Impact of the ARSET Program on Use of Remote-Sensing Data

Abstract

We show that training activities conducted through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Applied Remote-Sensing Training (ARSET) program led to a significant increase in remote-sensing data use for decision-making. Our findings are based on survey data collected from 1041 ARSET participants from 117 countries who attended ARSET trainings between 2013 and 2016. To assess the impact of the ARSET program, we analyzed changes in three metrics. Results show that 83% of all respondents increased their knowledge of remote-sensing data products at least moderately, 79% increased their ability to access data, and 73% increased their ability to make decisions. We also examined how respondents are using remote-sensing data across 40 specific work tasks ranging from research to decision support applications. More than 50% of respondents reported an increase in data use for all except two of the tasks. ARSET will use these findings, together with participant data on future training needs, to set future directions for the program.

Online Education Program in Operational Meteorology and a Case Study about a Product for Decision Making

“…The results obtained from MetEd have been presented by Dills et al [6]. More recently, the Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has contributed to train specifically in the area of remote sensing [7].…”

Education and Training in Applied Remote Sensing in Africa: The ARCSSTE-E Experience

“…It our belief that ARCSSTE-E stands out as the connecting institution of Space Science and Technology for the region, especially in areas of capacity building and Space Outreach programmes. The Centre will seek collaboration with other international organisations that coordinate training programmes in applied remote sensing, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Applied Remote-Sensing Training (ARSET) programme to support the effort of ARCSSTE-E in promoting applied remote sensing in Africa [19]. Such collaboration could help to develop the skills of current and future African instructors by sharing training resources.…”

Lessons Learned from the NOAA CoastWatch Ocean Satellite Course Developed for Integrating Oceanographic Satellite Data into Operational Use

“…This distinction differentiates the NOAA Ocean Satellite Course from other well-established satellite remote sensing courses that cover such topics as ocean optics, atmospheric corrections, ocean color algorithms, and image analysis (e.g., http://www.geo.cornell.edu/ocean/satellite/). In addition, the NOAA Ocean Satellite Course has never had dedicated staff in the way that the NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program [10] or the COMET program do [11], which are described in this special issue. EUMETSAT, Europe's operational satellite agency, has offered courses with a scope and target audience similar to those of the NOAA course since 2017 [12].…”

“…Stock assessment, habitat classification, and conservation efforts require long-term satellite records of the highest possible quality on decadal timescales, in order to accurately detect trends and anomalies that might be influencing animal populations. In contrast, some fishery management needs, such as optimizing ship surveys in real-time and driving models in the emerging field of dynamic ocean management [9][10][11], require recent and near-real-time satellite data.…”

“…Therefore, products such as the Multi-Scale Ultra-High Resolution sea surface temperature dataset [39] and the ESA's Climate Change Initiative Ocean Color products [25] that merge together data from multiple sensors and platforms to create long timeseries are extremely valuable for fisheries applications. Near real-time data are also needed for optimizing ship surveys in real-time and developing models in the emerging field of dynamic ocean management [9][10][11].…”