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U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Use of Valuation to Prioritize
Future Earth Observations
Sarah J. Ryker, Ph.D.
USGS Associate Director for Energy and Minerals (acting)
July 2, 2019
Time to Look Forward
Valuation of existing Earth observation systems has…
• Supported budgets (Answered “Is this system worth the cost?”)
• Supported continuance of existing Earth observation systems
• Identified societal benefit areas, stakeholders & value chains
It’s time for more ex ante valuation to…
• Help prioritize future investments in Earth observations
• Elicit unmet needs (from the same stakeholders & other communities)
• Focus on value to decision-making, not only economic value
2
To Use a Beloved Example…
Early U.S. interagency studies confirmed past Landsat capabilities as
minimum future requirements…
USGS/NASA Landsat Applications Survey of 33 Landsat products (2012)
o 2/3 of the Landsat products require 8-day or more frequent revisit
o 3/4 require simultaneous visible/near-infrared/shortwave infrared (V/NIR/SWIR) data
o 1/3 require thermal infrared data in combination with V/NIR or SWIR bands
USGS National Land Imaging Requirements Moderate-Resolution Pilot Project (2014)
o Elicited requirements for 11 application areas across 12 Federal agencies
o Confirmed 60% of requirements collected require 8-day or more frequent revisit
… But said little about future needs to better serve users
3
Sample Findings on Landsat’s Societal Benefit Areas
Sustainable Forestry
Climate
Fundamental Climate System Understanding
Climate System Models
Greenhouse Gases and Mitigation
Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation
Disasters
Emergency Management
Solid Earth Disasters
Terrestrial Disasters
Coastal Disasters
Renewable Energy
Highest
impact
Medium
impact
Lower impact
No Impact
White House-led National Plan for Civil
Earth Observations (2014), Assessment
(2012)• Assessment of 362 Earth observing
systems’ contributions to 13 societal
benefit areas
Driving Question: Where Can We Maximize Value?
Significant sectors & application areas are underserved…
• Vegetation characterization could be improved dramatically for:
o Agriculture
o Water management
o Invasive species surveillance & management
• Bare Earth & solid Earth measurements support under-served
sectors & applications:
o Minerals (both extractive industry & waste cleanup)
o Wildfire response
5
Minerals: Without Remote Sensing
6
We can track the trade of major commodities above ground…
Major import
sources of
nonfuel mineral
commodities for
which the U.S.
was more than
50% net import
reliant in 2018
(USGS 2019)
… But we can’t efficiently map resources still in the ground, or potential
environmental impacts of developing resources.
Global Mineral Characterization:
Hyperspectral Mapping of Afghanistan
7
Kokaly, R.F., et al., 2013, Surface mineral maps of Afghanistan derived from HyMap imaging spectrometer data, version 2: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 787, 29 p.
Wildfire: Soil Burn Severity Map for the Station Fire
(California; 650 km2)
8
AVIRIS data acquisition October 6, 2009
(Todd M. Hoefen and NASA JPL)(U.S. Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response Team, September 16, 2009)
Wildfire: Hyperspectral Mapping after the
Station Fire (California; 650 km2)
9
AVIRIS data acquisition October 6, 2009
(Todd M. Hoefen and NASA JPL)
