The overarching purpose of the NASA applied sciences program is to discover and demonstrate innovative uses and practical benefits of NASA earth science data, scientific knowledge, and technology. The…

This is a $152,774 grant awarded by NASA to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) to support the ICESat-2 Applications Program. The grant aims to maximize the utility of data from the ICESat-2 satellite mission by engaging relevant communities during the pre-launch development stage. This will help accelerate the use of ICESat-2 data products after launch and enable the maximum benefit to society from the mission. The grant provides funding for UMD to produce research papers, published reports on the mission's early adopter program and stakeholder engagement, and conduct literature reviews. UMD is a prominent research university that has a history of supporting NASA and other federal agencies through contracts and grants. This grant is not associated with a set-aside program.

The overarching purpose of the NASA applied sciences program is to discover and demonstrate innovative uses and practical benefits of NASA earth science data, scientific knowledge, and technology. The overall goal of the icesat-2 applications program is to ensure that the product suite and delivery mechanisms maximize the utility of the data to a broad community of stakeholders. By engaging relevant communities in the pre-launch development stage of a satellite mission, IT is possible to accelerate the use of applications-relevant data products after launch. Connecting end users of data with science data product developers and distributors (such as the distributed active archive center or daacs) increases the visibility of the products and provides opportunities for feedback on products early in the development phases of the mission. Through this effort, applications and operational users may be able to insert data products into existing systems earlier on in the mission lifespan, enabling the maximum benefit to society from each satellite mission. This project provides additional support to the icesat-2 program to produce research papers and published reports of its early adopter program, stakeholder engagement, and conduct literature reviews that ensure that the program s activities before and after launch are available for future programs.