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A partnership between Earth scientists and institutional stewards is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) prepare for a changing climate and growing climate-related vulnerabilities. An important part of this partnership is an agency-wide Climate Adaptation Science Investigator (CASI) Workgroup. CASI has thus far initiated 1) local workshops to introduce and improve planning for climate risks, 2) analysis of climate data and projections for each NASA Center, 3) climate impact and adaptation toolsets, and 4) Center-specific research and engagement. Partnering scientists with managers aligns climate expertise with operations, leveraging research capabilities to improve decision-making and to tailor risk assessment at the local level. NASA has begun to institutionalize this ongoing process for climate risk management across the entire agency, and specific adaptation strategies are already being implemented. A case study from Kennedy Space Center illustrates the CASI and workshop process, highlighting the need to protect launch infrastructure of strategic importance to the United States, as well as critical natural habitat. Unique research capabilities and a culture of risk management at NASA may offer a pathway for other organizations facing climate risks, promoting their resilience as part of community, regional, and national strategies., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists have been instrumental in discovering the nature of weather and climate hazards, yet their agency also has direct experience with their impacts. Power [...]

The International Space University's 1995 Summer Session revealed differences in generational outlook toward future space research. Faculty who had lived most of their lives before and during the Cold War favored space exploration and colonization. However, students were more in favor of using space research for improving the quality of life on earth. A sponsored project named Vision 2020, involving presentations by students from sixteen countries on space research, revealed this shift in thinking from big-budget policy goals to more humanistic goals.

This paper reviews the key role that Earth Observations (EO) play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as articulated in the 2030 Agenda document and in monitoring, measuring, and reporting on progress towards the associated targets. This paper also highlights how the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) would contribute to ensure the actual use of EO in support of the 2030 Agenda; and how the Global Earth Observations System of Systems meets requirements for efficient investments in science and technology and a good return on investment, which is elaborated in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on development financing. Through a number of examples, we first discuss how extensive EO use would: provide a substantial contribution to the achievements of the SDGs by enabling informed decision-making and by allowing monitoring of the expected results; improve national statistics for greater accuracy, by ensuring that the data are “spatially-explicit” and directly contribute to calculate the agreed SDG Targets and Indicators support the fostering of synergy between the SDGs and multilateral environmental agreements by addressing cross-cutting themes such as climate and energy; and facilitate countries’ approaches for working across different development sectors, which is, according to the special adviser on the 2030 Agenda, a key challenge to achieve the SDGs. We then focus on the role that GEO could play in enabling actual use of EO in support of the 2030 Agenda by directly addressing the Strategic Development Goal 17 on partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to help data providers make informed decisions regarding the availability and accessibility of Earth observations for societal benefit, a cross-sectoral meta-analysis of observation priorities was conducted from the perspective of users. The analysis was organized around the Group on Earth Observations' (GEOs) societal benefit areas (SBAs): Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate, Disasters, Ecosystems, Energy, Health, Water, and Weather. Users' needs for Earth observations were prioritized using a two-stage process. In the first stage, critical observations for each individual SBA were determined based on observation needs expressed in publicly available documents, such as scientific journal articles, scientific reports, and workshop summaries. In the second stage, an ensemble of four statistically robust methods was used to prioritize the observations identified in the individual SBA analyses, based on their criticality and commonality to multiple SBAs. The result of the meta-analysis is a ranking of 152 critical Earth observation priorities; the highest priority Earth observations are those that are considered critical for the largest number of SBAs. The 10 highest ranked observations are: (1) Precipitation, (2) Soil Moisture, (3) Surface Air Temperature, (4) Land Cover, (5) Surface Wind Speed (6) Vegetation Cover, (7) Surface Humidity, (8) Urbanization, (9) Vegetation Type, and (10) Surface Wind Direction and Sea Surface Temperature (tie). This study represents one viable method to assess the priority of Earth observations from the perspective of users. The list of critical Earth observation priorities from this study is a foundation for engagement between data providers and users in regard to observation priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With less than a decade left to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this communication aims to improve understanding of the enabling environment that is essential for Earth observations (EO) to be fully adopted within the institutional settings that drive the implementation of the SDGs and the Global Indicator Framework, an effective review mechanism for tracking progress at global to national and local levels. This paper also serves as an introduction to the Remote Sensing of Environment's Special Issue (SI) on Earth Observation for the Sustainable Development Goals. The seventeen contributions published in this SI showcase the application of EO data, methods, and tools to support countries in target setting for the SDGs, including baseline determination, as well as tracking of progress on SDG implementation and informing sustainable development planning and decision making. The majority of published articles focus on Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 14 (Life below Water) and 15 (Life on Land). We also present our own analysis of existing EO systems available to generate data for SDG indicators addressed via the SI contributions, including main resolution characteristics, and assess factors that hinder the full integration of EO solutions for the SDGs within country processes, institutions of government, and policies. We conclude that an urgent need exists for the EO community to work more closely with local and regional governments and other relevant stakeholders to promote the operationalization of EO solutions for implementing the 2030 Agenda at global to local levels. Our review also illustrates the need for transitioning towards new EO for SDG frameworks that are focused on the knowledge element of the data-information-knowledge-wisdom paradigm, rather than the data and information aspects. • Progress and challenges motivating the special issue are discussed. • 17 manuscripts highlight the Earth science contributions to SDG targets/ indicators. • Assessment of existing Earth observation systems for SDG indicators is outlined. • Highlights from country use cases, global and regional initiatives, and future outlook. • Understanding the enabling environment is pivotal for EO to fully support the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]