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A Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) Management Office (MO)

Federal agency participation in the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) survey is on the rise with a record 125 submitted surveys in the 2024 cycle. NASA has established an SNWG Management Office (MO) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to manage the process of assessing agency needs for satellite Earth observations, and importantly, the implementation and operations of solutions developed by NASA to meet those needs. The SNWG Management Office is an integral part of NASA’s response to the needs of other federal agencies through its SNWG Stakeholder Engagement Program (SEP).

The SNWG MO's primary objectives are to:

  • Facilitate the assessment of SNWG agency needs

  • Oversee the co-design, implementation, and operations of SNWG solutions

This figure illustrates the steps in the SNWG assessment and solution development process.

The figure above illustrates the steps in the SNWG assessment and the solution development process.

Facilitate the assessment of SNWG agency needs

NASA leads a tri-agency assessment (with USGS and NOAA) of federal agency needs submitted through the SNWG survey. The assessment is carried out by over a hundred scientists with expertise on the geophysical observables requested by the agencies. The SNWG Management Office coordinates the assessment process, develops tools used by the assessment participants, schedules and supports follow-up discussions with each participating agency, performs statistical analysis of the survey responses, coordinates the evaluation of solutions proposed to meet agency needs, and drafts NASA’s presentation of selected solutions to the Executive Branch. After each assessment cycle, the SNWG Management Office conducts an extensive lessons learned retrospective, collecting feedback from participants that is used to inform tool refinement and process updates that streamline and support the next assessment cycle.

Oversee the co-design, implementation, and operations of SNWG solutions

At the heart of the SNWG process is the implementation and delivery of solutions that address the needs of federal agencies. The SNWG Management Office coordinates the status of all SNWG-funded projects at NASA, manages the implementation of solutions from each cycle, and oversees the lifecycle of each science project through operational product release. A vital component of solution development is the co-design of solutions with end users, a process that includes understanding agency partners and how they use Earth observations, testing and iterating on solutions with users as the solution is developed, and evaluating solutions together with end users. The goal of the co-design process is to ensure that solutions are usable, accessible, and actionable upon completion.

The Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) open source science policy is also an important part of the development and implementation effort for all projects managed by the SNWG Management Office. This process will continue for all solutions arising from needs expressed in future SNWG cycles as well and will follow NASA’s open source science policies permitting broad access to information on NASA-developed SNWG solutions.

Stakeholder Engagement Program (SEP)

The SNWG Stakeholder Engagement Program (SEP) is the key to providing training, outreach, and community engagement around NASA’s SNWG data products and systems through collaboration across NASA’s Earth Science Division. The program includes polling stakeholders about their training and data needs, connecting with capacity-building efforts within NASA, funding and organizing training activities such as workshops, bringing together communities of federal and other users around funded solutions, and measuring and communicating the impact of solutions to end users. Collaborations among federal users, the scientific community, academia, industry, and NASA’s Earth Science Division empower these communities to integrate SNWG solutions into their research and decision-making processes.

Contact Us

Is your agency currently using an SNWG solution or looking to get involved with SNWG? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at info@snwg-impact.net.