Title: Exploitation of Coincident Earth Observations
Primary Author: Slesnick, Catherine 
Organization: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
Co-Author(s): Stephan Kolitz, Natasha Markuzon, Mark Abramson

Abstract:
In the current age of rapid climate change, analysis of coincident Earth Science data taken from different observing platforms will provide critical knowledge both to scientists and to policy makers. We are pursuing efforts aimed at overcoming challenges in several different phases of this process. 1) We have developed architecture for optimized, coordinated dynamic tasking of distributed satellite-based sensors. Implementation of this architecture allows for an increased likelihood of coincident observation between heterogeneous instruments. 2) We have developed a framework for a web portal to help scientists and decision makers more easily discover which Earth systems are observed as a function of time and space. The web portal would allow users to visually determine coincident data availability within a specified space-time query, thus enabling an investigator to efficiently identify and analyze all available observations without knowing a priori which assets were monitoring his/her domain of interest. 3) We are using data mining techniques to develop models that use coincident Earth observations, combined with a range of expected climate change parameters, to determine statistically likely event scenarios for extreme disturbance events (e.g., fires, landslides, spread of infectious disease) in the near- and long-term future.