Adrienne Ma

The federal government has officially been in the weather business since 1870. That's when Congress created a National Weather Bureau to collect data and make forecasts. Today, that office is known as the National Weather Service. It's part of an agency called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

And then there are lots of businesses that are taking that data, slicing and dicing it, and selling it onward. Keith Sider is a professor of climate science at the College of the Holy Cross, and he's also a senior policy advisor at the American Meteorological Society.

And then there are lots of businesses that are taking that data, slicing and dicing it, and selling it onward. Keith Sider is a professor of climate science at the College of the Holy Cross, and he's also a senior policy advisor at the American Meteorological Society.

And then there are lots of businesses that are taking that data, slicing and dicing it, and selling it onward. Keith Sider is a professor of climate science at the College of the Holy Cross, and he's also a senior policy advisor at the American Meteorological Society.

Yeah, for example, think of a utility company that needs to monitor ice buildup on power lines during a winter storm, or an airline that wants to reroute a flight to avoid turbulence, or even a concert promoter that gets an alert to evacuate a stadium during a storm.

Yeah, for example, think of a utility company that needs to monitor ice buildup on power lines during a winter storm, or an airline that wants to reroute a flight to avoid turbulence, or even a concert promoter that gets an alert to evacuate a stadium during a storm.

Yeah, for example, think of a utility company that needs to monitor ice buildup on power lines during a winter storm, or an airline that wants to reroute a flight to avoid turbulence, or even a concert promoter that gets an alert to evacuate a stadium during a storm.

So that is one source of tension in the industry. Another one, Keith says, has to do with the flow of weather data. Remember when we said the government is a foundational data source? That's because historically, NOAA and NASA paid for the big weather satellites that collect that information.

So that is one source of tension in the industry. Another one, Keith says, has to do with the flow of weather data. Remember when we said the government is a foundational data source? That's because historically, NOAA and NASA paid for the big weather satellites that collect that information.

So that is one source of tension in the industry. Another one, Keith says, has to do with the flow of weather data. Remember when we said the government is a foundational data source? That's because historically, NOAA and NASA paid for the big weather satellites that collect that information.

The government's new role as both a supplier and a customer of weather data has blurred the lines between public agencies and private sector businesses. But there are examples of the two sides working together. Mary Glackin has been an official at NOAA and an executive in IBM's weather business. She says the aviation industry could be a model.

The government's new role as both a supplier and a customer of weather data has blurred the lines between public agencies and private sector businesses. But there are examples of the two sides working together. Mary Glackin has been an official at NOAA and an executive in IBM's weather business. She says the aviation industry could be a model.

The government's new role as both a supplier and a customer of weather data has blurred the lines between public agencies and private sector businesses. But there are examples of the two sides working together. Mary Glackin has been an official at NOAA and an executive in IBM's weather business. She says the aviation industry could be a model.

But moving to a more privatized or market-based model for weather forecasts, it raises questions about whether potentially life-saving information would only be available to people with resources.

But moving to a more privatized or market-based model for weather forecasts, it raises questions about whether potentially life-saving information would only be available to people with resources.

But moving to a more privatized or market-based model for weather forecasts, it raises questions about whether potentially life-saving information would only be available to people with resources.

This is kind of a wild thing to think about when it comes to potentially life-saving information, right? Like one town has different information than another.

This is kind of a wild thing to think about when it comes to potentially life-saving information, right? Like one town has different information than another.

This is kind of a wild thing to think about when it comes to potentially life-saving information, right? Like one town has different information than another.

Renato Molina is a professor of environmental and resource economics at the University of Miami. He says an accurate weather forecast definitely meets the criteria for a public good.