Connecting industry to actionable data, products, and services to build climate resilience and support economic growth across the nation.
IPG connects major US industries with NOAA actionable climate data, and products and services to better assess climate risk, enhance decision-making, and support long-term planning. The Inflation Reduction Act’s Industry Proving Grounds (IPG) is a new effort to develop and share actionable climate information and improve the delivery of that information to industry partners. NOAA – through the National Centers for Environmental Information – will work directly with three major industries (architecture and engineering, re/insurance, and retail) to improve information that will allow these sectors to better assess climate risk and empower rapid decision making and long-term planning. Through ongoing engagement with key members of these sectors and developing new, informational products like maps, reports, and datasets, NOAA’s information will strengthen industry decision making related to climate resilience and help protect communities most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts.
Our Vision
To radically improve delivery and industry uptake of climate data to enable effective decision making and operations in the architecture and engineering, re/insurance, and retail industries. The IPG will help industry answer its most pressing questions about environmental information to make climate-smart investments and build resilience.
Sectors
Architecture and Engineering
From residential buildings to critical infrastructure like bridges, dams, and roads, the Nation's existing structures are impacted by weather and climate. Changes in extreme heat, heavy rainfall, and sea level all affect how we need to design and build in the future throughout every region. NOAA data underpins the building and design codes that govern architecture and engineering standards across the U.S. NOAA has been working directly with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the University of Maryland Center for Technology and Systems Management through the ASCE NOAA Task Force to accelerate development of climate-smart engineering codes and standards. The IPG is building on what the ASCE NOAA Task Force has learned to design data, products, and services that are useful, usable, and used across the Nation.
Re/insurance
Re/insurance is essential to protecting the solvency of insurance companies. By providing insurance to insurers, the reinsurance industry provides critical financial support that helps communities recover from the impacts of extreme events. From hurricanes and other natural disasters to flooding and hail, re/insurance is critical in helping individuals across the country, including those in vulnerable or disaster-prone regions, receive timely insurance payments. The economic impact of these events is significant. From 2017 to 2024, there have been over $1 trillion in total direct losses from extreme weather and climate events in the United States. Through the IPG, NOAA is building on its historically strong relationship with the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA), working with reinsurers across the Nation to improve risk modeling and analysis using the latest data science. The goal of this partnership is to allow insurers to better understand risk in order to enable more rapid recovery and make climate-smart decisions that protect life and property.
Retail
As the largest private sector employer in the U.S. economy (representing $2.2 trillion of the 2022 annual gross domestic product), the retail sector needs accurate, timely weather and climate data to safeguard its interests and serve its communities. Armed with suitable climate data, retailers can act quickly during extreme weather and climate events to deliver critical goods to communities, secure facilities, and protect personnel. Forward-looking, accurate climate information empowers the retail industry to build resilient supply chains, maintain eco-friendly infrastructure, protect economic investments, and achieve sustainability goals. Since 2021, NOAA has been working with the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to identify the data, products, and services the retail industry relies on to make tactical and strategic decisions. Through the IPG, NOAA and RILA are partnering to build useful and user-friendly products and services that equip retailers of all sizes to build climate resilience.