Preparing for Launch and Assessing User Readiness: The 2023 PACE Applications Workshop

Introduction

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission represents one of NASA’s next great investments in Earth Science, continuing the agency’s legacy of over 40 years of satellite ocean color measurements. Launched on February 8, 2024, at 1:33 AM EST, PACE will advance our Earth observing and monitoring capabilities through hyperspectral imaging and multi-angle polarimetry of the ocean, atmosphere, and land ecosystems. To ensure the PACE mission and the anticipated data products meet the needs and objectives of applied-user and stakeholder communities, NASA’s PACE Applications Program aims to build partnerships between data product developers, data distributors, and data users. Effective scientific communication, stakeholder engagement, and transdisciplinary research coproduction or codesign (e.g., designing and conducting research with those who will ultimately use the research output) are crucial elements in increasing the understanding of PACE capabilities and, in turn, broadening the practical applications and societal benefits of future PACE data.

The PACE Applications Workshop, hosted by the NASA Earth Science Applications Program since 2020, provides a forum for community as part of the PACE Applications activities and programming. This event has been held virtually, with an increasingly global and growing audience. The Applications Program hosted its fourth virtual workshop September 6–7, 2023. A total of 1000 workshop registrants from more than 97 countries included satellite operators, satellite data users, applications developers, applications users, decision makers, and members of PACE user communities ranging from novice to experienced. As with previous workshops, the event brought together an international community of academics; government partners at the federal, state, and local levels; and participants from private organizations, including nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This workshop follows a series of successful workshops that have been facilitated over the last four years, two of which were summarized in previous articles in The Earth Observer.

Framing the 2023 Workshop 

As shown in Figure 1, PACE Applications continue to follow a progression of thematic focus areas and priorities in each workshop, with an overall goal of partnership development, end-user and stakeholder engagement, information sharing and awareness building, and the growth of existing and new applications. In 2020, the event focused on community research, including better understanding the diversity of the community and their needs, priorities, challenges, and barriers. Communities included Early Adopters (EAs), Science and Applications Team (SAT) members, and other users and stakeholders. In 2021, the priority included coproduction and collaboration within PACE thematic areas (e.g., air quality, water quality, climate, terrestrial disasters). Speakers and panelists included scientists, users, data developers, and others who could assess and develop a shared understanding of community needs. In 2022, the workshop focused on identifying action steps to address the challenges raised during previous years. The agenda included discussions on how to move forward toward launch and prepare applications for future PACE data. The participants also discussed the coproduction of applications, decision support tools (DSTs), and effective engagement strategies to make them as effective as possible. 

Though still tentative, the 2024 workshop will feature applications of PACE post-launch, including case studies, trainings and tutorials on accessing and applying PACE data, measuring impact, and how users can ultimately achieve sustained use. As the first workshop post-launch, it is expected that users will be featured heavily in the agenda in sharing their experiences, learning from each other, and promoting further use and application of PACE data.

This article summarizes the 2023 workshop. It includes a summary of the materials presented and discussions during the 2023 workshop (year 4 from Figure 1), while also discussing the broader topic of end-user readiness in the context of a new mission. Rather than organize the information by session and report chronologically, the content is organized around the four workshop objectives (see next section). This approach illustrates how an intentional, creative, and diverse program of workshop activities could achieve the workshop’s overarching goals. The full workshop agenda, speaker biographies, and recordings of the keynote presentations, panel sessions, breakout sessions, and engagement activities are available at the workshop website.

Workshop Motivation, Theme, and Objectives

The upcoming PACE mission represents a major advancement in Earth observation capabilities—particularly the hyperspectral and multi-angle polarimetric measurement capabilities of its instruments. Clearly, there is a great deal that the science and applications community can potentially gain from and do with these new observations. However, while there has been an intentional effort the past few years to make users more aware of the capabilities of PACE, many still don’t feel prepared to utilize the PACE data once they become available, which will be after PACE launches and passes initial checkouts of the spacecraft and instrument performance (likely by mid-2024). 

A preworkshop questionnaire—results shown in Figure 2—conducted among registrants helped to quantify these concerns. It was an assessment of the state of user readiness to use PACE data by launch or shortly thereafter. The results of the questionnaire indicate that a substantial portion of the PACE community (including stakeholders and potential science and application users) feel underprepared to use PACE data by the time it is available—as indicated by the 73% who responded to the survey that they were somewhat, slightly, or not at all prepared to utilize PACE data. By contrast, only 8% responded that they were extremely prepared to use PACE data from “day one” of its availability. 

