NASA EPSCoR Research Project: Building a Competitive and Sustainable Delaware Remote Sensing Big Data Center for Cutting-Edge Coastal and Environmental Change Research and Workforce Development

Environmental change and coastal sea level rise pose new challenges. Large-scale variability (global environmental change) and mesoscale processes (such as regional sea level rise and eddies close to the continental shelf) influence coastal ecosystems and adversely affect water supply and quality, with consequences for coastal communities and population across Delaware. To address these issues requires state-of-the-art information of how the coastal ocean responds to large- and mesoscale variability. Remote sensing is one of the most powerful tools for improving understanding of the coastal ocean and land-aquatic interface. Meanwhile, advanced computational methods and data infrastructure are essential to identify patterns, detect trends, and derive actionable knowledge from the complex and massive remote sensing data. Delaware is the most instrumented State in the U.S. for collecting weather, climate and ocean remote sensing data. Delaware’s size and connectivity make it an ideal laboratory as a national model for remote sensing big data center for cutting-edge coastal and environmental change research. We have conducted multiple exploratory studies that demonstrate the importance of remote sensing data for understanding environmental variations. The University of Delaware (UD) is developing the next-generation computational and data science cyberinfrastructure through the Data Science Institute, including a new NSF MRI grant to implement an advanced high-performance computing and data system for transformative research and training. This project will leverage UD’s expertise and infrastructure to develop the Delaware Remote Sensing Big Data Center and support research initiatives that will address critical environmental issues, bringing broad social, educational and economic benefits to Delaware and the Nation. General Goals: (1) align with NASA EPSCoR goals to build competitive and sustainable remote sensing big data infrastructure for climate and environmental research, (2) enhance the competitive research and technology for aerospace related Ocean/Earth sciences, (3) address State needs, (4) foster interdisciplinary research, inspiring and training postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students for the future workforce, and (5) promote research excellence with partnerships between university and NASA scientists, government agencies, the private sector, and small businesses. Specific Objectives: (1) develop real-time remote sensing big data center for environmental change research and for aquatic-terrestrial environments across the coast of Delaware, (2) carry out advanced research in: (a) coastal ocean and sea level response to environmental change, (b) remote sensing of hydrological, coastal resources, wetlands and land resources including coastal carbon (terrestrial-aquatic) and soil moisture, and (3) further develop machine learning/deep learning analyses, data fusion, semantic computing, image modeling and visual analytics through remote sensing research results and knowledge visualization. Merits and Impacts: The project will promote multidisciplinary research collaborations and data-driven discoveries on environmental changes, allowing scientists to measure effects of environmental change and the pulse of ecosystems in Delaware, diagnose problems, and prescribe the courses of action. To positively impact policy making, we will convert the large amounts of technical data into useful visual information for the public and decision-makers. In addition to infrastructure and research, this project will contribute to STEM workforce development by training new scientists: supporting and inspiring postdoctoral scientists and graduate and undergraduate students, and sparking their interest in NASA related research. We expect that this project will enhance the security and environmental quality of Delaware, making the State more attractive to residents, businesses and tourists, and ultimately improving the State economy.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.