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Click here to download the Earth Science
Vision 2030 report
pdf format (opens in a new window)
The NASA Earth Sciences Vision Working Group was asked to take a long-term
view of NASA Earth Sciences, providing a future vision for NASA Earth Sciences
and suggesting major measurement goals that would help achieve this vision. This
report is the Earth Science Vision Team’s response to this charge.
Earth Science Vision 2030 establishes a paradigm in which the dynamic
Earth system is fully observed using an international suite of Earth observation
systems, and then represented in a family of interacting models that include all
major Earth system components: atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and solid Earth.
The Earth Science Vision Working Group examined each of these areas of Earth science,
identifying the new measurement capabilities needed to address critical needs
for improved scientific understanding and predictive capability. The report details
the results of these studies.
When implemented in its complete form, the Earth Information System will provide
a quantitative predictive capability of system interactions that will continually
be evaluated against observations. Key attributes of the Earth Information System
are that it:
- observes the whole Earth system, such that the changes in any component system
can be traced to measure the total impact;
- models the whole Earth system and all its components, such that effects of
changes in any component can be predicted;
- dynamically evolves to define the system behavior that best describes ongoing
observations; and
- yields predictions with quantitative uncertainties that are useful in the
public decision-making process.
The Earth Science Vision Working Group suggests this Earth observation and
modeling system as the grand, long-term challenge for the NASA Earth Science Enterprise.
This long-term NASA goal also supports larger Earth science community goals, as
described in the report, Satellite Observations of the Earth’s Environment;
Accelerating the Transition of Research to Operations (NRC, 2003). Achieving this
challenge will require new approaches to observations, data analysis and modeling,
in which data sets and models of all the system components are coupled in a comprehensive
Earth Information system observation and modeling capability will provide important
benefits to society. It will enable a robust Earth system predictive capability
that represents the community consensus of current knowledge. This addresses the
critical need for science support of public activities and policy decisions.
The NASA Earth Science Enterprise Strategic Plan and Research Strategy are
available at:
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