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About

Mission

NCEI provides environmental data, products, and services covering the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun to drive resilience, prosperity, and equity for current and future generations.

Vision

A tenacious and trusted leader in environmental information for a rapidly changing world with a focus on driving lasting good across our partnerships, our economy, around the U.S and the world.

Data in Action

NCEI data helps businesses and organizations across sectors operate more efficiently, safely, environmentally, and economically. 

Data Management

The NCEI archive and backup copy contains more than 60 petabytes of data.

Industry and Sectors

NCEI data and products help decision makers address specific challenges and use cases in a variety of societal sectors.

Learn More About Our Impact

Story Maps

Story maps transform NCEI data and products into a visual narrative by combining custom maps with storytelling.

View Story Map Gallery

Leadership

Deke Arndt

Deke Arndt

Director

Deke Arndt became NCEI's Director on January 30, 2023 after serving as Chief of NCEI's Climatic Science and Services Division (CSSD) for three years. He previously led the CSSD Monitoring Section. Deke’s career began in 1996 at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. He worked closely with public safety, agriculture, climate monitoring, the energy generation and transmission sectors. In recent years, he served on the Council of the American Meteorological Society, was a co-lead editor of the AMS's annual State of the Climate report, and co-chaired the US Global Change Research Program's Interagency Indicators Working Group.

Joe Pica

Joe Pica

Deputy Director

Joe Pica assumed the role of NCEI Deputy Director in 2018 after a three-year stint as Director of the National Weather Service (NWS) Office of Observations, where he oversaw data collection operations to ensure accurate, comprehensive national forecasts. Before joining the NWS, Joe served as Commanding Officer of the NOAA Ships Ronald H. Brown and Okeanos Explorer, respectively the flagship and most technologically advanced vessels in the NOAA fleet. Between sea assignments, he brought operational, technical, and leadership skills to a variety of federal assignments including Deputy Director of the former National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) and Executive Director to the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations. 

Ken Casey

Ken Casey

Chief, Data Stewardship Division

Ken Casey began serving as the Chief of the Data Stewardship Division (DSD) on December 29, 2024. Ken graduated from the University of Miami, where he majored in marine science and physics, and went on to earn his PhD in Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. He joined NCEI in 2001, where he founded and led the Satellite Oceanography group. Ken has contributed to numerous committees and teams across NOAA, nationally, and internationally, and has served as the President of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), which consists of over 160 members across governmental, academic, and commercial organizations.

Scott Hausman

Scott Hausman

Chief, Mission Support Division

Scott Hausman became Chief of the NCEI Mission Support Division (MSD) in 2017 after two years as Director of NCEI Data Stewardship. Dr. Hausman previously served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of the former National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and as the Director of the Global Systems Division of the Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL). His 24-year career with the U.S. Air Force included command of the 14th Weather Squadron providing climatological support to the Department of Defense, intelligence community, and other federal agencies. 

Eric Kihn

Eric Kihn

Chief, Coasts, Oceans, and Geophysics Science Division

Eric Kihn is the Chief of the Coasts, Oceans, and Geophysics Science Division (COGS), taking the role in 2018 after serving as acting Director of the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). Over more than 25 years of NOAA service, he was a researcher, group leader, and professional data manager whose efforts led or contributed to the development of projects like Space Weather Analysis (SWA), and two award-winning analytic systems in the Space Physics Interactive Data Resource and the Environmental Scenario Generator. He heads the World Data Service for Geophysics and actively contributes to the Earth System Information Partners professional organization.

Jeff Privette

Jeff Privette

Chief, Climate Science and Services Division

Jeff Privette became Chief of NCEI's Climate Science and Services Division (CSSD) in 2024 following various leadership roles in NCEI and the former National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). He joined NOAA in 2006 to lead its nascent Climate Data Record (CDR) Program, which pioneered the operational production of homogeneous records spanning the satellite era (~1978-present). Jeff began his career at NASA where he led the MODIS and VIIRS land validation programs and field campaigns, and served as NASA's Deputy Project Scientist for the Suomi-NPP satellite. He currently chairs the Joint CEOS-CGMS Working Group on Climate, among various other service roles.

Aric Whatley

Aric Whatley

Chief, Resource Management Division

Aric Whatley joined NCEI as chief of the Resource Management Division (RMD) in 2024. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from North Georgia College, a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Aric worked with the Department of Defense for 36 years, both on active duty in the U.S. Army and as a government civilian employee. Aric has held a wide variety of positions throughout DoD, and has years of experience working in resource management.

Locations

NCEI has four national locations, as well as regional centers, field sites, and cooperative institutes throughout the country.

Asheville, North Carolina
Boulder, Colorado
John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi
Silver Spring, Maryland

Learn More About NCEI's National Locations

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News

There’s a lot going on at NCEI! Visit our news page to learn more about our organization and the Earth’s climate, oceans, coasts, and geophysics.

World Data System at NCEI

NCEI hosts World Data Centers and Services as a member of the ICSU World Data System, a collaborative effort to ensure universal, equitable access to environmental data around the world.

NCEI Cooperative Institutes

NOAA partners with academic and nonprofit institutions throughout the country to conduct collaborative research, connect with scientific communities, and sponsor student fellowships.