NASAs Approach to Building Capacity to use Earth Observations in the Fields of Ocean and Coastal Management

Earth observation data is ever increasing in volume and utility for societal good, driving a need for capacity development opportunities. NASA sits in a unique position to harness these data and provide resources to users. The NASA Capacity Building Program (CBP) connects potential users with Earth science data and information to increase their awareness and enhance sustained use of these resources in decision making. Through trainings, collaborative feasibility studies, and co-development projects, CBP engages users across disciplines, user sectors, and geographies, employing different scales of its work. CBP pursues these activities through three elements: SERVIR, ARSET, and DEVELOP. This presentation will highlight training activities to build capacity to use datasets and tools related to ocean and coastal management to support informed decisions and policies. The Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) works to build skills in individuals and institutions through global webinars that introduce users to remote sensing information and datasets. ARSET offers satellite remote sensing training that builds the skills to integrate NASA Earth Science data into decision-making activities. Through its decade of trainings, ARSET has reached participants in 162 countries and over 6,000 organizations worldwide, including over 20,000 unique participants in 2020 alone. This presentation will feature ARSET as a case study, highlighting its training as one example of successful methods enabling greater adoption and use of EO data and tools for ocean and coastal management. ARSET training addresses introductory to advanced topics including: Chlorophyll-a concentration; Colored dissolved organic matter index; Euphotic depth; Water temperature; and Coastal oceans, inland lakes, and estuaries. In particular, a recent training on Satellite Observations for Analyzing Natural Hazards on Small Island Nations will highlighted how ARSET engaged partners to plan the training content and delivery, and to supply case studies demonstrating the methods for applying satellite and model data to analyze storm impacts, sea level rise, and landslides. The presentation will share ARSETs approaches to constructing learning outcomes and how it seeks to reach new end users to participate in trainings.