Title of Presentation: Development of a Prototype Land Information Sensor Web

Primary (Corresponding) Author: Paul Houser

Organization of Primary Author: Center for Research on Environment and Water, IGES

Co-Authors: Hongbo Su, Yudong Tian, James V. Geiger, Sujay V. Kumar and Deborah R. Belvedere

Abstract: A Sensor Web is a coherent set of heterogeneous, loosely-coupled, distributed nodes, interconnected by a communications fabric that can collectively behave as a single dynamically adaptive and reconfigurable observing system (AIST 2007 PI meeting). The next generation constellations of smart satellites, which NASA is developing, can therefore be categorized as sensor web since the satellites are likely to be reconfigurable and may be able to communicate with each other based on the changing needs of science and available technology. These space-borne sensor webs, in combination with similar airborne and ground based sensor webs, will provide an unprecedented opportunity to allow for optimal 2-way information flow that enhances environmental modeling using sensor web observations, and in turn, will allow sensor web reconfiguration to minimize overall system uncertainty.

Sensor webs can eclipse the value of disparate sensor components by reducing response time and increasing scientific value, especially when integrated with science analysis, data assimilation, prediction modeling and decision support tools. The prototype Land Information Sensor Web (LISW) is a project sponsored by NASA, trying to integrate the Land Information System (LIS) in a sensor web framework which allows for optimal 2-way information flow that enhances land surface modeling using sensor web observations, and in turn allows sensor web reconfiguration to minimize overall system uncertainty. This prototype is based on a simulated interactive sensor web, which is then used to exercise and optimize the sensor web - modeling interfaces. These synthetic experiments provide a controlled environment in which to examine the end-to-end performance of the prototype, the impact of various design sensor web design trade-offs and the eventual value of sensor webs for particular prediction or decision support. In this paper, the progress of the LISW study will be presented, especially in scenario experiment design, sensor web framework and uncertainties in current land surface modeling.

In this paper, the latest advances of design and implementation of a framework to integrate land surface modeling and a spaceborne sensor web, a sensor web simulator (SWS) and as well as some data assimilation experiments based on the virtual sensor observations will be reported. The study of a virtual Land Information Sensor Web (LISW) is expected to provide some necessary priori knowledge for designing and deploying the next generation Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) and to benefit a wide community of scientists from land surface modeling and engineers from space and sensor technology.