The new funding will support improvements in technological and data management infrastructure, critical for fisheries management, species conservation and other important work. Pictured: An underwater instrument onboard a NOAA Fisheries vessel, testing cloud storage solutions for NOAA Fisheries' research.
Image credit: Courtesy of Phil LaMothe / NOAA Fisheries.
The Biden-Harris Administration has this week announced a significant investment of over $34 million to modernize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries' data systems, infrastructure, and workforce.
The initiative, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), forms part of a raft of measures aimed at addressing the growing challenges posed by climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems, and the communities that depend on them, US government sources said.
"Rapidly changing oceanic conditions, such as shifts in marine species' distribution and abundance, greatly impact businesses and coastal communities that rely on these resources," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, in a NOAA media release announcing the funding.
"This investment will help modernize data delivery in support of the nation's $370 billion fishing industry," Raimondo added.
The $34 million funding is expected to accelerate NOAA's efforts in understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change, by optimizing data workflows, integrating advanced technologies such as cloud computing, and adopting Open Science solutions to enhance data accessibility.
The investment will also focus on reskilling NOAA's workforce, equipping them with the tools and training necessary to handle new technologies and provide real-time, accessible information.
This modernization is expected to streamline access to crucial digital data, empowering industry practitioners to make informed decisions and promote sustainability in the face of climate change.
“NOAA Fisheries' short-term data modernization efforts will drive significant long-term changes by enhancing our capacity to deliver mission-critical information, meeting survey and fishery data requirements, and transitioning into a modern data era," explained assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Janet Coit.
The funding will support a range of projects, including a $1 million award to the organization Openscapes, which will assist in adopting open science practices. These efforts will improve the efficiency and quality of NOAA Fisheries' scientific products by modernizing how the organization collaborates on data-intensive research.
This initiative is part of the larger $3.3 billion investment from the Inflation Reduction Act, announced in June 2023, which aims to prepare America's communities and economies for the effects of climate change.
Through this funding, NOAA Fisheries will leverage partnerships with universities and other institutions to advance scientific expertise and integrate social science, ensuring that data collection and analysis platforms are more accessible and reliable for future needs, the organization said.