Assessment of the Usefulness and Availability of NASA's Earth and Space Science Mission Data (2002) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 The Users of NASA Data
3 The Users of NASA Data
Pages 47-61
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 47... ...
The assessment is based on input from relevant NRC standing committees, the chairs of three NASA advisory committees that have addressed data usage issues, interviews with colleagues, briefings from NASA data system and education program representatives, and data collected by this task group on NASA's major data facilities and services (see Appendix C for the questionnaire used)
|
From page 48... ...
Some of these users are served by the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) , but increasing numbers are served by short-term, focused programs such as Earth Science Information Partners (ESTPs)
|
From page 49... ...
ea. ~ ::1 - ~' .~1 O O O O ~ O ~ O ~ O Z ~ US Gov ;~ US Oth~r US Educ ~ US Comm ~ US Nonprofit | Foreign GG' Unknown ~ Running Average FIGURE 3.1 Profile of DAAC users in FY 2001, as determined by electronic address extensions.
|
From page 50... ...
are available through the EOSDIS Data Gateway, and a considerable amount of space science data is available electronically through the individual active archives or mission Web sites.7 Most of the remaining space science data is available on media or in various forms from the PIs. Such data, particularly in solar and space physics, are commonly less accessible than are data held in active archives, because distribution and user services are not explicitly supported, and rewards to scientists come from publishing papers, not from depositing organized data sets into national data centers.8 Consequently, many PI data sets are not fully exploited, and much new information remains to be uncovered.
|
From page 51... ...
The active archives measure user satisfaction through customer feedback via Web sites, user services, and comment cards; citations of data in journals; and user surveys (see Table 3.21. They also infer user satisfaction from informal feedback at conferences and from increases in the number of users and repeat customers.
|
From page 52... ...
constant. Changes in the size of the user community could not be determined for TRSA, which was created in ~ 999, and the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC)
|
From page 53... ...
Because advisory committees are dominated by working scientists, they provide an effective mechanism for improving the usefulness of the active archives to the scientific community. Each center has an advisory committee (usually designated user working groups in the earth sciences)
|
From page 54... ...
data. Education Community NASA's Strategic Plan contains a mandate "to involve the education community in our endeavors to inspire America's students, create learning opportunities, enlighten inquisitive minds." and to "communicate widely the content, relevancy, and excitement of NASA's mission and discoveries to inspire and to increase understanding and the broad application of science and technology."'6 The education community, both formal and infonnal, is served by the active archives' flight projects, ESIPs, and education and outreach programs within the Space Science and Earth Science Enterprises.
|
From page 55... ...
Using these resources, students have discovered a supernova, dozens of novae in the Andromeda galaxy, and a new Kuiper Belt object through examination of ground-based data. In the earth sciences, students are using NASA data and images to monitor environmental change at local (e.g., Boreal Forest Watch)
|
From page 56... ...
A digital museum created by the Museums Teaching Planet Earth ESIP in association with the Houston Museum of Natural History provides interactive disniavs of earth and space science data.2i ~ , ~ Usefulness of Data to the Education Community Numerous data products have been created by the active archives and flight projects to serve the education community. However, making interesting data products does not guarantee that anyone wall use them.
|
From page 57... ...
Meteorologists in the broadcasting industry already provide such services using NOAA data, and the StormCenter ESIP is adding high-resolution NASA imagery to network and local broadcasts.24 A goal of this ESIP is to educate fellow media professionals about the usefulness of certain NASA data. Commercial Users and Decision Makers As with the education community, commercial users and decision makers require valueadded products tailored to their specific needs.
|
From page 58... ...
The Type 3 ESIPs, which received only half of their $13 million funding from NASA, are expected to become self-sustaining within five years. The nine Regional Earth Science Applications Centers (RESACs)
|
From page 59... ...
TABLE 3.3 Selected Programs Serving Commercial Users and Decision Makers Facility Regional Earth Science Applications Centers Wildlands Fire Hazarda California State University, Long Beach California Water Resources Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Great Plains University of Kansas Mid Atlantica University of Maryland Midwest Center for Natural Resource Management University of Wisconsin Northeast Applications of Useable Technology in Land Planning for Urban Sprawla University of Connecticut Northern Great Plainsa University of North Dakota Southwest Earth Science Applications Center University of Arizona Upper Great Lakes University of Minnesota Type 3 Earth Science Information Partners Bay Area Shared Information Consortium Mountain View, California California Land Science Information Partnership California Resources Agency Earth Data Analysis Center University of New Mexico Environmental Legal Information System University of Maryland, Baltimore County Reading Information Technology, Incorporated Reading, Massachusetts Scientific Fishery Systems Anchorage Alaska TERRA-SIP University of Minnesota Terrain Products from EOS Sensor Data Veridian MRJ Technology Solutions, Incorporated Infomarts University of Arizona, College of Agriculture Applications _ 59 Management of fire hazards at the urban-wildlands interface in Southern California Water resource management in the western United States Agroecosystem development and planning in the Great Plains Management of land use, coasts, and watersheds in the mid-Atlantic states Management of forest and agricultural resources in the upper Midwest Land use decision making in four watersheds in the Northeast Farming and ranching in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Use and management of water resources in the Southwest Natural resource management in the upper Great Lakes region Various applications of earth science and geographic information in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas Various applications, including real-time response and long-term monitoring and planning Resource management projects focusing on land economics, regional hydrology, and air quality in the upper Rio Grande Basin Legal applications related to the environment Improving the efficiency of marine operations Improving the efficiency of fisheries Land and environmental management Various applications of mapping and geospatial information Management of natural resources, particularly as they apply to elk population and density
|
From page 60... ...
2~National Research Council, 2001, Resolving Conflicts Arising from the Privatization of Environmental Data, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 99 pp. 27Ronald Birk, director of the NASA Applications Directorate of the Earth Science Enterprise, personal communication, March 2002.
|
From page 61... ...
In general, the space science community sees researchers and educators, including the media, as the primary "customers" of NASA data. Earth science data have potentially a much broader customer base, including commercial users, policy makers, and others.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.