A US government department that uses satellites to provide weather, water, and climate forecasts, and to monitor the environment. NOAA was established on 3 October 1970 under the US Department of Commerce. It currently operates two Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and, in polar orbits, two advanced Television Infrared Observation Satellites (Tiros). GOES monitors such natural dangers as hurricanes and other severe storms, volcanic ash, and wildfires. Tiros, with its primary instrument of an advanced very high-resolution radiometer, can track long-term weather conditions, including ozone levels in the atmosphere.

The National Weather Service, part of NOAA, is the main recipient of millions of bits of satellite data and images collected each day, and other customers include the United Kingdom Meteorological Office and members of the European Space Agency. Weather data from NOAA and other organizations are kept at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, the largest climate archive in the world. It is part of NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service operates NOAA's National Data Centers.

http://www.noaa.gov/ Massive resource with news and information on all aspects of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's environmental monitoring activities. Earth-observation resources include the Geostationary Satellite Server with the latest visible and infrared images from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series, satellites used for short-range weather forecasting.