START international, INC. (START) requests renewed support from the national aeronautics & space administration (NASA) for CY 2015 - CY 2017 to undertake activities that help build capacity in…

START international, INC. (START) requests renewed support from the national aeronautics & space administration (NASA) for CY 2015 - CY 2017 to undertake activities that help build capacity in developing country regions to access earth observation data and use of the same in scientific research on land use/cover change research, including forestry, fire disturbance, agriculture, and the carbon cycle dynamics; improve access by developing country scientists and institutions to NASA S earth observation data, enhance use and application of the data across the developing world, help foster regional networks and increase opportunities for knowledge exchange between and among US and developing country scientists. This task is supported by the executive committee for the global observations of forest and land cover dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) program. The support requested from NASA will enable a suite of tasks and activities aimed at building capacity; strengthening knowledge networks and enhancing knowledge sharing in GOFC-GOLD thrust areas. These tasks include regional network workshops, learning forums and regionally-based advanced thematic trainings, support to gofcgold symposium as well as a host of other communication, outreach, administrative and project support activities. These tasks and activities are aimed, among others, to help achieve one of the core functions of the GOFC-GOLD project, i.e., capacity building and the strengthening of regional networks in the developing world. The proposed tasks and activities are consistent with the interests, missions, and strategy of NASA and they directly address the NASA carbon cycle and ecosystems focus area, the goals of which include quantifying global productivity, biomass, carbon fluxes and changes in land cover; documenting and understanding how the global carbon cycle, terrestrial ecosystems, and land cover and land use are changing; and providing useful projections of future changes in global carbon cycling and terrestrial ecosystems.