Leveraging Satellite Assets for Better Decision-Making: the Satellite Needs Working Group

In 2016, the U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) initiated the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) to identify and communicate the civil Earth observation needs of U.S. federal agencies. The SNWG identifies such needs through a biennial survey. The satellite Earth data providers of the U.S. Government - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - conduct interviews and follow-up discussions with the SNWG agencies, then identify solutions and services that leverage current or upcoming satellite missions to meet the identified needs. NASA proposes services for funding that are estimated to significantly increase the level of satisfaction of multiple U.S. agencies. The SNWG process has resulted in the implementation of numerous services that have impacted operations of not only U.S. agencies but of academic and international institutions as well. Notable examples include the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 project that leverages European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA satellite assets to generate a global, analysis-ready, surface reflectance product with a temporal resolution of two days; the Airborne Data Management Group that curates and provides access to relevant resources, information and data from existing and past NASA field campaigns; and the Dynamic Surface Water Extent product which consists of harmonized but independent water extents derived from both from optical and radar data. These and other products are hosted at the NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) for free and open access. The SNWG Management Office at NASA's Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) manages the implementation of selected solutions and, importantly, NASA's response to the needs of federal agencies through a Stakeholder Engagement Program. The impact of implemented services and solutions is hampered without efforts to build capacity around the use of the services. The Stakeholder Engagement Program ensures relevant training and outreach to SNWG agencies in collaboration with each solution implementation team.