Applications Program Status for the Mass Change Decadal Observable Mission Study
- 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology, Applications Software Engineering, Pasadena, United States of America (margaret.srinivasan@jpl.nasa.gov, john.t.reager@jpl.nasa.gov, carmen.boening@jpl.nasa.gov)
- 2Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA (matthew.rodell@nasa.gov)
- 3Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA (rosemary.r.baize@nasa.gov)
- 4NASA, Washington, D.C., USA (bradley.doorn@nasa.gov)
- 5RTI Innovation Advisors, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA (moline@rti.org, krieth@rti.org)
NASA has identified a Mass Change Designated Observable (MCDO) Study Team to develop the next NASA Mass Change satellite mission, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences’ 2017-2027 Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (DS). A key requisite of the MCDO mission is that, in addition to optimizing science objectives and programmatic factors (i.e., as cost and risk), it must support a range of operational and applied science uses and user communities beyond the research communities.
Continued measurement of changes in the Earth’s dynamic gravity field over time, as accomplished by the GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions, is the primary science objective of the MCDO. The DS also emphasizes applications-oriented science and data products that are more responsive to evolving societal needs. Consequently, the MC Applications Team (MCAT) was assembled from among NASA Earth and gravimetry science and applications specialists to identify existing and potential operational uses of these new satellite gravity observations. A key component of this work is focused on optimizing outcomes of and return on NASA’s investment in the new MCDO mission by developing a formal program to engage with user communities beyond the traditional research community and to reach new users and audiences, especially private sector and non-profits.
In order to provide value to a broader audience, user community needs (i.e., data types and format, latency and spatial resolution requirements, and others) are being assessed to inform mission design and data processing decisions through incorporation into a science and applications traceability matrix (SATM) developed by the MCDO Study Team. In addition, a value framework is utilized to analyze the value of each mission architecture as defined by its provided benefits relative to its associated cost and risk. The value framework enables the evaluation of the science and programmatic benefits of the concepts using a transparent and objective process.
MCAT planning elements for user engagement includes;
- Leveraging existing work and resources, based on the GRACE Missions Applications Plan, provides an initial framework for identification and engagement of existing and potential uses and users of gravity mission data.
- MCDO ‘Mass Change Mission Applications Survey' (tinyurl.com/MassChangeSurvey); This activity has provided important insights into who the current user communities are and their priority needs. The survey queries resolution and accuracy requirements, data use, and demographic information to help characterize user communities. Analyses of results have been used to ensure that the MC data products are optimized for a broad user community.
- Direct non-research user community outreach and engagement to identify new users who would find value in new satellite gravity data and observations. Focus groups and workshops will be conducted to gage data needs and to better understand the impact of gravimetric data for new users.
- NASA is developing a Community Assessment Report (CAR) that will include information on existing and potential new users of MC data products and how to maximize benefits for those users.
- Training
The presentation will highlight progress and how members of the broader applications community can provide inputs to the MCAT.
How to cite: Srinivasan, M., Reager, J. T., Böening, C., Rodell, M., Baize, R., Doorn, B., Pandiyan, M., and Reith, K.: Applications Program Status for the Mass Change Decadal Observable Mission Study, GRACE/GRACE-FO Science Team Meeting 2020, online, 27–29 Oct 2020, GSTM2020-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/gstm2020-20, 2020.
