Amy Braverman: The Next Generation of NASA's Earth Observing Satellites: Challenges and Opportunities for Learning about the Earth System

Amy Braverman (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology)

Remote sensing data sets produced by NASA and other space agencies are a vast resource for the study of the Earth System and the physical processes that drive it. However, no remote sensing instrument actually observes these processes directly; instruments collect electromagnetic spectra aggregated over two-dimensional ground footprints or three-dimensional voxels (or sometimes just at a single point location). Inference on physical state based on these spectra occurs via complex, computationally intensive ground data processing infrastructures. As we transition from the Earth Observing System (EOS, circa 1999-2026) to the new Earth System Observatory (ESO, circa 2026) data volumes will explode. This presents both challenges and opportunities for scientists of all kinds. In this talk, I will specifically discuss ESO's Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission scheduled for launch later this decade. After describing the basics of remote sensing, I will delve into some of the important characteristics of SBG and its connection to both science and societal decision making.