Identifying drought-prone areas and developing an early warning system for crop damage. Protecting biologically diverse areas of the National Park System with a trail monitoring tool. Confirming flooded areas to better inform decision-makers during a disaster.

Each program area supports a variety of projects that utilize Earth observations to identify challenges around the world and create innovative solutions. Our portfolio demonstrates the benefits of using NASA Earth observations to enhance decision-making and improve life on Earth.

Sort by program area to find specific projects or explore them all below.

 

Global Rapid Flood Mapping System with Spaceborne SAR Data

Principal Investigator

Sang-Ho Yun

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC’s) World Disasters Report 2015, on average, for the past decade, there have been floods somewhere in the world almost every other day. Earth-observing satellite remote sensing is needed to monitor global floods...
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Forecasting coral disease outbreaks across the tropical Pacific Ocean using satellite-derived data

Principal Investigator

Megan Donahue

The goal of the proposed research is to develop better models of coral disease outbreak risk across the western tropical Pacific Ocean and embed these improved forecasts into the NOAA Coral Reef Watch decision support system (DSS). The current DSS was developed based on ~50...
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Integrating Remote-Sensing and Ecological Forecasting into Decision-Support for Wetland Wildlife Management and Ecosystem Services in the Central Valley of California: Optimizing Across Multiple Benef

Principal Investigator

Matthew Reiter

Freshwater ecosystems contribute disproportionately to global biodiversity and ecosystem services but are highly threatened by climate change, drought, and unsustainable water use. In arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean regions, landscape-scale conservation requires protection, management, and enhancement of the connectivity of dynamic wetland habitats through surface water...
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Developing a Dynamic SPARROW Water Quality Decision Support System Using NASA Remotely-Sensed Products

Principal Investigator

Richard A Smith

SPARROW is widely used throughout the United States for long term, steady state water quality analysis. However, users are increasingly asking for a dynamic version of the model that can provide seasonal estimates of nutrients and suspended sediment to receiving waters. Time varying SPARROW forecasts...

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Informing UN-assisted National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans with Earth Observations: Application to Forest Integrity and Connectivity

Principal Investigator

Andrew J Hansen

Human activities are increasingly fragmenting intact habitats and reducing connectivity among protected areas. Concern about loss of biodiversity led to an international agreement in 2010 to meet 20 specific biodiversity targets. Among these, Target 5 deals with fragmentation, Target 11 with connectivity, and Target 17...
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Forecasts of pelagic Sargassum blooms and transports in the Intra-Americas Sea and Tropical Atlantic: Improving a prototype decision-making tool

Principal Investigator

Chuanmin Hu

Floating mats of pelagic Sargassum macroalgae serve as an ecologically important habitat for many marine animals and therefore are regarded by the Sargasso Sea Commission as “the golden floating rainforest of the Atlantic Ocean.” On the other hand, excessive Sargassum beaching has become an increasing...
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Towards A Global Flood & Flash Flood Early Warning Early Action System Driven by NASA Earth Observations and Hydrologic Models

Principal Investigator

Andrew Kruczkiewicz

We propose to enhance disaster manager capacity to better prepare, respond and recover to floods. In the current state, disaster management organizations in developing countries are not preparing sufficiently for flash floods. The lack of available, accessible and usable information, combined with a lack of...
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Integrating Earth observations with improved topoclimate and connectivity tools to inform climate-smart conservation

Principal Investigator

Kimberly Hall

Maintaining the ability of biota to move to suitable climates in response to climate change is now essential for biodiversity conservation. Identifying natural areas with diverse climatic options and enhancing connectivity among them has thus become a key climate adaptation strategy for The Nature Conservancy...
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Managing Forests for Sustainable Harvest and Wildlife Habitat Using Earth Observations and Modeling of Forest Structure and Landscape Connectivity

Principal Investigator

Andrew Elmore

There is wide recognition that sustainable forest management of eastern temperate forests requires a thoughtful and deliberate approach that seeks to balance various uses, resources, and values such as wildlife and aesthetic beauty, timber products, water purification, gas extraction, and a variety of recreational opportunities...
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Activities to Advance, Build, and Deliver Remote-sensing Supported Species Distribution and Species Abundance EBVs

Principal Investigator

Walter Jetz

Biodiversity and the many ecosystem functions and services it underpins are undergoing significant changes worldwide scientifically rigorous information is needed to monitor their status and trends. Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) capture key constituent components of biodiversity change. Facilitated by the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO...
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Completed Projects

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