From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: High Risk: Weather Satellites

Description: As part of GAO's High-Risk series, David Powner, a
director in GAO's Information Technology team, describes why GAO put
mitigating gaps in weather satellite data on its list of programs at
high risk for waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement.

Released: February 2013

[Music]

[First Screen]

GAO's 2013 High Risk List
Weather Satellites
U.S. Government Accountability Office

>>About 5 days before Superstorm Sandy made landfall, the National
Weather Service accurately predicted the hurricane's path. This level
of accuracy was due in large part to data from polar-orbiting
satellites. In fact, a recent study found that without polar-orbiting
satellite data, weather forecasts would have inaccurately predicted
that this storm would not make landfall.

Hi, I'm Dave Powner, Director of GAO's IT Team.

Unfortunately, we're facing the possibility that future forecasts will
not be this accurate. Because of expected delays in the development and
launch of the first satellite in the joint polar satellite system, it
is widely anticipated that there will be a gap in satellite data,
possibly as early as 2014. GAO has reported that this gap could span 1
to 4 years depending on how long the current satellite lasts and any
delays in launching or operating the new one. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration officials are currently assessing options
for minimizing and mitigating this potential gap, and we have work
underway to assess these contingency plans.

Given how critical satellite data is for weather forecasts, the
likelihood of significant gaps and the potential impact of such gaps on
the health and safety of the U.S. public and our economy, GAO has added
the potential gap in weather satellite data to its 2013 High Risk List.

[Music]

[Still Screen]

Video and images provided courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautic and Space Administration
(NASA)

[Last Screen]

GAO
Accountability * Integrity * Reliability
www.gao.gov