NASA’s Applied Sciences Program: Agricultural Efficiency...
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NASA’s Applied Sciences Program: Agricultural Efficiency/Carbon Management Ed Sheffner Applied Sciences Program NASA HQ
Transcript of NASA’s Applied Sciences Program: Agricultural Efficiency...
NASA’s Applied Sciences Program:Agricultural Efficiency/Carbon Management
Ed Sheffner Applied Sciences Program
NASA HQ
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Presentation Topics
• NASA: 50 years of Earth observations• NASA Earth Science• NASA’s Applied Sciences Program
- Relation to research- Objectives and approach
• Agricultural efficiency/Carbon Management and land use/land cover change
• Issues
- Applications- Data
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NASA is a research and development agency formed in 1958 with responsibility for all US government, non-military aeronautic and space activities. Agency objectives (from 1958):
• Expansion of knowledge of atmospheric phenomena;• Development and operation of vehicles carrying
instruments in space;• Establishment of long range studies of the potential
benefits accrued through the utilization of space for scientific purposes;
• Assurance of US leadership in space science and technology and the application of that technology in
peaceful activities “within and outside the atmosphere”;and,• Cooperation with other nations in the pursuit of
peaceful application of NASA developed technology.
NASA and Applied Sciences
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NASA Strategic Goals*
1. Fly the Shuttle as safely as possible until its retirement, not later than 2010.
2. Complete the International Space Station in a manner consistent with NASA’s international partner commitments and the need of human exploration.
3. Develop a balanced overall program of science, exploration, and aeronautics consistent with the redirection of the human spaceflight program to focus on exploration.
4. Bring a Crew Exploration Vehicle into service as soon as possible after Shuttle retirement.
5. Encourage the pursuit of appropriate partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector.
6. Establish a lunar return program having the maximum possible utility for later missions to Mars and other destinations.
*NASA 2006 Strategic Plan
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Strategic Goal #3
A. Study Earth from space to advance scientific understanding and meet societal needs.
B. Understand the Sun and its effects on Earth and the solar system.C. Advance scientific knowledge of the origin and history of the solar system,
the potential for life elsewhere, and the hazards and resources present as humans explore space.
D. Discover the origin, structure, evolution and destiny of the universe, and search for Earth-like planets.
E. Advance knowledge in the fundamental disciplines of aeronautics, and develop technologies for safer aircraft and higher capacity airspace systems.
F. Understand the effects of the space environment on human performance, and test new technologies and countermeasures for long duration space exploration.
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NASA Organization
Four Mission Directorates• Aeronautics• Exploration Systems• Space Operations• Science (four divisions)
1. Astrophysics2.Earth Science
– Flight/missions– Research– Applied Sciences
3. Heliophysics4. Planetary Science
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Earth Science Division Overview
• Overarching goal is to advance Earth System science, including climate studies, through spaceborne data acquisition, research and analysis, and predictive modeling
• Six focus areas:• Climate variability and change• Atmospheric composition• Carbon cycle, ecosystems, and biogeochemistry and the impact of climate change
• Water and energy cycles• Weather• Earth surface and interior
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Earth Science Division (cont.)
• Five major activities:• Conducting selected Earth observing satellite missions
• Making high-quality data products available to the broad science community
• Conducting and sponsoring cutting-edge research in the 6 focus areas
• Applied Science: enabling partner organizations to apply NASA science results to further their missions
• Developing technologies to improve Earth observation capabilities
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Earth Science Division (cont.)
• Programmatic areas:•Earth Systematic Mission•Research•Applied Sciences•Multi-Mission Operations (data systems)
•Technology•Education and Outreach
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NASA Earth Science for Society Framework
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Goals of the Applied Sciences Program
Extend NASA Earth science capabilities and results to maximize return-on-investment by addressing issues with substantial social and economic benefits.Enhance the decision making process of operational agencies through the incorporation of NASA capabilities -observations, measurements, predictive models and Earth science research results.
