A❤️457-word💛2-minute💚read
Practically every day there’s an article on the spending cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA’s primary function is to assess potential changes in climate, weather, and the oceans.
The bulk of the coverage is focused on the many functions at risk of being terminated. These include funding for regional climate hubs and 14 databases that are being decommissioned. Among the databases at risk is an earthquake intensity database, a coastal water temperature guide, and the database of extreme weather that tallies the cost of weather events.
None of this is likely to make the insurance industry happy, but that’s a minor concern compared to the increased risk to human life that the lack of information will create. Undoubtedly, if NOAA can no longer adequately monitor severe weather, lives will be needlessly lost during future natural disaster.
That’s why a Semafor article published this morning caught my eye.
The headline read: 𝙉𝙊𝘼𝘼 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚.
The gist of the article was that the deep DOGE cuts may force NOAA to join the 21st century and leverage the latest weather balloon technology. The article noted that WindBorne – a weather balloon startup I’ve previously posted about – can provide the desired data at a fraction of NOAA’s cost. They accomplish this productivity gain by keeping their balloons flying for weeks, and by employing AI (of course) to maneuver the balloons in midair.
The company claims its technology generates world-class results. And although the company’s CEO John Dean calls the DOGE cuts “reckless,” he admits it might be a net positive. “It’s created chaos that, long term, will probably get us more data,” he said
Plato’s famous quote – “The true creator is necessity, who is the mother of invention” came to mind.
I’m no fan of how DOGE has gone about achieving its objective, but I support its goal. In a perfect world that goal could be achieved without chaos and disruption. Except the world isn’t perfect, and the federal government may be as far from perfect as an organization can be.
Heck, the government can’t even accurately generate unemployment data despite having 100% of the necessary information. Historically, we have woefully under-invested in technology. Instead, we throw more bodies at the problem.
No private sector company with two brain cells to rub together would employ such a strategy. Yet when Washington determines how to spend our tax dollars, technology is an afterthought. The recent turmoil at the Newark airport is a classic example.
So perhaps Mr. Dean is correct. Although DOGE will be disruptive in the short-term. Its action may finally force Washington to employ technology rather than more people to perform its duties. And that, would be a long-term positive.
#doge #noaa #windborne #severeweather #weatherforecasting