This proposal describes work that will combine existing USDA and NASA modeling systems to allow critical biological models of invasive species and their control to be assessed and improved for long-term sustainable ecosystem management. It addresses not only biotic factors such as plant phenology and growth but also insect biological control agent impact, and control effectiveness. In doing so, it outlines a partnership between UC Santa Cruz, USDA-Agricultural Research Service and NASA-Ames to newly adapt, test, verify, validate and benchmark the incorporation of NASA remote sensing and spatial modeling technology into critical USDA efforts for invasive species management. This work was designed through an extensive and interactive scoping process with end field users, invasive species regional managers and national coordinating bodies such as the National Invasive Species Council, and the Secretary of Agriculture's Office. These entities and other cooperating groups are participating in the overall use and assessment of this new technology. In overview, the combined UC Santa Cruz, USDA and NASA team will work with cooperators to adapt NASA technology to improve existing USDA biological models for two high priority invasive plant species and their control agents. While the current generation of USDA biological models are unique in their capability and provide vital decision support tools for and the biology and control of invasive species, they currently lack explicit spatial simulation capability and detailed environmental inputs that NASA technology can provide. Therefore we anticipate that our proposed enhancements will significantly improve existing USDA capabilities in predicting and combating invasive species at local, regional and national levels where these new models are expect to be used. Specifically, the team plans to utilize NASA MODIS feature track wind data products and SeaWinds scatterometer sensors on board the Aqua, Terra and Quickscat satellites in conjunction with NASA microclimate models. These will be linked with USDA biological models and ground-based assessments to provide end users with spatially explicit predictions of insect population and plant growth and spread. These results will be used by field practitioners and other program elements in the USDA to assess invasive weed impact and control efforts over wide areas, to plan future control measures on a watershed or larger basis and to assess the effectiveness of controls, through space and time. Specifically, we will demonstrate improved capability for modeling the spread of and simulating biological control effectiveness for yellow starthistle and saltcedar at select sites across the Western United States. Finally, a transition plan was developed that will be funded principally through the USDA and initiated in year 3. This implementation program is expected to continue thereafter through the USDA invasive species office and its state and regional cooperators.