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NASA Earth Science Sources for Applications
1. Observations from research satellites;
2. Predictive capabilities from Earth system models;
3. Knowledge gained from investments in research activities in the Science Focus Areas;
4. Outcomes from investments in mission enabling technology;
5. Information products from data-management systems;
6. Simulated sensor experiments for future spacecraft instruments; and
7. Capability from high-performance scientific computational and networking systems.
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NASA Earth Science:Observations and Information Products
MODIS 7,4,1 March 2006
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Output from NASA ModelsCarbon Sequestration from CASA Model
Potential afforestation carbon gains in relatively low-production crop areas mapped to show predicted gross car-bon sink flux per year at 1-km reso-lution. Corrections for probable NPP loss over time due to decomposition, disturbance and aging in predicted forest stands are not included.
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*Potter, C. et al., in Climate Change DOI 10.1007/s10584-006-9109-3
15http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/global_reservoir/
Global Lake Level Monitoring - USDA/FAS*
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Primary Partners & Interagency Activities• USDA/FAS/Office for Global
Assessments• USDA/ARS and USDA/NASS• University of Maryland• South Dakota State University• NCAR• USGEO/GEOSS • UN/FAO and IGOL• Meteorlogix
NASA Centers Involved in Program• Ames Research Center• Goddard Space Flight Center• GSFC/Goddard Inst. for Space Studies
(GISS)• Stennis Space Center
GoalUse of NASA Earth science to enhance agricultural productivity and yield estimates and predictions at regional to global scales.
Programmatic ThemesA. Integration of products from
NASA land and atmosphere observations into decision making processes.
B. Downscaling of NASA global climate models for application in regional crop forecast systems.
Applied Sciences Program Agricultural Efficiency
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Applied Sciences ProgramCarbon Management
Primary Partners & Interagency Activities• USDA/Forest Service; USDA/Agriculture
Research Service; USDA/CSREES• DOE/Oak Ridge National Lab.• Pacific Northwest Lab/JGCRI• University of Maryland• Virginia Tech• Colorado State University• CCSP - CCIWG• USGEO/GEOSS CL-06-02/03• CENR/Ecosystems sub-committee
NASA Centers Involved in Program• Ames Research Center• Goddard Space Flight Center• Jet Propulsion Lab.
GoalAssist the community use NASA Earth science observations, models and data management capabilities to make decisions that affect emissions and sequestration of carbon.
Programmatic ThemesA. Adaptation of NASA ES models
and on-line tools for application in carbon management.
B. Integration of NASA ES capabilities for carbon management in agriculture and forestry decision making.
C. Consideration of carbon management in US climate change programs.
D. Transition of carbon cycle research to carbon management.
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Applied Sciences ProgramGuidelines
Select projects through open, competitive solicitations.Use existing infrastructure for data archiving, distribution and product generation.Define projects, and identify decision support tools, through partnerships with organizations with operational responsibilities.
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Applied Sciences ProgramProcesses
Identification (Solutions networks)
Evaluation (Rapid prototyping)
Implementation (Integrated systems
solutions)
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Identification
Consider NASA Earth science capabilities:1. Observations from research satellites;2. Predictive capabilities from Earth system models;3. Knowledge gained from investments in research activities
in the Science Focus Areas;4. Outcomes from investments in mission enabling
technology;5. Information products from data-management systems;6. Simulated sensor experiments for future spacecraft
instruments; and7. Capability from high-performance scientific
computational and networking systems.
Identify potential improvements in the decision support tools within the portfolio of projects in the Applied Sciences Program.
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Evaluation
Use specific NASA Earth science capabilities in simulated operational environments to evaluate components and/or configurations for integrated systems solutions with the specific decision support tools within the portfolio of projects in the Applied Sciences Program.
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Implementation
A rigorous systems engineering process that: • describes (evaluates) the state of a
decision support tool/system, • verifies and validates new data
products and other enhancements in the decision making process, and,
• benchmarks the performance of the assimilation of NASA research results and capabilities in the decision making process.
