The NOAA Operations Center was created to facilitate the seamless integration of all NOAA assets responding to an incident as required by the National Response Framework. As the central NOAA coordination center, the responsibilities of the NOAA Operations Center include but are not limited to providing
- A focal point for headquarters-level strategic coordination;
- Recommendations to NOAA Administrator on actions to take;
- Recommended priorities to NOAA Administrator for the use of resources in support of incident management;
- General oversight of the application of NOAA resources in coordination with existing agency and interagency resource management; and,
- Strategic situational awareness and decision support across full spectrum of incident management domains, to include awareness, prevention, protection, response, and recovery.
The NOAA Operations Center coordinates unified NOAA responses to incidents. These situations often attract the attention of the general public and media, further necessitating the need for a coordinated NOAA response through the NOAA Operations Center.
The mission of the NOAA Operations Center is to facilitate a comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated approach to domestic incident management and
- ensure coordinated delivery of NOAA essential functions, supporting activities and capabilities during an incident;
- link the DOC/NOAA Desk in the Department of Homeland Security National Operations Center (NOC) to the NOAA Line and Staff offices;
- synthesize information received from coordinating and liaison personnel to maintain NOAA-level situational awareness and common operating picture; and,
- ensure appropriate levels of engagement by NOAA executive management.
NOAA Operations Center Contact information
Contact:
Mike Forgy
Director, NOAA Operations Center