University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is a US nonprofit consortium founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1960, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. It comprised 129 North American member institutions plus 52 international affiliates as of 2016 and manages the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on behalf of the US National Science Foundation.^[1] UCAR operates the COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center (CDAAC), which processes raw data from the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC and FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 satellite constellations into atmospheric and ionospheric profiles using the GNSS radio occultation technique.^[2] CDAAC distributes bending angle, refractivity, temperature, pressure, water vapour, and electron density profiles to operational numerical weather prediction centres in near real-time, in partnership with NOAA, Taiwan's NSPO, and NASA.^[2] UCAR also operates the Unidata programme, which distributes streaming observational data to university classrooms and researchers.^[1] In fiscal year 2024, UCAR reported expenditures of approximately $311 million and a staff of approximately 1,390.^[1] Primary funders include NSF, NOAA, NASA, the Department of Defense, FAA, Department of Energy, and EPA.^[3]