This performance measure tracks the ability of forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction (SWPC) to accurately predict geomagnetic storms, which potentially disrupt power systems, spacecraft operations, and navigation systems. The NOAA geomagnetic storm scale (G-scale) ranges from the G1 or minor level where weak power grid fluctuations can occur to the G5 or extreme level. During a G5 event, where aurora may be visible over most of the United States, the power grid can experience equipment damage causing system collapse or blackout; significant satellite damage can occur; and global positioning systems may be inaccurate or temporarily unavailable. Geomagnetic Storm Forecast Accuracy is a percentage that reflects the amount of time that the SWPC geomagnetic storm forecast is correct over a 24-hour period. The 24 hour geomagnetic storm forecast is considered accurate if a G1 or greater storm event was correctly predicted. This calculation also includes geomagnetic storms which were not forecast. This measure is verified based on ground-based magnetometer observations. This measure is averaged over the 60 most recent geomagnetic storms to maintain statistical significance.

The public, private sectors, emergency managers, and government institutions at all levels in this country and abroad use NOAA tropical cyclone forecasts to make decisions regarding the protection of life and property. This goal measures the difference between the projected and actual location of the center of tropical cyclones in nautical miles (nm) for the Atlantic Basin, averaged over all the 48- hour forecasts occurring during the calendar year (CY). * Data for a given CY are not available until April of the following CY.

The indicator tracks the percentage of progress made toward achieving full operating capability of the Commerce Department’s SSA function. The milestones account for multiple developments including expansion of human resources, establishment of Commerce personnel at thThis indicator tracks the percentage of progress made toward achieving full operating capability of the Commerce Department’s SSA function under presidential Space Policy Directive 3. The milestones account for multiple developments including expansion of human resources, deepening collaboration with the Department of Defense and other stakeholders, establishment of an open architecture data repository for SSA information sharing with industry, providing a proving ground for controlled experimentation and collaboration with academia, and declarations of initial and full operational capability.e Defense Department’s existing SSA operations center, development of data standards and an open architecture data repository for SSA information sharing with industry, demonstration and testing of DOD data dissemination and fusion, and declaration of operational capability. Space Policy Directive-3 requires the Department’s new SSA function to achieve full operating capability by 2024.

This measures the number of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) executed. A CRADA is a written agreement between a private company and NOAA to work together on a project. A CRADA allows NOAA and non-Federal partners to optimize their resources, share technical expertise in a protected environment, share intellectual property emerging from the effort, and speed the commercialization of NOAA developed technology. The CRADA, which is not an acquisition or procurement vehicle, is designed to be a relatively easy mechanism to implement, requiring less time and effort to initiate than previous methods for working with non-government organizations.

Precipitation forecasts and other foundational general weather guidance developed by the Weather Prediction Center are used extensively by the weather enterprise. This performance measure tracks the ability of the weather forecasters of NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) to predict accurately the occurrence of one inch or more of precipitation (rain or the water equivalent of melted snow or ice pellets) twenty-four hours in advance across the contiguous U.S. This information is used by government entities, economic sectors, and the general public to manage daily lives and activities and make resource decisions.

The measure is a proxy for the useful forecast lead time of the GFS beyond the current forecasts skill and is computed as a three-year moving average over the range of forecast days into the future. It is defined as the day (including fractional day) that the value drops below 0.6 in the deterministic GFS forecast. Dropping below 0.6 indicates the point at which a forecast loses useful skill. Extending lead time in prediction of future weather events allows people to make informed choices and enables protection of life, property, and enhancement of the National economy. Target is measured in days.

This indicator tracks the Office of Space Commerce’s production or implementation of new business instruments that support the needs of the U.S. commercial space industry. These include government/industry workshops, online tools, markets studies, and reports.

The indicator tracks the percentage of progress made toward achieving full operating capability of the Commerce Department’s SSA function. The milestones account for multiple developments including expansion of human resources, establishment of Commerce personnel at thThis indicator tracks the percentage of progress made toward achieving full operating capability of the Commerce Department’s SSA function under presidential Space Policy Directive 3. The milestones account for multiple developments including expansion of human resources, deepening collaboration with the Department of Defense and other stakeholders, establishment of an open architecture data repository for SSA information sharing with industry, providing a proving ground for controlled experimentation and collaboration with academia, and declarations of initial and full operational capability.e Defense Department’s existing SSA operations center, development of data standards and an open architecture data repository for SSA information sharing with industry, demonstration and testing of DOD data dissemination and fusion, and declaration of operational capability. Space Policy Directive-3 requires the Department’s new SSA function to achieve full operating capability by 2024.

The measure captures the count of significant and discrete OAR research and development products that have transitioned to development, demonstration, or an application. Products include transitions occurring within OAR and applying group(s) outside of OAR. This includes research, development, and demonstration performed and supported by OAR as well as utilization of OAR R&D products by external parties.

The public, private sectors, emergency managers, and government institutions at all levels in this country and abroad use NOAA tropical cyclone forecasts to make decisions regarding the protection of life and property. This measure represents the difference between the projected intensity of these storms and the actual intensity in knots (kt) for Atlantic Basin tropical cyclones (i.e., tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes).