Private Companies Are Now Gathering Weather Data for NOAA

Private Companies Are Now Gathering Weather Data for NOAA

WindBorne Systems is one of several companies launching balloons, drones, buoys, and other devices to provide critical data to the beleaguered agency’s National Weather Service, but they can’t fill all the gaps.

Private Firms Use Balloons, Drones to Bridge NOAA Weather Data Gaps

In the face of severe staffing shortages at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a cadre of innovative private companies is emerging as unlikely saviors for America’s weather forecasting infrastructure. Startups like WindBorne Systems are deploying high-altitude balloons, drones, and ocean buoys to collect atmospheric data that NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) increasingly struggles to gather on its own. This shift co…