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Implementation Example
Earth Observation SystemsSPOT VEG/HRVTRMMJason-1 & Topex/PoseidonMODISVIIRSLandsatALI/HyperionGPM
Earth System ModelsSoil moisture (Modified Palmer, Penman-Monteith)Crop yield/stage (Robertson BMTS, EPIC, Hanway, and others)Hazard models (Winter kill and others)US Air Force weather (AGRMET)
Predictions/Forecasts
National and sub-national yield forecast (grains, oil seeds, cotton and rice)Condition forecasts
Observations, Parameters
and Products
NDVIRainfallLand useReservoir heightSoil moistureWeatherCrop condition
Decision Support Tools
PECAD/CADREFamine Early Warning
Societal Benefit Areas
Global Commodity Forecast,Mitigate climate change,Disaster response
NASA/FAS/UMdpartnership
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USDA Crop Explorerhttp://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/
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What the Applied Sciences Program Prefers Not to Do
Develop new algorithmsCreate new decision support toolsProvide long term support for infrastructureProvide support for operational activitiesFund the research of other agencies[The Program may participate in projects in which these activities occur, but those tasks will be supported by someone other than NASA, e.g., the user/partner.]
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Applications Areas Defined byNASA, NRC and GEOSS
NASA ASP NRC Decadal Survey GEOSSAgricultural Water Resources AgricultureAir Quality Climate BiodiversityAviation Human Health ClimateCarbon Management & Security DisastersCoastal Management Weather EcosystemsDisaster Management Solid Earth Hazards, EnergyEcological Forecasting resources, & HealthEnergy Management dynamics WaterHomeland Security Land-use change, WeatherInvasive Species ecoystem dynamicsPublic Health & biodiversityWater Management
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Current NASAEarth Observing Systems
Aqua* AuraCALIPSO CloudsatCHAMP Cluster (with ESA)EO-1* FASTGeotail (with Japan) GOES-M*GRACE* ICESat*JASON-1* Landsat-5, 7*NOAA-M(POES) PolarQuickSCAT SAGE III (with Russia)SeaWinds* (with Japan) SORCETERRA* TIMEDTRMM* (with Japan)
*Land observations
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Planned NASAEarth Observing Systems
Aquarius (2009)GPM* (2010)LDCM* (2011)NPP* (under review)NPOESS* (under review)OSTM (2008)OCO (2008)
*Land observations
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Transitioning from Research to Operations: Circa 2003
NPP NPOESSSeaWiFS Terra Aqua
Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center NWS
Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation NCEP
Obs
erva
tion
Tec
hnol
ogy
Mod
elin
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NASA & NOAA jointly funding NRC studies on improving transition
Under Study or Formulation
In operationUnder Development
ACRIMsat SORCE SIGF NPOESS
SAGE III AURA NPOESS
Jason OSTM NPOESS/partners
Landsat 7 LDCM Commercial (USGS)
GIFTS GOES
Tropo Winds TBD
Imaging and Sounding
Solar Irradiance, Ozone, and Aerosols
Ocean Surface Topography
Land Cover/Land Use Change
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Transitioning from Research to Operations: Circa 2005
Operational NPOESS
NPP NPOESSSeaWiFS Terra Aqua
Obs
erva
tion
ACRIMsat SORCE Glory NPOESS
SAGE III AURA NPOESS
Jason OSTM NOAA/EUMETSAT
Landsat 7 LDCM
GIFTS* GOES
Tropo Winds TBD
Imaging and Sounding
Solar Irradiance, Ozone, and Aerosols
Ocean Surface Topography
Land Cover/Land Use Change
Tech
Atmospheric CompositionUARS AURA TBD
NPP
Operational NPOESS
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What’s Ahead
Applications• Closer linkage between research and
applications/operations - Decadal Survey recommendation• Integration of land data information into global and
regional models• Common solutions among the program elements
Data issues• Research to Operations
Research = NASA; Operations = NOAA? USGS? USDA?
• Data continuity• International collaboration (GEO/GEOSS, et al.)
