Operations, Research and Facilities (ORF) and Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction (PAC) accounts.

NESDIS provides for procurement, launch, and operation of the polar orbiting and geostationary environmental satellites, and management of NOAA's environmental data collections. NESDIS also acquires operational data from non-NOAA environmental satellites that include Department of Defense (DOD) and foreign satellite missions. The satellites provide meteorological data to the National Weather Service (NWS) and other environmental data users. Environmental data and information are collected from NOAA and other sources, disseminated in real time, and archived for future use to meet the needs of users in commerce, industry, agriculture, science and engineering, and Federal, state and local agencies.

NESDIS contributes to the achievement of five of NOAA's Strategic Plan goals: Advance Short-Term Forecast and Warning Services, Implement Seasonal to Interannual Climate Forecasts, Predict and Assess Decadal to Centennial Change, Recover Protected Species, and Sustain Healthy Coasts.

For FY 1999, the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) requests $615.1 million. This reflects program increases of $188.5 million and program decreases of $8.0 million from FY 1998 currently available funding. Of the total amount cited above, $514.8 million is requested in the PAC account.

Detailed Program Changes

Satellite Observing Systems [funded in Operations, Research and Facilities Account] - This subactivity provides for the operation of current polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites, planning for the follow-on Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series and the next series of polar satellites (the tri-agency convergence program), as well as acquiring satellite data from non-NOAA satellites.

NESDIS requests a decrease of $34.0 million in ORF for the converged polar-orbiting satellite system (NPOESS). This decrease reflects the transfer of funding from the ORF to the PAC account for NOAA's share of the converged polar-orbiting satellite system which will succeed the current NOAA satellites and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) of the Department of Defense (DOD) after the current series of satellites have expended their useful lives. This program is a Tri-Agency (NOAA, DOD, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) effort designed to integrate the polar orbiting satellite programs as recommended in the National Performance Review.

An increase of $1.1 million provides $51.5 million to maintain on-going satellite operations and data processing and distribution. This increase will fund non-discretionary labor and non-labor costs increases.

Satellite Observing Systems [Funded in Procurement, Acquisition and Construction Account] - This activity provides funding for the multi-year procurement of spacecraft, launches, and associated ground system changes for the current series of Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), and the Polar Convergence (NPOESS) program.

The FY 1999 request for POES includes an increase of $77.0 million to cover the continuation of NOAA K through N prime spacecraft and additional instruments for the European satellites that will provide morning coverage starting in the early 2000s. This increase is due primarily to the consumption of FY 1997 surplus funding in FY 1998, which had the effect of lowering the new appropriation requirement in FY 1998.

Also included in this account is an increase of $64.7 million for NOAA's share of the NPOESS program due to a transfer of the program from ORF to the PAC account, as well as increased sensor development activities.

The FY 1999 request for the GOES program includes an increase of $74.1 million due primarily to ramp-up of activity in the GOES N-Q spacecraft acquisition portion of the program. Also included, is the continuation of the GOES I through M spacecraft and instrument contracts and launch services. The GOES N-Q spacecraft and launch services contract will be awarded in FY 1998.

Environmental Data Management Systems [funded in Operations, Research and Facilities Account] - NOAA requests a total of $44.9 million in this subactivity for environmental data and information products, services, and assessments in the atmospheric, marine, solid earth, and solar-terrestrial sciences for all of NOAA's programs. The FY 1999 request continues to provide global data and information to commerce, industry, agriculture, science and engineering, the general public, and Federal, state and local governments. Also included in this subactivity is NOAA's ongoing effort to rescue aging data and improve user access to all NOAA maintained environmental data. The FY 1999 request continues to reflect savings anticipated from the implementation of the NOAA Virtual Data System (NVDS) that will modernize existing data and storage systems and vastly increase, streamline and simplify customer access to environmental data. For customers and data users, NVDS will permit ease of access through a single gateway to data stored at the three data centers located at different geographical locations.

Within this subactivity, NOAA requests a decrease of $2.5 million to reflect discontinued funding for the Regional Climate Centers (RCCs). Services provided by the RCCs can, and should be, provided by the private sector.

FY 1999 Budget Request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Executive Summary

TRADITIONAL BUDGET STRUCTURE

National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service

Total Request: $615,128,000 [$100,371,000 Operations, Research & Facilities] [$514,757,000 Procurement, Acquisition & Construction]

Total Request: $615,128,000
[$100,371,000 Operations, Research & Facilities]
[$514,757,000 Procurement, Acquisition & Construction]