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.

 

SAR-CBC: A Capacity Building Center for the Use of SAR in Decision Making

Principal Investigator

Franz Meyer

Satellite-based radar remote sensing is a rapidly developing technology used for monitoring the Earth’s surface under all weather and illumination conditions. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors have the ability to consistently map the Earth environment, easily identify changes, and track deformations with high precision across...
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Environmental Determinants of Enteric Infectious Disease: A GEO Platform for Analysis and Risk Assessment

Principal Investigator

Benjamin F Zaitchik

Childhood undernutrition is linked to more than 50% of child deaths worldwide. Undernutrition of a degree that results in stunting is associated with lifelong deficits in work capacity and cognitive deficits, with important social and economic consequences for individuals and communities. A key aspect of...
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Myanmar Malaria Early Warning System (MMEWS): Multi-sensor Satellite Data Fusion System for Monitoring Environmental Predictors of Malaria in the Region of Emerging Artemisinin Resistance

Principal Investigator

Tatiana Loboda

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals target to eliminate global malaria epidemics by 2030.  In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) set forth an ambitious and inspiring agenda for global malaria elimination which includes by 2030 a 90% reduction of mortality rates globally, elimination of...
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Predictive Assessment of Transmission Conditions of Cholera in the Environment and Human Population using Earth Observations

Principal Investigator

antarpreet jutla

Cholera continues to be a public health threat, particularly in regions that lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation (WASH) infrastructure. Most systematic research on the ecology of cholera over the past several decades has focused on and derived from data collected in the...
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Mapping the Missing Millions: Developing a Global Database of Informal Settlement Location, Schema, and SDGs Indicators using Crowdsourced Data, Machine Learning, and Multi-sensor Satellite Imagery

Principal Investigator

Jamon Van Den Hoek

Proposed action: We propose a three year program of applied research to develop open, global-scale geospatial data to locate, characterize, and assess Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators at informal settlements belonging to refugees, internally displaced populations, and forcibly displaced and resettled people: the “missing millions.”...
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Advancing Drought Onset Detection and Seasonal Prediction Using a Composite of NASA Model and Satellite Data

Principal Investigator

Amir AghaKouchak

This project proposes a methodology that improves capabilities to forecast 1- to 6-month precipitation and water supply anomalies. Predicting and understanding droughts' effects on water resource systems is essential to securing sustainable water resources. This project will make unique contributions through a comprehensive and challenging...

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CyAN: Cyanobacteria Assessment Network

Principal Investigator

Blake A Schaeffer

The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network is a multi-agency project among the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Geological Survey to develop an early warning indicator system for algal bloom detection in U.S. freshwater systems. This research will utilize historical and...

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Advancing Water Supply Forecasts in the Colorado River Basin for Improved Decision Making

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Quebbeman

Today, there are many river basins facing the challenges and complexities of ensuring a sustainable water supply as future water demands increase and threats such as climate change alter the hydrologic regime. The Colorado River, in particular, faces these challenges and many more as the...

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Decision Support System (DSS) to Enhance Source Water Quality Modeling and Monitoring using Remote Sensing Data

Principal Investigator

Josh Weiss

Water utility managers face the difficult daily task of safeguarding the public health and complying with state and federal water quality regulations, while minimizing costs and environmental impacts. Add to that continued water quality degradation from human activities, increasingly strict regulatory standards for water quality...

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EcoCatch: Improving Ecological and Economic Sustainability of Marine Fisheries Using Remotely-Sensed Oceanographic Data

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Lewison

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Balancing sustainable ecological and economic objectives is a continuing challenge for fisheries managers. Many US fisheries harvest healthy target stocks, however, bycatch of non-target species is common, and can result in large-scale fishery closures. Technological advancements in remote sensing over the past...
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Completed Projects

Interested in our completed projects? View our project archive.