Title: Progress in the Development of the Simulation Toolset for Adaptive Remote Sensing (STARS)
Presenting Author: Graeme Smith
Organization: The Ohio State University
Co-Author(s): J. T. Johnson, A. O'Brien, C. D. Ball, J. DeLong, M. Shattal,E. Hunsicker, OSU S. Musko, C. Ruf, University of Michigan

Abstract:
The growing potential of sensors capable of real-time adaptation of their operational parameters calls for a new class of mission planning and simulation tools. Existing simulation tools used in performing observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) assume a fixed set of sensor parameters in terms of observation geometry, frequencies used, resolution, or observation time, which allows simplifications to be made in the simulation process and allows sensor observation errors to be characterized a-priori. Adaptive sensors may vary all of these parameters depending on the scene observed, so that sensor performance is not simple to model without conducting OSSE simulations including sensor adaptation in response to stochastic variations in the scenes observed. The management of power and data volume resources on small satellite platforms as well as methods to allow collaborative sensing among sensors on multiple platforms are also high current needs for inclusion in mission simulation tools. The Simulation Toolset for Adaptive Remote Sensors (STARS) is currently under development to address these challenges by supporting the design of multi-platform missions with adaptive sensors operating under resource constraints. STARS software components are being designed with the goal of facilitating their incorporation into existing OSSE systems through a modular software approach, enabling future studies of the science performance achieved by adaptive sensors and the refinement of adaptive sensing methods in the design process. The two year STARS project is focused on library development and testing in year one and extensive demonstration through three case studies in year two. The presentation will review progress in year one of the STARS program, and discuss project plans for continued STARS development and demonstration.