ICE, CLOUD AND LAND ELEVATION SATELLITE-2 (ICESAT-2) APPLICATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NATIONAL PLAN

In alignment with the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, NASA plans to launch the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission in 2017 to continue the multi-year experimental observations of the Earth’s surface elevation established by ICESat (2003-2009). The ICESat-2 mission will advance our knowledge on ice sheet elevation change, sea ice thickness, and other key observations for ecosystem, climate, and water applications. In accordance with the National Plan and in an effort to advance data discovery, access, and use of ICESat-2 observations as put forward by the President’s Big Earth Data Initiative, ICESat-2 has an Applications program. The program provides a framework for building a broad and well-defined user community during the prelaunch phases of the mission to maximize the use of data products after launch and to provide early insight into the range of potential uses of the mission data. Through a multiscale communications approach and an Early Adopter program, ICESat-2 is facilitating the necessary feedback loops between the mission and user communities necessary for a transparent understanding of the utility of ICESat-2 data products within different decision-making contexts. In this presentation we will summarize the various initiatives of the ICESat-2 Applications program and provide a synthesis of the current Early Adopter research in the context of the Societal Benefit Areas laid out by the National Plan.