51 U.S.C. § 60302: General responsibilities

The Administrator shall—(1) develop a sustained relationship with the United States commercial remote sensing industry and, consistent with applicable policies and law, to the maximum practicable, rely on their services; and (2) in conjunction with United States industry and universities, research, develop, and demonstrate prototype Earth science applications to enhance Federal, State, local, and tribal governments’ use of government and commercial remote sensing data, technologies, and other sources of geospatial information for improved decision support to address their needs.