NGES Technology Integration: Pilot Project and Proof of Concepts

NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) performed a Ground Enterprise Study (NGES) to identify the most capable and cost-effective ground architecture(s) for NESDIS to invest in for near-, mid-, and long-term success of its mission. The NGES tactical results were published in spring 2023 and vetted through the NESDIS offices for negotiation and acceptance of the path forward for implementation. The study’s key recommendations included outsourcing certain aspects of missions operations and implementing commercial space-to-ground operations.

Following the publication of these key findings and marking the beginning of the ground enterprise architecture implementation phase, NESDIS released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) in April 2023 to solicit white paper ideas from industry.

Specifically, the BAAs will explore technologies for:

• Designing a Microwave Sensor with Simultaneous Imaging and Sounding Capabilities (MSSIS);
• Ground Processing Demonstrations; and
• Detection, Characterizing, and Mitigation of Passive Sensor Data Corrupting Emissions (DMiPS).

These emerging technologies are to be investigated for their value in enhancing a variety of NOAA’s systems including Numerical Weather Prediction and satellite ground processing. The BAAs are a critical step in assessing possibilities for the future and not tied to a particular mission or end need.

The authors will discuss the scope of awards, what we hope to learn from those activities and how they tie into the long term strategic vision for the enterprise ground architecture of the future.