Progress in Federal Coordination to Advance Meteorological Services


In 2020, the Federal government completed the first major restructuring of its interagency coordination for meteorological services in over 50 years. The Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS) now provides White House-level coordination of Federal resources to advance the full suite of meteorological services now and into the future. Of particular relevance to the external community is ICAMS’ objective to strengthen and expand partnerships with non-government sectors. This article outlines ICAMS intellectual foundations, progress and near-term plans, including efforts to develop a longterm strategy, as means to foster community engagement. ICAMS will continue to provide coordination across Federal agencies and opportunities for input from, and engagement with, non-governmental entities. The development of a long-term strategy is a process that ICAMS is embarking on in earnest, and sustained external community engagement is key to sound development and effective implementation.