Weather, Satellites and Research Section

NOAA General Counsel’s Weather, Satellites, and Research Section (GCWSR) is a component of NOAA’s Office of General Counsel located in Silver Spring, Maryland. GCWSR provides legal advice that supports its clients’ missions, including: 

• Building a weather-ready nation;
• Providing weather, water, and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision support services for the protection of property and the enhancement of the national economy;
• Providing secure and timely access to global environmental data and services from satellites and other sources to promote and protect the nation’s security, environment, economy, and quality of life;
• Research that understands and predicts the Earth system;
• Technology that improves NOAA science, service, and stewardship;
• Transitioning research results to meet the challenges faced by society; and
• Fostering the conditions for the economic growth and the technological advancement of a U.S. commercial space industry that is the world leader in space commerce. 

GCWSR’s clients include the National Weather Service (NWS), the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS), the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), as well as other staff offices within NOAA such as the Chief Information Officer.

The Section Chief is Glenn E. Tallia.