“To direct the use of artificial intelligence by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to adapt to extreme weather, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section designates the Act as the “Transformational Artificial Intelligence to Modernize the Economy against Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act” or the “TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act” and sets forth the table of contents.
This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, including artificial intelligence (i.e., a machine-based system that, for human-defined objectives, makes predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments); artificial intelligence weather model (i.e., a weather model based primarily on artificial intelligence to project future Earth system conditions); curate (i.e., to collect, maintain, and update a dataset to ensure quality, documentation, and metadata); numerical weather model (i.e., a weather model based primarily on coupled Earth system processes using numerical computation); observational data (i.e., data from actual observations of environmental conditions); open license (as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(21)); reforecast analysis (i.e., assessment of a weather model by comparing past output to observational data); synthetic data (i.e., data produced from a model or statistical method to fill gaps in observational data); and training dataset (i.e., a dataset used to train an artificial intelligence model). The section also applies existing definitions of Under Secretary (i.e., the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere) and weather enterprise (as defined in 15 U.S.C. 8501).
This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in consultation with specified federal officials and experts and not later than two years after enactment, to develop and curate comprehensive weather forecasting training datasets incorporating Earth system data, quality information, and metadata to support (1) advancing understanding of weather, water, and space weather modeling and data; (2) improving weather forecasting science, including seasonal and subseasonal forecasting; and (3) developing artificial intelligence (AI) weather forecasting applications. To expedite development, the Under Secretary must assess and build upon existing federal weather datasets to the greatest extent practicable. The section further authorizes the Under Secretary, in consultation with appropriate federal advisory committees, to develop and test a global AI-based weather model; explore AI applications to enhance information dissemination and effectiveness evaluation under NOAA's Weather Ready Nation initiative; and submit reports on these activities to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology not later than two years after enactment and annually thereafter. To implement the section—subject to appropriations—the Under Secretary may competitively award contracts and funding opportunities or expand or establish NOAA cooperative institutes. The section also requires the Under Secretary to develop best practices minimizing environmental impacts from AI use and, notwithstanding these new requirements, to continue NOAA support for (1) acquiring traditional and novel observational data; (2) Earth system and numerical weather model research; (3) numerical Earth system modeling for predictions; (4) weather model data post-processing; and (5) data assimilation techniques. (Thus, the provision promotes AI innovation in weather forecasting without supplanting NOAA's traditional observational, research, and modeling capabilities.)
This section directs the Under Secretary to explore advanced applications of artificial intelligence to improve weather forecasts and information delivery, including by (1) improving data assimilation techniques, (2) using artificial intelligence weather models to emulate numerical weather models and thereby assess and improve forecast confidence and reliability, and (3) improving impact-based decision support to communities.
This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to inventory and assess major non-Federal artificial intelligence (AI) weather models and provide (1) technical evaluation and assistance on using such models, (2) best practices for forecasts based on AI models, numerical weather models, or combinations thereof, (3) support for forecasters and social scientists to test and evaluate AI models including in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) testbeds, and (4) support for emergency managers to make operational decisions using such model outputs. The section further requires the Under Secretary to support development of a common framework for assessing numerical and AI weather models through reforecast analysis; develop and disseminate best practices in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, academia, research institutions, and private sector; and submit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than one year after enactment, on the feasibility of using reforecast analysis to improve seasonal and subseasonal models. It requires delivering the assistance through NOAA weather forecast offices and authorizes the Under Secretary to enter an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences or another appropriate entity for an independent study assessing impacts of AI weather, water, and space weather models on the weather enterprise (i.e., government, academic, and private entities involved in weather forecasting) with recommendations to improve operational integration.
This section directs the Under Secretary, not later than one year after enactment of this Act and in coordination with the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, to develop an artificial intelligence-based program that analyzes observational and synthetic data on built and natural environments to (1) warn at-risk communities, firefighters, and responders (including through social science-informed research); (2) predict and detect wildfires to the maximum extent practicable; (3) forecast wildland and built environment fire propagation and potential impacts based on fire behavior elements, weather, terrain, and fire environment observations; and (4) detect, monitor, and forecast smoke and other wildfire hazards. The section authorizes the Under Secretary to acquire data and enter contracts for a related AI training dataset, requires integration of weather and environmental models, and directs development and dissemination of best practices to minimize environmental impacts from AI use.
This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to explore novel partnership structures with private and academic entities for transformative innovation in weather forecasting and other environmental forecasts, including (1) furthering understanding of weather, water, wildfires, space weather, and societal impacts; (2) advancing weather and water forecasting science, including seasonal and subseasonal forecasting; and (3) developing, evaluating, and transitioning artificial intelligence applications for weather, water, and hazard forecasting to operations. It further requires the Under Secretary to consider and adopt novel co-investment strategies with the private and academic sectors, subject to applicable law, such as (1) non-Federal contributions to support high-risk, high-return research and development in environmental forecasting, data science, artificial intelligence, and related fields; (2) shared rights to intellectual property from such activities; and (3) other resource- and results-sharing approaches.
This section directs the Under Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, to develop, recruit, and sustain a professional workforce for artificial intelligence applications in weather forecasting. The section further requires the Under Secretary to leverage public-private partnerships to collaborate with private sector experts and provide employees with access to training, experience, and long-term development of workforce and infrastructure to utilize artificial intelligence in improving weather forecasts.
This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to make publicly available, at no cost and with no restrictions on use under an open license, any data or code developed under this Act, as determined appropriate. It permits accommodations to public releases to protect national security; intellectual property rights under titles 17 and 35, United States Code; trade secrets or confidential commercial information exempt from disclosure under 5 U.S.C. §552(b)(4); contractually restricted models or data; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) mission to protect lives and property. It clarifies that nothing in this Act supersedes other laws governing U.S. national security interests.