Notice2026-05905

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NOAA Space-Based Data Collection System (DCS) Agreement

Primary source

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Published
March 26, 2026

Issuing agencies

Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Full Text

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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 58 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14681-14682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05905]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NOAA Space-Based Data Collection System (DCS) Agreement

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on December 22, 2025, during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: NOAA Space-Based Data Collection System (DCS) Agreement.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0157.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission [revision and extension of a 
current information collection].
    Number of Respondents: 225.
    Average Hours per Response: .5 hours.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 113.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for a revision and extension of an 
existing information collection. The Polar-Orbiting Operational 
Environmental Satellite (POES) data collection system (DCS), also known 
as the Argos system, is being removed from this collection as it is no 
longer administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA).
    NOAA operates a space-based data collection system (DCS) per 15 CFR 
part 911: the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 
DCS. The GOES DCS is operated to support environmental applications, 
e.g., meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, ecology, and remote sensing 
of Earth resources. Presently, the majority of users of this system are 
government agencies and researchers and much of the data collected by 
the GOES DCS are provided to the World Meteorological Organization via 
the Global Telecommunication System for inclusion in the World Weather 
Watch Program.
    Current loading does not use the entire capacity of that system, so 
NOAA is able to make its excess capacity available to other users who 
meet certain criteria. Applications are made in response to the 
requirements in 15 CFR 911 (under the authority of 15 U.S.C. 313, 
Duties of the Secretary of Commerce and others), using system use 
agreement (SUA) form. The application information received is used to 
determine if the applicant meets the criteria for use of the system. 
The SUA contains the following information: (1) the period of time the 
agreement is valid and procedures for its termination, (2) the 
authorized use(s) of the DCS, and its priorities for use, (3) the 
extent of the availability of commercial services which met the user's 
requirements and the reasons for choosing the government system, (4) 
any applicable government interest in the data, (5) required equipment 
standards, (6) standards of operation, (7) conformance with applicable 
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Federal Communications 
Commission

[[Page 14682]]

(FCC) agreements and regulations, (8) reporting time and frequencies, 
(9) data formats, (10) data delivery systems and schedules and (11) 
user-borne costs.
    Accepted applicants use the NOAA DCS to collect environmental data. 
The applicants must submit information to ensure that they meet these 
criteria. NOAA does not approve agreements where there is a commercial 
service available to fulfill the user requirements (per 15 CFR part 
911).
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; Federal government; 
state, local, or tribal government; business or other for-profit 
organizations.
    Frequency: Annual, every 3 years, every 5 years (per regulations).
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: 15 CFR 911.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0157.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-05905 Filed 3-25-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HR-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 26, 2026.

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