Vaisala Xweather’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Scott Mackaro, has been appointed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board’s Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG) — one of the most important venues for guiding how environmental information is developed, shared, and used across the US.

Scott Mackaro, a man with glasses and short hair wearing a dark sweater sits in front of a large window with blurred office background.

Dr. Scott Mackaro, Chief Science Officer, Vaisala Xweather

Continuing the legacy of scientific leadership

Scott’s appointment makes him the newest Chief Science Officer from Vaisala confirmed to this influential body after Walt Dabberdt and Dr. Kevin Petty, former Chief Science Officers at Vaisala, previously served on the working group." It reinforces Vaisala’s long-standing role at the table where key recommendations for NOAA’s leadership are shaped: from research priorities to how information flows between public, private, and academic partners.

Scott joins EISWG as one of four new members, alongside representatives from Johns Hopkins University, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. In total, the working group brings together 20 members from academia, government, and industry, reflecting the breadth of today’s environmental information enterprise.

Inside the Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG)

EISWG is a standing working group of the NOAA Science Advisory Board, affirmed by the U.S. Congress in 2012. It works closely with all five NOAA Line Offices: the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), and National Weather Service (NWS).

The group advises NOAA on how to improve collaboration across sectors, integrate new scientific and technical capabilities into products and services, and implement NOAA’s Policy on Partnerships in the Provision of Environmental Information. In 2017, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act (Public Law 115-25) further strengthened EISWG’s role, tasking it with helping prioritize weather research, surface emerging technologies, and enhance communication between forecasters, emergency managers, and the public.

EISWG’s recommendations directly inform congressional decisions that shape NOAA’s priorities and budget. The group meets monthly to produce rapid response reports on high-impact topics such as Earth system modeling, AI and machine learning, and space weather, and delivers an annual report to the U.S. Congress highlighting urgent issues NOAA should address.

Advancing weather intelligence from within

In his role on EISWG, Scott plans to focus on five areas where NOAA’s mission and Vaisala’s expertise strongly intersect.

  • Emphasize a healthy, connected weather enterprise, making clear that each part of the ecosystem cuts across multiple organization types rather than fitting into neat, isolated buckets.

  • Elevate the economic impact of weather, making the case that protecting life and property is both a public good and a powerful economic driver with measurable returns.

  • Champion fundamental research and scientific credibility, reinforcing the importance of peer-reviewed work and rigorous, accountable science across agencies, universities, and companies.

  • Highlight AI as an accelerant, not a shortcut, showing how new methods can address longstanding forecasting limitations while raising important questions about what data combinations we must safeguard for the future.

  • Underline space weather as a national priority, calling for continuity of key observations that underpin national security, the growing commercial space sector, and emerging insurance markets.

What this means for the future of weather intelligence

Scott and fellow EISWG members will meet in person in Washington, D.C., from May 5–7 to begin developing a new rapid response report and the annual report to Congress ahead of the Science Advisory Board’s June meeting. There, Scott will collaborate with peers across sectors to help ensure the group’s recommendations reflect both the opportunities and risks in an evolving environmental information landscape.

Scott’s appointment reinforces our belief that weather and environmental intelligence — grounded in science and built for decisions — must be shaped in close partnership with the institutions that protect lives, infrastructure, and economies every day.