September 22, 2026 — Lynker has been awarded two contracts totaling $20 million by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help advance the nation’s water prediction and geospatial capabilities. The awards, issued by the National Weather Service’s Office of Water Prediction (OWP), support NOAA’s efforts to provide timely, actionable water information for emergency managers, water resource officials, forecasters, partners, and communities nationwide.
Under an award from OWP Hydrologic Services, Lynker will support development, testing, and evaluation of key water prediction capabilities, including the National Water Model (NWM) and Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service (HEFS). The NWM simulates water flow across the entire United States while the HEFS quantifies uncertainties in hydrologic forecasts. This work will include transitioning new model versions and enhancements from research to operations, training, and testing and integrating community code.
Under a separate award from OWP Geospatial Services, Lynker will provide operational support to maintain and advance geospatial capabilities, including flood inundation mapping, the national hydrofabric, geospatial data dissemination, precipitation frequency analysis, snow analysis, and remote sensing. The national hydrofabric is a detailed geospatial representation of the nation’s waterways and drainage areas used to support water modeling and forecasting.
Together, the two awards will help OWP strengthen the nation’s ability to anticipate and respond to floods, droughts, and other water-related challenges at the national, regional, and local levels.
“NOAA’s water mission, and particularly the role of OWP, has never been more important as extreme flooding and drought strain water supplies, aging infrastructure, and communities both inland and along our coasts,” said Lynker CEO Scott Rayder. “We are committed to helping ensure the latest advances in science and technology are efficiently transitioned into operations, giving emergency managers, water managers, communities, and businesses the best possible information to support critical decisions.”