This survey helps to confirm that the perceived “gap” in user readiness is quite real. This gap motivated the theme of the 2023 PACE Applications workshop—user readiness— which focused on preparing the PACE community for the eventual uptake of PACE data. PACE Applications work toward several user-readiness goals, as listed in the bullets below. 

To achieve these goals, PACE Applications developed a comprehensive user-readiness checklist for the mission, ensuring that:

The 2023 PACE Applications workshop focused on user readiness to provide the community with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to employ the full potential of PACE Earth science data for impact. By focusing on user readiness, PACE Applications aimed to bridge the gap, inspire data confidence, and support successful application of PACE data after launch. Given the importance of user readiness in preparing for launch and the user-readiness checklist, the 2023 PACE Applications workshop objectives aimed to:

Workshop Overview and Structure 

The organization of the 2023 PACE Applications Workshop enabled opportunities to connect, contribute, and collaborate. Prior to the event, workshop organizers polled registrants to share their backgrounds, expertise, interests, and demographics to facilitate a relevant workshop with engaging conversations. The two-day workshop agenda included daily icebreaker activities, which were an effective way to welcome participants and encourage participation and engagement early and throughout the event. 

The morning session included an introduction to NASA Earth science, the PACE Applications Program, and Design Thinking for data science. Natasha Sadoff [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI)—PACE Applications Deputy Coordinator] and Erin Urquhart [GSFC/SSAI—PACE Applications Coordinator] served as co-hosts for the event. They opened each day of the workshop with information on workshop logistics and engagement activities, followed by a brief overview of NASA’s PACE Applications and the Early Adopters (EA) program, both of which serve as mechanisms to build prelaunch partnerships between PACE data producers and data users. 

Dalia Kirschbaum [GSFC—Director of Earth Sciences] gave the first plenary presentation. She introduced NASA Earth science at Goddard and across NASA, including how PACE fits into the fleet of Earth science missions. Kirschbaum also outlined the role of user feedback and engagement in the new Earth Science in Action strategy recently adopted by NASA, including public understanding and awareness and user preparation as the key to mission success. She outlined user involvement in mission planning, user preparation through EA programs, and user support applying mission data within decision-making contexts. 

Erin Urquhart discussed user readiness from the PACE Applications perspective. She described the user-readiness goals and checklist mentioned above. She also outlined ways in which the PACE Applications program uses design thinking and coproduction methodologies to understand preparedness and needs as well as codesign possible solutions for increasing readiness. For example, PACE Applications worked with the community to identify illustrative user profiles (personas) and their respective data accessibility and functionality requirements. The team then worked in small breakout groups to identify possible solutions. 

Bo Peng [IDEO—Portfolio Manager] provided broader context on human-centered design and design thinking to identify ways in which these approaches can be incorporated into data science projects. She emphasized that data by itself does not inspire innovation, action, or change. Instead, teams should start with people (i.e., users) and use insights and human stories to drive impact—which references the same design thinking method mentioned by Erin Urquhart in the previous presentation. 

Following the workshop introduction (Session 1) described above, the four subsequent technical sessions were: 

In addition to these sessions, a virtual poster session held on day one of the workshop allowed members of the community to share their work, including how they are preparing for the PACE launch. Though the live session took place on day one, the posters were visible to participants throughout the event. 

The remainder of this report is organized according to workshop objectives and does not necessarily reflect the linear agenda, which is found on the PACE Workshop website.

Objective 1: Provide an overview of the PACE mission, observatory, and science

The first objective of the workshop was to provide an overview of the PACE mission, observatory, and broad societally relevant applications. As the largest PACE event of the year, this workshop introduces community members to the mission as well as providing science updates, even if unrelated to specific applications. According to the pre-workshop questionnaire, 75% of this workshop’s audience self-identified as new to PACE—highlighting the importance of this objective. 

