GC022-0001
A User Needs and Value-Based Assessment of EO Applications to Inform SBG Architectures

Tuesday, 8 December 2020
Poster
Nancy F Glenn1, Michale Gallaher2, Christine M Lee3, Tom Culver4, Jeffrey C Luvall5, Stephanie Schollaert Uz6, E. Natasha Stavros7, Karen Yuen8, David Schimel9, Daniel Lapidus4 and Amy Rydeen4, (1)Boise State University, Department of Geosciences, Boise, ID, United States, (2)RTI International, Research Triangle Park, United States, (3)Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (4)RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States, (5)NASA/NSSTC, Huntsville, AL, United States, (6)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (7)Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States, (8)JPL/NASA, Pasadena, CA, United States, (9)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States
Abstract:
RTI International and the NASA Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Research and Applications team conducted a user needs and socioeconomic value assessment for imaging spectroscopy. The goal of the study was to understand the value of SBG for applications and to gather information on user needs to support the architecture study. This was done through a survey and interviews (n=41), which allowed a cross-cutting look as well as a deeper dive into the following four application areas:

  • Mineral Resource Mapping
  • Algal Bloom and Water Quality Mapping
  • Agriculture and Water Resource Mapping
  • Fire Ecology Mapping

We found that the importance of the range of potential capabilities offered by SBG was dependent upon the target application. Increased sensitivity and improved accuracy were the most frequently cited capabilities that will provide significant improvement over current observation methods for the applications studied. Thermal IR revisit rates, hyperspectral sampling/resolution in the VSWIR, and spatial resolution were also ranked highly. The most important information and data quality factors sought by users included cloud-free useable imagery and data quality. As just one example, users in mineral resource mapping indicated that improved space-based imaging spectroscopy would be considered a “game changer.” Overall, experts indicated that all of the application areas studied could generate significant economic impacts from enhanced capabilities offered by SBG, and that many of the potential future applications are yet to be identified. Information and insights from this study were considered in the SBG architecture study and reinforced unique benefits associated with SBG.

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