NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Program Pawan Gupta, Ana. I. Prados, Brock Blevins & ARSET Team NASA Goddard Space Flight Center GESTAR/USRA/JCET/UMBC

NASA Applied Sciences: Capacity Building National and international activities to engage and train users applying NASA Earth Science satellites and modeling data in their decision making activities.

Increase awareness and use of NASA resources by training applied science professionals through online webinars and in-person workshops. Applied Remote Sensing Training Program ARSET Training Thematic Areas

Gradual Learning Approach Basic Training Webinars Hands-on in-person Intermediate/Advanced Training Webinars Hands-on in-person Online Training (up to 500 participants) Hands-on Training (20-35 participants)

ARSET Air Quality Trainings ( ) (12)  Plans for FY16 – 4 Trainings

Geographical Impact: Number of participating organizations per country or US State for: Air Quality, Water, Flood, and Land/Wildfires management trainings  End-users  Organizations  130+ Countries  66 Trainings

Participants by Top 10 Countries: Air Quality Number of organization

Participation by Sector: Air Quality Actual # 550

How did you hear about this training ? Outreach Strategy Outreach Database with entries sortable by country, region, thematic interest and sector Listserve (1300+ subscriptions) Use of existing websites, portals, and groups from boundary organizations to help promote upcoming trainings (FedCenter, eoPortal, GWP, US Water Partnership, etc).

ARSET Training Course Application Forms Interviews with Key Informants Informal feedback during webinar Q/A period Survey 1: completion of each training Surveys 2: 6 months post training - measures impact and changes in NASA data use Ad Hoc interviews to collect “success stories” Air Quality Working Group – to increase communication between ARSET, data developers, and science PIs. Current Tools for End-User Needs Assessment

Satellite Data & Applications in ARSET Trainings MODIS OMI CALIPSO MISR VIIRS Air Quality Trends Remote Sensing SatellitesImagesAlgorithms Data & Tools Column ->SurfaceDust & Smoke Transport Satellite - ModelVertical Profiles

The workshop taught attendees how to apply NASA resources to air quality (i.e. smoke/fire, and PM2.5) monitoring. It built basic skills on image, level 2, and level 3 data access, reading, analysis, and interpretation. Survey Results (70% response rate) 95% of respondents indicated the workshop either met (68%) or exceeded expectations (26%) One of the most useful skills learned was the use of Python scripts for reading and plotting NASA data 30 participants from agencies including: Georgia Environmental Protection Division Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau EPA Region 4 Office SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control National Park Services & U.S. Forest Services Air Quality Training for Stakeholders in Southeastern U.S. September 1-3, 2015, Atlanta, GA “The training is important for understanding and documenting exceptional pollution events - especially dust and fire events. It is very important for the monitoring community to understand the satellite pictures and models for use in our everyday work, too.”

The workshop taught attendees how to apply NASA resources to air quality (i.e. smoke/fire, and PM2.5) monitoring. It built basic skills on image, level 2, and level 3 data access, reading, analysis, and interpretation. Survey Results (70% response rate) 95% of respondents indicated the workshop either met (68%) or exceeded expectations (26%) One of the most useful skills learned was the use of Python scripts for reading and plotting NASA data 30 participants from agencies including: Georgia Environmental Protection Division Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau EPA Region 4 Office SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control National Park Services & U.S. Forest Services Air Quality Training for Stakeholders in Southeastern U.S. September 1-3, 2015, Atlanta, GA “The training is important for understanding and documenting exceptional pollution events - especially dust and fire events. It is very important for the monitoring community to understand the satellite pictures and models for use in our everyday work, too.”  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) BOEM assesses the potential onshore air quality impacts from petroleum resources at the outer continental shelf in the GOM. BOEM alone does not have the technology or have the network monitoring records to address interconnected environmental concerns and scientific questions.  NASA DEVELOP National Program – Student Research Project This project aims to map airborne pollutants across the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to complete an historical analysis of the region, correlating these pollutants to primary emission sources and seeing how they compare with in-situ data. Using NASA Earth observing satellites, this project would create a methodology for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to monitor plumes in the GOM to address future environmental concerns.  Students at Goddard will work with Scientists (Gupta, Levy) during this spring and summer terms.

ARSET Completes First Advanced Webinar October 1-22, 2015 Satellite Remote Sensing of Particulate Matter Air Quality: Data, Tools, Methods and Applications (aka AOD-PM) The first ARSET webinar that required previous remote sensing experience. The training provided an in-depth look at data sets, available tools, and statistical methods used to address particulate matter air quality. New for This Webinar ●Teams came together (attendees largely self organized) in several continents to conduct projects that are presented remotely on Nov. 20th. ●Python scripts were provided to facilitate data analysis. 262 Participants from 53 countries and 189 organizations Survey Response Highlights Ability to access necessary remote sensing data products 35% Improved Somewhat 63% Improved a Great Deal “I cannot analyze the PM 2.5 concentrations in the remote area where [there] is no road connectivity and electricity. Further, we have very few ground monitoring stations in our country. The training program was very helpful in providing the tools and data for such areas. This training not only showed the tools for Aerosol, but other important parameters [that] are available through different portals I was not aware of before.”

Air Quality Training Program : Moving Forward Introductory Advanced Level 3 Data Level 2 Data Domestic International New Application Area & Data Sets VIIRSEmissionsReanalysis

Hands-on Air Quality Training Planned for 2016

 L earn about up coming trainings: visit the ARSET webpage or by sign up to the ARSET listserv at  Participate in a training: Register through the ARSET website. If you miss a training, recorded webinars (for the online trainings) can be accessed through the website.  To apply for an in-person course: go to or contact or  ARSET is always looking for the new data products and tools ready for end users. How to Get Involved