Jeremy Werdell [GSFC—PACE Project Scientist] and Mark Voyton [GSFC—PACE Project Manager] introduced the PACE mission, observatory, data products, and hardware updates. Werdell provided an overview of the three instruments included on the PACE observatory: the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) (a hyperspectral radiometer) and two contributed multi-angle polarimeters {the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2) and the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone)}. He discussed the conception and history of the PACE mission, its status, and the array of data products planned to address data needs that span the ocean, land, and atmosphere. He also introduced simulated data from all instruments, including OCI data from the Python Top-of-Atmosphere Simulation Tool (pyTOAST). All simulated data products are available on the Simulated and Proxy Data website. Voyton provided an overview of the hardware, integration and testing (I&T), and schedule in the remaining months prior to launch. 

Alicia Scott [GSFC/SAIC—Deputy Manager of the Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC)] introduced NASA’s distributed active archive centers (DAAC) to access NASA’s freely available data and the OB.DAAC to meet users’ needs in terms of data and services related to ocean color data and beyond. As the future home of all PACE data, OB.DAAC provides PACE users with a variety of resources, including data visualization and ordering tools, as well as user services, such as trainings and other resources to support user uptake of OB.DAAC data.

Panel Discussion: How PACE Discipline Scientists are Preparing for Launch

This panel consisted of presentations from and conversations between the six PACE Deputy Discipline Scientists (DS) and the workshop participants. The panelists discussed the various science elements that converge in the PACE mission and how preparations for launch are progressing. Panelists included:

The panel started with a summary of key information from each Project Science element, including the latest updates, state-of-standard and advanced products, and where to find more information. The discussion touched upon validation, atmospheric correction, opportunities for community feedback, and noteworthy synergies from other remote sensing datasets or future missions, such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) mission, NASA’s Geosynchronous Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR), Atmosphere Observing System (AOS), and Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) missions, and lidar systems [e.g., High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL)]. 

Objective 2: Share information about tools, ideas, and best practices in preparation for PACE data 

Users require tools, ideas, and best practices to be ready for the PACE launch and ultimately, for the flow of PACE data. Session 3, User Readiness: Are YOU Ready for Launch? addressed this objective through various presentations and discussion. Sabrina Delgado Arias [GSFC/SSAI—Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite–2 (ICESat-2) Applications Lead] gave a plenary presentation sharing best practices from the ICESat-2 mission, which launched in September 2018. This example provides a unique look into pre- and postlaunch user-readiness activities from which PACE could learn. Delgado Arias noted that user preparedness requires relationships; sustaining and maintaining relationships requires a continuous effort and continuity of personnel. Applications Programs can and should be liaisons between data users—who are “insiders” and “ambassadors” of the data, instrument, and mission—and the rest of the Project Science, the Science Data Segment, and the DAAC.

Melanie Follette Cook [GFSC—NASA ARSET Project Scientist] provided an overview of NASA tools and resources, including those offered through NASA’s Capacity Building Program, which includes the SERVIR, DEVELOP, and Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) programs under its auspices. DEVELOP bridges the gap between Earth science information and society through 10-week terms with early career scientists and students. SERVIR, a joint development initiative between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provides local decision-makers with the tools, training, and services they need to act on climate-sensitive issues like disasters, agricultural security, water management, and land use. With a focus on sustainability, those solutions are available and promoted throughout the region and globally. ARSET, a popular training program, offers online and in-person trainings that range from introductory to advanced. Trainings relevant to PACE include topical trainings on smoke and dust transport, water and air quality monitoring, or coastal ocean ecosystem dynamics and management, as well as introductory trainings on remote sensing basics and data formats and access. Future training modules may focus on applications using hyperspectral and polarimetry data from PACE and other relevant missions. Outside of the Capacity Building Program, other resources include the Early Adopter Handbook, which provides information on NASA’s EA Strategy with recommendations for effective implementation based on lessons learned over the past decade, and the Earth Science Applications Guidebook, which translates decades of experience in applying information into shareable knowledge and practical guidance that may support users as they explore PACE application areas. Finally, the Earth Data Pathfinders offers topic-specific data resources. 

Kim Hyde [NOAA Fisheries—Biological Oceanographer] shared important considerations for data interoperability and preparing tools for PACE data based on her experience with ocean color data within NOAA Fisheries. Though complicated to enact, NOAA Fisheries aims to take an ecosystem-based approach to management, providing services for their stakeholders working in fisheries management, ecosystem monitoring, and public health. The agency uses a variety of ocean color products for water mass classification, improved coastal algorithms, phytoplankton composition and harmful algal bloom detection, and improved operational forecasts, models, and management. 

