Moving Beyond Carbon: Applications, Challenges & Data Needs of CMS Stakeholders

The objective of the NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) Initiative is to prototype the development of the capabilities necessary to support stakeholder needs for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of carbon stocks and fluxes.The CMS Program was initiated by U.S. Congress in 2010 and up to today it continues to develop products that characterize and quantify carbon sources and sinks in the United States and the global tropics. Five years ago an applications effort was selected to engage potential end users and gather feedback about their data needs. The overarching objective of the CMS applications effort is to engage with the users of carbon data and other similar communities to ensure that the current and planned CMS science outcomes and data products are used in decision-making contexts. Applications have become an integral part in converting data developed by NASA into actionable knowledge that can be used to shape carbon policy. This applications project continues today and has expanded its scope to engage stakeholders interested in using NASA carbon products for a variety of applications beyond carbon management and policy. The Policy Speaker Series has been instrumental in bridging potential end users of carbon products with the CMS scientific community. There has also been a shift into focusing more in understanding the data needs and interests of local-scale stakeholders. We have been working with organizations such as C40 Cities to identify how NASA products can be useful in monitoring GHG emissions at the local level. We have also identified a broad set of application areas in which CMS products are contributing data and support. Future work on the project includes the development of workshops and trainings to provide different user communities with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to use the CMS data products for a diverse number of applications. Case studies which assess the value of some of the most mature products for stakeholder organizations are also been undertaken. The presentation will discuss the results and lessons learned so far from the uses, challenges and needs of stakeholders, as well as highlight how CMS data products are contributing to a broad range of societal benefits beyond carbon.