Real-Time Applications of the Nasa Earth Science “New Observing Strategy”

We discuss the long-term evolution of an initiative being led by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) known as the “New Observing Strategy” [1] and describe a recent implementation of NOS in support of a virtual scientific field campaign. NOS represents a revolutionary change in the design and execution of Earth Science missions, replacing the monolithic “single satellite” approach with loosely coordinated or disaggregated, multi-platform observatories that have the potential for significant enhancement to scientific return. During late 2021 and early 2022, ES TO launched a pathfinder demonstration of NOS, in which observations of flooding events triggered by heavy rain over wildfire burn scars were intelligently targeted for collection by a numerical prediction system. The resulting “optimized” set of observations were used for characterizing deficiencies inherent in the accurate modeling of the debris flow runoff, which can result in deadly, fast-moving landslides.