Ashutosh Limaye [NASA MSFC—SERVIR Chief Scientist] provided an overview of some best practices from the SERVIR “service approach” that users could consider in preparation for PACE. The SERVIR Service Planning Toolkit utilizes a similar method as design thinking in its focus on coproduction and codesign of problems and solutions. Limaye encouraged attendees to conduct consultations and needs assessments, stakeholder mapping, service design, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities to ensure that their research or applications are ready for new data streams, such as PACE, in their efforts to meet user and societal needs.

Objective 3: Demonstrate simulated datasets and PACE data integration examples 

Session 4, The “Hows and Whys” of PACE Data Integration, addressed the third objective. The 75 engagement activity survey responses received—see Figure 3—show that the PACE community continue to have concerns about several areas of PACE data readiness. Some of these concerns were addressed during the workshop—however many will be addressed in the coming months by NASA through training, tutorials, and other resources. Session 3 also provided participants with case studies, lessons learned, and broader information about integrating PACE data within existing applications.

Emerson Sirk [GSFC/SSAI—Scientific Programmer] and Meng Gao [GSFC/SSAI—Polarimetry Software Lead] each gave presentations on simulated data from OCI and the two multi-angle polarimeters, respectively. All PACE simulated data were developed for internal team use in testing algorithms, code, and models. These data also help future users of PACE data gain familiarity with the data format, geometry, grids, and resolution that PACE data will have—although Sirk did emphasize that the simulated data are not science quality for conducting research. As noted previously, simulated data are available on OB.DAAC. Also, PyTOAST provides simulated hyperspectral data from OCI at Level1B (L1B), L2, and L3, including all standard geophysical products. The multi-angle polarimetry data is high quality for testing aerosol and ocean color retrieval algorithms, with reflectance and polarization available at L1 and aerosol and ocean color retrievals and uncertainties available at L2. More information on coverage and limitations for each individual instrument can be found through OB.DAAC. 

Nima Pahlevan [GSFC/SSAI—Remote Sensing Scientist], Chuanmin Hu [University of Florida—Professor], and Marcela Loría Salazar [University of Oklahoma—Assistant Professor] discussed their experience with integrating PACE data into their applications, including coastal and freshwater ecosystems, sargassum and oil spills, and aerosols and weather, respectively. Each team integrated PACE data in different ways. Pahlevan and Hu used observations from the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO)—which flew on the International Space Station from 2009–2014—to demonstrate hyperspectral capabilities in proof-of-concept work. Pahlevan’s team also worked with users on readiness by providing information on validity, quality, viability, and caveats. Similarly, Loría Salazar recognized the challenges of using Earth observation for air quality models given large spatial gaps and aggregating data despite biases. PACE plans to improve the spatial resolution of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol products for aerosol optical depth and aerosol layer height retrievals. However, to prepare for PACE, Loria Salazar continues to develop and test her models with proxy data from other satellites, models, and aircraft/ground-based sources.

Objective 4: Consider important perspectives for implementation and transition of PACE applications for broad impact

The fourth objective of the 2023 PACE Applications workshop, and core focus of session 5: Onward and Upward: Transition and Implementation, was to examine important perspectives for the implementation and transition of PACE applications, emphasizing their potential for broad societal impact. Specifically, two main themes emerged—the importance of involving diverse communities and stakeholders to enhance applications (as echoed during the workshop engagement activity—see Figure 4) and explore practices that contribute to the successful transition and use of Earth observing data via Earth science applications. Session programming hoped to encourage forward-thinking regarding PACE research and applications and to prompt the PACE community to consider transition and implementation strategies early and often. 

Amber McCullum [NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)/Bay Area Environmental Research Institute—Applied Research Scientist] provided an overview of the NASA Western Water Applications Office (WWAO) and considered insights, challenges, and lessons learned in the successful transition of applications to operation. She emphasized the importance of involving partners before and during application scoping via codevelopment, transitioning planning and discussion from the start of a project, and sustained capacity building to ensure data/products/tools become an integral part of the decision-making processes. 

Panel Discussion: Onward & Upward 

Kelly Luis [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)—Postdoctoral Researcher] moderated this panel session, which focused on shedding light on transitioning Earth science applications and research to operation (R2O). The four panelists offered varying perspectives spanning the commercial, academic, and government arena. Each panelist shared their experience with, and challenges encountered when using Earth science applications by addressing the following questions: How do we systematically approach the topic of transitioning Earth science research and applications to action? What advice can you lend to those who are transitioning their own R2O?

