NASA Technology for the Earth Observation Sensor Web

The Earth Observation Sensor Web vision is to enable on-demand sensing of a broad array of environmental and ecological phenomena across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from a heterogeneous suite of sensors both in-situ and in orbit. The NASA Advanced Information Systems Technology program aims to advance the use of emerging technologies for space based Earth science research and applications and infuse the sensor web concepts into space missions and data systems. The current technology investments in sensor webs are intended to advance the state of the practice in Internet-enabled distributed systems, extended to on-orbit remote sensing sensors. This paper describes the foundation for the Earth Observation Sensor Web based on a system-of-systems concept dynamically reconfigured to respond to events. Sensor web characteristics and sample use cases illustrate how these systems contribute to our knowledge of the Earth. Summaries of sensor web use cases and research highlights will be presented from some of the research projects recently funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office and currently underway in universities, industries and NASA research centers throughout the country.