This would allow data from  multiple systems to be combined more efficiently for analysis and to produce  products, such as weather forecasts. Management of  the remaining 16 systems is split between four other NOAA offices. The majority of NOAA’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems  use one of three types of platforms—buoys, ships, or satellites—to collect  data on environmental parameters. Navigation tools. NOAA Spent about $430 Million Annually from Fiscal Year 2012 through 2014 on the Operations and Maintenance of Its Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Observing Systems

NOAA estimates it spent approximately $430 million annually on average  to operate and maintain its ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing  systems in fiscal years 2012 through 2014. That amount is about 9  percent of NOAA’s total annual appropriations for these years. According to NOAA’s estimated cost information, the agency’s annual  operations and maintenance costs ranged from about $22 million at the  National Marine Fisheries Service to $198 million at the Office of Marine and  Aviation Operations in fiscal year 2014 (see table 2). NOAA Has Not Taken All of the Steps It and Others Have Identified to Integrate and Improve the Cost-Effectiveness of Its Observing Systems Portfolio

NOAA has not developed a plan for achieving an integrated observing  system nor has it assessed whether there is unnecessary duplication in its  observing systems. The report said that “given the need to protect and  sustain resilient coastal communities, the absence of an integrated  coastal observation system is a matter of particular concern.”
Our previous work has found that, in developing new initiatives, federal  agencies can benefit from following leading practices for strategic planning. Instead, the NOAA official said the  agency has focused on taking tangible actions. For example, the agency  established an observing systems council to provide a more centralized  perspective on observing systems management. However, without a plan  describing what NOAA’s integrated observing systems portfolio should look  like and how it will be managed, a strategy for moving toward this target  architecture and management approach, and performance measures related  to systems integration, NOAA cannot be assured that it has established a  framework to effectively guide and assess the success of its observing  systems integration efforts and for its stakeholders to track the agency’s  efforts and hold it accountable. NOAA Has Not Assessed Whether There Is Unnecessary Duplication in Its Observing Systems Portfolio

Since 2010, some NOAA planning documents have identified the need to  reduce systems costs by eliminating unnecessary duplication. NOAA officials told us they do not believe unnecessary duplication in  data collection in the agency’s observing systems portfolio is a significant  problem requiring further analysis. NOAA Is Working to Develop Analytical Capabilities to Improve the Cost-Effectiveness of Its Observing Systems but Has Not Developed a Methodology to Consistently Capture Cost Information

To enhance NOAA’s ability to understand and make cost-effective  management decisions for its entire observing system portfolio, of which the  ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems are a part, the agency  has developed some analytical tools:
NOAA Observing System Architecture database. According to NOAA officials, the NOAA  Chief Financial Officer has since asked a committee to explore developing a  better method for tracking observing system costs though no time frame for  doing so has been established. Recommendations for Executive Action

To help strengthen the management and cost-effectiveness of NOAA’s  observing systems portfolio, including ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes  systems, we recommend that the Secretary of Commerce direct the  NOAA Administrator to take the following three actions:
Develop a plan for observing systems integration that includes a description of what an integrated portfolio of observing systems will  include and achieve and how it will be managed,  the steps necessary to move toward an integrated portfolio of  observing systems, and how to measure progress toward the goal of an integrated observing  systems portfolio. Develop a standardized methodology for the routine preparation and  reporting of observing systems cost data. This is not the case. In response to the recommendation that NOAA analyze  the extent to which unnecessary duplication exists in NOAA’s portfolio of  observing systems, NOAA acknowledged a continued need to do so and  said it has taken steps in this regard with the development of the NOAA  Observing Systems Integrated Analysis model. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report (1) identifies and describes the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes  observing systems the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s  (NOAA) operates, (2) identifies the annual operations and maintenance  costs of these systems for fiscal years 2012 through 2014, and (3) examines  the extent to which NOAA has taken steps to integrate and improve the cost- effectiveness of its portfolio of observing systems, including ocean, coastal,  and Great Lakes systems. 25. Data are collected  primarily by research ships;  however, satellites, buoys, and  other methods are also used.
Why GAO Did This Study

NOAA operates and maintains a portfolio of observing systems to capture the environmental data needed to achieve its diverse missions. Some of these systems focus on the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. An observing system is a collection of one or more sensing elements that measures specific environmental conditions and resides on fixed or mobile platforms, such as buoys or satellites.
The House Appropriations Committee fiscal year report for the Department of Commerce's 2013 appropriations bill mandated GAO to review NOAA's ocean and coastal data collection systems. This report (1) identifies and describes the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems NOAA operates; (2) identifies the annual operations and maintenance costs of these systems for fiscal years 2012 through 2014; and (3) examines the extent to which NOAA has taken steps to integrate and improve the cost-effectiveness of its observing systems portfolio. GAO analyzed agency documentation on, among other things, the characteristics and management of NOAA's observing systems, reviewed cost data from fiscal year 2012 through 2014, and interviewed NOAA officials.

What GAO Found

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce operates 41 ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems. NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Ocean Service manage 25 of these observing systems, with management of the remaining 16 systems split among four other NOAA offices. The majority of NOAA's ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems use one of three platforms—buoys, satellites, or ships—to collect a range of environmental data, which are used to produce a variety of products, such as weather forecasts and navigational tools.
NOAA estimates it spent an average of approximately $430 million annually to operate and maintain its ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems in fiscal years 2012 through 2014. This is approximately 9 percent of NOAA's total annual appropriations for these years. In reviewing these estimates, GAO found NOAA's annual costs for these observing systems ranged from about $22 million for systems managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service to $198 million for systems managed by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations in fiscal year 2014.
NOAA has not taken all of the steps it has identified as important to integrate and improve the cost-effectiveness of its observing systems portfolio. Since 2002, NOAA has identified the need to move toward an integrated observing systems portfolio. GAO's previous work has found that, in undertaking initiatives such as this, federal agencies can benefit from following leading practices for strategic planning, which include defining goals and performance measures to track progress. NOAA has not, however, developed a plan that clearly sets forth its vision for an integrated observing systems portfolio, the steps it needs to take to achieve this vision, or how it will evaluate its progress. NOAA officials said they have focused on taking specific steps toward integration rather than developing an integration plan. Without a plan, however, NOAA cannot be assured it has established a framework to effectively guide and assess the success of its observing system integration efforts. NOAA has also not assessed whether its observing systems are collecting unnecessarily duplicative data even though NOAA documents have identified the need to reduce duplication. NOAA officials told GAO that duplication is not a significant problem requiring further analysis. However, in the absence of an analysis, NOAA cannot know whether it is missing opportunities to achieve cost savings. NOAA has taken steps to integrate the management of its observing systems, including creating an observing systems council to provide a more centralized perspective on systems management. The agency has also developed analytical tools to assess its observing system capabilities and requirements, including a model to analyze investment options. Reliable cost data are needed to ensure the most accurate results from this model, but NOAA does not have a standard methodology for tracking its observing systems costs. NOAA officials said the agency is considering developing a better method for tracking observing system costs but has not established a time frame for doing so. Without accurate and consistent cost information, it will be difficult for NOAA to reliably compare the cost-effectiveness of its observing systems and make informed investment decisions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that NOAA develop a plan to guide the integration of its observing systems, analyze whether unnecessary duplication exists in its observing systems portfolio, and develop a standardized methodology for the routine preparation and reporting of observing systems costs. NOAA generally agreed with the recommendations.