NASA Airborne and Field Data Workshop (2022) Workshop Report and Recommendations

For over 50 years, NASA’s Earth Science Division has invested in the collection of airborne and field Earth observations. However, these data have often not been given the same care and attention as NASA’s satellite data. In March 2022, members of NASA’s Airborne Data Management Group (ADMG), Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS), and the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) co-organized and hosted a two-day workshop aimed at obtaining a better understanding of concerns of both data users and data producers and at receiving comprehensive, constructive suggestions for improving the discoverability, accessibility, and (re)usability of NASA’s airborne and related field data. The workshop’s goal was to identify how NASA can make strategic improvements to help researchers realize the full value of all available agency airborne and field data holdings. This virtual workshop was widely announced and drew more than 100 participants. The vast amount of feedback obtained has been analyzed and discussed openly over the past year. This report contains a summary of the workshop and recommendations for NASA to significantly improve the ability for data producers and data users to meet NASA science objectives.