Yaítza Luna-Cruz [NASA Headquarters] reminded attendees of the importance of early engagement. “Earth science to action,” she emphasized, “we need to engage with everyone, early in the early phases of the mission.” Recognizing that Earth science does not operate in a vacuum, Luna-Cruz advocated for collaboration across various sectors, stressing that “there is a place for interagency collaboration, for private sector collaboration, and for academic collaboration.” She highlighted the necessity of inclusivity and partnership in bringing Earth science research to action. 

Blake Schaeffer [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] offered a perspective that underscores the significance of understanding the technological landscape. “Keep the larger context in mind,” Schaeffer advised, “and where we [and users] are on the technology adaptation lifecycle.” Additionally, he underscored the importance of continuous capacity building, noting “training needs to continually happen.” Furthermore, he suggested taking advantage of communication networks that play a vital role in success stories and inspire others to embrace new tools, services, and applications.

Raha Hakimdavar [Zyon Space] represented the private sector and offered perspectives on the agility and scale that private companies can provide. She suggested that “in theory, a private company can move more quickly and scale more quickly than within a larger bureaucracy (e.g., the Federal government).” Hakimdavar also proposed a public–private–academic partnership model to facilitate the codevelopment of research and its transformation into commercial products and applications where appropriate. 

Kari St. Laurent [NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)] shared practical advice on operationalization and engagement with users. She advised that, when transitioning research to operation, one must be “considerate of users’ time and make sure your interactions are meaningful.” St. Laurent noted practicality in understanding the time investment required for operationalization, stating that “operationalization of a product is a major time investment; being realistic of the time it takes to operationalize a product is crucial.” She reiterated that time is of the essence when striving for operational success and mentioned that “[users] need to be mindful of operational milestones.” 

After the panel, the workshop organizers concluded this discussion with an important perspective and call to action for the entire community—the PACE team, including Applications and other parts of Project Science, as well as OB.DAAC, ARSET, and other stakeholders within and outside of NASA, have a role in preparing users for PACE data; however, users must do their part in advancing their own PACE data readiness. This crosses all the various elements of user readiness that were introduced during the workshop: understanding data, accessing data, handling data, analyzing data, and applying knowledge. 

Workshop Recommendations and Feedback

As indicated through a variety of metrics—including the reach, the number of participants, and the positive feedback on the agenda, speakers, and panels—the fourth annual PACE Applications Workshop was a success. As a virtual forum, the workshop achieved an incredible level of global interest and multidisciplinary turnout, with a high level of engagement and interaction among the hosts, presenters, and participants. Despite being fully virtual, participants appreciated the opportunities for engagement and networking, with one person observing it was “hands down the most engaging and informative remote workshop I’ve been able to participate in.” Participants also appreciated the Swapcard event platform, including its functionality for chats, meetings, and other types of networking, as well as the use of Mentimeter.com, as an engagement tool. With participants from over 97 countries, this was the most far-reaching workshop yet geographically. As noted earlier, the PACE community, as represented in the registrants, continues to diversify across sectors and thematic areas. The agenda continues to provide clear objectives and logical flow from year to year. One participant noted that “just 10 years ago these big conversations of coproduction and engagement, inclusivity, equity, and community never would have been conversations we had at the mission level.” The workshop enabled a transdisciplinary dialogue focused on the PACE mission and how users can prepare for and ultimately utilize PACE data. 

Conclusion 

The workshop supported the PACE mission and broader NASA Earth Action initiatives, continuing momentum toward PACE launch and beyond. The 2024 annual workshop—anticipated to occur in-person and be the first postlaunch gathering of this community—will focus on impact, including iterating on applications, solutions, and innovation; conducting PACE validation studies; assessing socio-economic impact; producing tutorials and trainings; and achieving initial, sustained use. The NASA PACE Applications Program team will continue to engage and interact with applied-research, data-user, and stakeholder communities to solicit feedback to inform future mission and application activities. As always, the PACE Applications Program website will continue to post news of future meetings and events.

Erin Urquhart
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
erin.urquhart.jephson@nasa.gov 

Natasha Sadoff
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
natasha.sadoff@nasa.gov