The NOAA Long-Term Requirements Process In Support of the US Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (Formerly Paper 14.1)

With the publication of the Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy, Civil Agency Implementation Plan on December 12, 2003, NOAA agreed to lead the civil agency process for collecting and documenting civil agency space-based long-term requirements. NOAA is working with all civil agencies to call for, synthesize, and report on long-term data requirements that may drive development of future commercial opportunities, and has established a long-term data requirements process to identify, characterize, verify, and validate Earth observation requirements on behalf of all civil agencies. On April 25, 2003, the U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP) was signed by the President, formally recognizing that vital national security, foreign policy, economic and civil interests all depend on the U.S. ability to remotely observe Earth from space. A fundamental goal of U.S. commercial remote sensing space policy is to advance and protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining the nation's leadership in remote sensing space activities, and by sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry.

NOAA's goal is to collect and document a relevant sampling of all civil agency Earth observation requirements by the end of 2005, and determine which of these requirements could potentially be addressed by commercial remote sensing capabilities. The following federal civil agencies have begun to identify their long-term requirements for Earth environmental observations: Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Transportation. NOAA will work with all federal civil agencies to both incorporate their requirements for Earth observations into a comprehensive relational database tool for documentation, analysis and updating and link to NOAA's Consolidated Observational Requirements List (CORL). Ultimately, the CORL will help NOAA create a more efficient national integrated observing system responsive to civil agency user needs and leveraging planned technology development. This requirements-based approach and integrated observing system will enable the US Government, in partnership with commercial industry, to transition from a heritage of stove-piped, technology-driven, platform-oriented process and towards an integrated, user needs driven, end-to-end systems oriented architecture.