Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing

The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) engages the Nation’s science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space. SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it.  The SMD goal is to use the unique view from space to study, understand, and improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards. Through its nine data centers, NASA provides interdisciplinary Earth science data products, information, services, and tools to improve life here on Earth.

The NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) holds more than 25,000 descriptions of Earth science data sets and services covering all aspects of Earth and environmental sciences, including Agriculture, Atmosphere, Biological Classification, Biosphere, Climate Indicators, Cryosphere, Human Dimensions, Land Surface, Oceans, Paleoclimate, Solid Earth, Spectral Engineering, Sun-Earth Interactions, and Terrestrial Hydrosphere.

Provides scientists and others access to Earth science satellite data (e.g., land, ocean, and atmosphere data products) from the NASA Earth-Sun Systems Division, and  provides tools to facilitate the processing, archiving, and distribution of Earth science data. 

A coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low-inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. EOS is a major component of the Earth Science Division of NASA′s Science Mission Directorate, which aims to enable an improved understanding of the Earth as an integrated system by both program scientists and the general public.

Presents new satellite imagery and scientific information about the Earth, with a particular focus on climate and environmental change. This section focuses on the Global Map directory, a global view of what's happening on the planet, over time.

Centers of the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) that process, archive, document, and distribute data from NASA′s past and current Earth-observing satellites and field measurement programs. Each center serves one or more specific Earth science disciplines and provides data products and information, services, and tools unique to its particular science.

A web-based browse, search, and order tool for the Eos ClearingHOuse (ECHO), containing more than 2,400 data sets archived at EOSDIS data centers. Users can instantaneously filter data sets and granules by specifying spatial and temporal criteria, as well as search terms, platforms & instruments, campaigns, processing levels, and science keywords.

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) builds the social and technical bridges that enable open sharing of data. The RDA vision is researchers and innovators openly sharing data across technologies, disciplines, and countries to address the grand challenges of society.

The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) is a laboratory of the Earth-Sun Exploration Division of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and a unit of the Columbia University Earth Institute emphasizing the broad, interdisciplinary study of global change.

The ESIP Federation is a diverse network of scientists, data stewards, and technology developers that improves access to Earth science data and information by a wide community of users, including scientists, academics, and the general public.