Strategic Options for SAON Vis-a-Vis Arctic Collaborative Environment Project

Presented by: Marty Kress, VCSI Steve Spehn, EUCOM

Thought To Direct Your Assessment

The Arctic is a complex system and no one country will be able to fully and effectively asses this system.

It will take a collaborative effort, an integrated research plan, and a level of cooperation not yet

evidenced to prudently and wisely expand economic activities in the region.

ACE Team Input --IARPC Draft Arctic Research Plan – June 2012

ACE Team Input to SAON Leadership Team – October 2012

Six Key Dimensions of ACE• Create an open access tool to integrate disparate data sets in response

to key user requirements in the Arctic Region• Facilitate data and model sharing and the creation of new and/or

enhanced products for end users• Transition the System to the National Ice Center to sustain its viability

and value to regional operators & researchers• Open source the tool to other regions and applications • Get the next generation of researchers working together• Serve as the first step to additional collaborative projects and activities

SAON Needs to see each activity and project it endorses as part of an integrated set of capabilities that meet the needs of multiple Arctic

nations

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Mini-Overview of ACE Project

• The ACE JCTD will provide a web-based, open-access, Arctic-focused, environmental research and decision-support system that integrates data from existing remote sensing assets and in situ observations to provide monitoring, analysis, and visualization based on earth observation data and modeling. The ACE JCTD will enable local, regional, and international cooperation and coordination on long-term environmental planning and near-term actions in response to climatic and environmental changes occurring in the Arctic Region.

• The ACE tool capitalizes on prior earth science applications work done at NASA MSFC: RTMM, SPoRT, SERVIR, AMSR-E, etc.

• ACE was designed to capitalize on the IPY, foster and promote the exchange of data and models for use in the Arctic Region – create a common area of interest for the Arctic Nations.

• ACE is directly applicable to other regions and applications.• The ACE Team is committed to “give” its tool to any Arctic Nation or

organization – in return the ACE Team would hope it facilitates the exchange of data and models

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Arctic Collaborative Environment Team – International and Growing

• We have an incredible team – been able to integrate some of the best people and organizations in the business

– Pablo Clemente-Colón, National Ice Center– Thorsten Markus, NASA Goddard– John Calder, NOAA– Corky Clinton, NASA Marshall – John Farrell, Arctic Commission – John Frim, Canadian Embassy – Julie Gourley, State Department, Arctic Council – Brendan Kelly, OSTP– John Walsh, UAF – Julie Payette, Government of Quebec – EUCOM, NORTHCOM, NORAD, USCG, Navy Task Force Climate Change, Navy, AMRDEC,

DLR, CRREL, ORNL, NOAA, NSF, ONR, OSTP, ERMA, NWS, State Department – Norwegian Polar Institute, DLR, German Embassy, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Inuit

Circumpolar Council, SAON– University of Alabama in Huntsville (NASA MSFC -EUCOM), University of Alaska

Fairbanks (AARI & Environment Canada), University of Maryland (NASA GSFC), University of Delaware (NIC), Aurora Research Institute (Inuit Nation), Universities Space Research Association

– Working to Fully Integrate Canada and Russia into Project

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Access the ACE tool

Access the ACE tool

Choose your database(s)Choose your database(s)

CADIS

NSIDC

NOAA

NIC

NWS

NAIS

International

Proprietary

Maritime Domain

Awareness

Maritime Domain

Awareness

Utilize selected databases to perform focused tasksUtilize selected databases to perform focused tasks

SARSAR

Environmental Response

Environmental Response

Focused Res Project

Focused Res Project

Feeds data for 3rd party apps and applications to fit your needs

Feeds data for 3rd party apps and applications to fit your needs*

International• Finnish Meteorological Institute• Germany’s Deutsher Wetterdienst• Environment Canada

*

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ACE JCTD: Way-Ahead

• On-going:– Working a Transition Plan with Navy, NOAA, NIC, EUCOM, NASA MSFC, and UAHuntsville to

clarify out year support responsibilities– Building the Developmental Server at UAHuntsville– Working to expand international participation and support – on the working groups, with data

and model sharing, SAON support, etc. – key targets – Russia and Canada– Working to develop new products – focus on buoy data and active-passive integration –

integrate research efforts into baseline – hope to host new Navy Sea Ice Model, etc. – Collaborating with other key activities to avoid duplication and provide key capabilities –

ERMA, AON, etc. – Working to frame key follow on collaborations that address critical requirements gap aligned

with Arctic Council – from basic communications, to sea ice monitoring, emergency response, maritime domain awareness, etc.

• Milestones:– Feb 2012: Alpha testing with various priority users – USCG, NWS, NIC, etc.– Mar–Apr 2012: Conduct Additional beta testing – Key Meetings/Reviews Being Planned – April 2012 – Present Tool to International Community – IPY Conference – October 2012: Conduct Technical Demonstration– Decemeber 2012: Conduct Operational Demonstration– Jan 2013: Transition operational system to NOAA – National Ice Center

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ARC-Sat – Communications Satellite- Key Gap FillerOpenly Shared & Briefed to Arctic Nations & Organizations

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An innovative, multi-agencyinternational collaboration that provides MDA, communications relay, and data-extraction

Payloads•Mothership launches CubeSats and has extensive computational, control, and data store-and-forward capacity•Mothership and 4 CubeSats with software-defined radios enable over the horizon communications•AIS provides global Maritime Domain Awareness•Data-X provides data collection from unattended sensors

Mission Concept•1 MiniSatellite Mothership (NASA)

• CubeSat Launcher (NASA)• AIS/Data-X (DoD)• Communications package (NASA & DoD)

•4 Communications CubeSats (DoD)•650 km low-earth-orbit•90-98° Inclination•Mission management & operations (NASA, DoD, & Others)•> 20Mbps total data throughput•UHF SatCom

Ships

SensorBuoys

GroundStations

A/C One-day of coverage

NASA Near-Earth Network and DoD GIG

A/C

UAS

Recommendations to SAON• Capitalize on the resource constraints of the Arctic Nations and end user needs to

table new, innovative and lower cost solutions:– Approve projects and activities aligned with a core set of strategic goals and objectives –

including open access and utilization– Foster & Enable some early on collaborations that enhance data sharing and integration of

data bases and networks – save money and provide better end user services– ID key infrastructure gaps for operations and research and come up with a portfolio of low

cost, international, collaborative options to address – capitalize on microsats, cubesats, UASs, airships, etc. – design and develop interoperable sensors and instruments that can fly on multiple platforms – 80% solutions at lower cost with shorter deployment times

– See the Arctic as a collaborative test bed – technology, science, operations, and capitalize on new and innovative systems approaches – you have a blank sheet of paper

– Enter into User Agreements for other nations’ assets and platforms – at the government and end user level

– See oil rigs and vessels as floating sensor platforms – as well as every other asset in region– Enter into discussions with oil companies on key capital investments – help them reduce their

risk and facilitate energy extraction – by building the infrastructure and response capability – Reassess planned R&D spacecraft to serve both R&D AND operational needs– Consider innovative financing and consortia models – Frame an integrated Arctic Research Plan that capitalizes on the investments of several

nations to create more mass and resources to do a few things well!

Follow Up Discussions

• To follow up on the ACE Team and its strategy please contact:

– Steve Spehn, Stephen.I.Spehn.ngo@mail.mil– Marty Kress, mkress@vcsi.org