The Scale and Value of Earth Observation Infrastructure

Free and openly accessibly Earth observation data and information products are not free; they are the result of investments in a complex socio-technical infrastructure. This infrastructure includes multiple sensors, systems, networks, and sampling programs that measure Earth systems processes; infor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gallo, Jason
Format: Conference Object
Language:unknown
Published: ESIP 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8969924
https://esip.figshare.com/articles/The_Scale_and_Value_of_Earth_Observation_Infrastructure/8969924
Description
Summary:Free and openly accessibly Earth observation data and information products are not free; they are the result of investments in a complex socio-technical infrastructure. This infrastructure includes multiple sensors, systems, networks, and sampling programs that measure Earth systems processes; information and communications networks to transmit these data; computational resources to process, model, analyze, reanalyze, store, and disseminate Earth observation data and information products; and a trained workforce to maintain and operate it. This talk will illustrate the scale complexity of this infrastructure using the example of sea ice modeling and the multiple space-based, airborne, terrestrial, and marine systems and computational resources needed to provide and maintain these crucial services. This presentation was given in July 2019 at the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Summer Meeting held in Tacoma, Washington.