U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO)
Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG)
A coordinated approach to identify and communicate Federal satellite Earth observation needs.
About the SNWG
Through the White House National Science and Technology Council’s U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO), the SNWG partners with Federal agencies to identify high-priority sustained and unmet needs for satellite Earth observations. The SNWG conducts a biennial survey to formally document and communicate satellite Earth-observing needs to NASA and other space-based Earth observation providers NOAA and USGS.
Satellite Needs Survey
The Satellite Needs Survey obtains information about key Federal agency objectives that require the application of satellite Earth observations, as well as specific measurement requirements. The survey is conducted to identify potential data gaps in the current NASA program of record and existing data resources that meet agency needs.
Previous surveys have resulted in new data products and investments to support agency missions, such as:
- Harmonized surface reflectance data from Landsat and Sentinel-2 (operational)
- Multi-satellite products for surface water extent, surface disturbance/change detection (operational), and surface displacement (in development)
- Quick look products from ICESat-2 including sea ice, land, and vegetation height (operational)
- Global soil moisture observations from the NISAR mission (in development)
- Near real-time atmospheric composition and aerosol products from the TEMPO mission (in development)
- Expanded access for Federal agencies to commercial data purchased and evaluated by NASA (operational)
A full list of solutions being developed to meet SNWG agency needs, including current status, can be found here.
The following activities were identified in the 2022 SNWG assessment and are currently awaiting appropriaions:
- Multi-satellite vertical land motion product
- Low-latency harmonized data from Landsat and Sentinel-2
- Additional TEMPO atmospheric composition products
- ARSET remote sensing training
- Multi-satellite ocean surface winds product
- Harmful algal bloom hotspot product
Process and Timeline
The Satellite Needs Survey will open on March 1, 2024 and close on April 24, 2024. Internal agency deadlines for submission will vary, with some agencies initiating internal review before April 24, 2024. Survey respondents are encouraged to communicate with their agency’s SNWG representative regarding agency-specific timelines.
The SNWG will compile submitted user agency inputs and provide an informational copy to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prior to formal submission to USGEO. USGEO will then acknowledge the user agency inputs and formally submit its compilation inputs to NASA, which along with USGS and NOAA will analyze the user agency inputs in reference to current and future satellite plans and capabilities.
Survey Link
Survey Access
To request access to the SNWG 2024 survey, please click the "Request Access" button below and enter your full name, work email address, and organization to submit the request. The organization representative as well as yourself will receive a copy of this request. Upon approval, you will receive an email notifying you that your access has been granted along with a link to the survey.
Once access is granted, enter your work email address to receive a
one-time-code via email to login to the SNWG survey portal.
If you have any issues gaining access to the survey, please email the SNWG Survey team (gs-css-edc_snwg_survey@usgs.gov).
Please include a brief summary of the issue and attach screenshots of any error messages.
Contact
If you have any questions, please send them to your SNWG Agency Representative.
You may also contact the SNWG Co-Chairs, (Shaima Nasiri, shaima.nasiri@science.doe.gov and Rick Mueller, rick.mueller@usda.gov).
Organization | Representative | |
---|---|---|
DOE, Office of Science | Shaima Nasiri | shaima.nasiri@science.doe.gov |
USDA | Rick Mueller | rick.mueller@usda.gov |
DOC, NOAA | Flavio Iturbide-Sanchez | flavio.iturbide@noaa.gov |
DOC, NOAA | Jason Taylor | jason.taylor@noaa.gov |
DOC, Census | Pete Reid | peter.reid@census.gov |
DOC, NIST | Steve Maxwell | stephen.maxwell@nist.gov |
DOE, EERE | Shannon Davis | shannon.davis@ee.doe.gov |
DHS | Lee "Pepper" Spaulding | Lee.spaulding@hq.dhs.gov |
USDA | Kevin Hunt | kevin.hunt3@usda.gov |
EPA | Jim Szykman | szykman.jim@epa.gov |
NASA | Thomas Wagner | thomas.wagner@nasa.gov |
NASA | Natasha Sadoff | natasha.sadoff@nasa.gov |
State Dept | Fernando Echavarria | echavarriafr@state.gov |
USAID | Michael Crino | mcrino@usaid.gov |
DOI, USGS | Greg Snyder | gsnyder@usgs.gov |
NSF | Mangala Sharma | msharma@nsf.gov |