FOIA Reading Room

Description of Publicly Available Information

NOAA's Office of Communications is NOAA's focal point for information in the public domain. The office maintains a broad range of NOAA publications, press releases, reports, and other pertinent information. The office address, contact person, and an index of frequently requested publications can be accessed from this link.

News releases and Media advisories and more are available on the News and features page.

NOAA's mission statement, strategic plan, organizational structure, Line and Program Offices, and a wealth of scientific and administrative information can be accessed from the About our agency page.

Major Information Systems
  • NOAA Institutional Repository - The NOAA IR is a digital archive of NOAA authored and funded publications dating back to 1970. It includes technical memorandum and reports, journal articles, reviews, strategic plans, assessments and more covering all areas of NOAA's research.
  • Privacy Act System of Records (SORN‘s) - The Privacy Act Issuances site will provide Department of Commerce systems of records. This service is provided by the U.S. Government Printing Office to assist individuals requesting information about their records.
  • Government Interactive Locator System (GILS) - This systems locates and provides assistance in obtaining Federal public information, including DOC/NOAA-specific information.
  • National Technical Information Services (NTIS) - The NTIS is the official resource for government-sponsored U.S. worldwide scientific, technical, engineering, and business information.
  • U.S. Superintendent of Documents - All documents at the U.S. Superintendent of Documents are shelved by government organization and not by subject matter. The documents include information about U.S. Government laws, regulations, statistics, maps, and bibliographies.
  • Federal Register - The Federal Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents.