Description

Previous Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) trainings focused on water resources have mainly addressed remote sensing measurements of precipitation and their applications, but precipitation is only one component of the water cycle. NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) platform is now providing new soil moisture data, and modeling frameworks are providing new evapotranspiration data. 

This webinar series was intended to help attendees learn about NASA soil moisture and evapotranspiration products and how to access and apply them for water resource management. Throughout the five sessions you will learn how to monitor and manage water resources with techniques learned in training. 

The series begins with an introduction to satellite missions and useful datasets. Next, trainers demonstrate online portals for accessing data. The series concludes with specific examples of how you can apply the data and modeled data products.

Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of Remote Sensing

Objectives

• Participants will learn about NASA Earth observation resources (data and tools) available for water resource applications, including a basic understanding of how evapotranspiration and soil moisture are included in the water cycle and how to access and visualize these data products.
• Participants will also become familiar with a number of modeled datasets and techniques for using NASA Earth Science data for water resource management.

Target Audience

Local, regional, state, federal, and international organizations interested in using satellite imagery for decision and policy making activities.

Course Format

• Five 1-hour sessions

Sessions

Part 1: Introduction to Soil Moisture, Evapotranspiration, and an Overview of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Satellite Mission

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016

An overview of NASA's SMAP mission, available SMAP products, an overview of evapotranspiration (ET), methods of estimating ET based on remote sensing, and ET data products based on remote sensing.

Materials

• Part 1 Presentation Slides (PDF, 50.2 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Presentation Slides de la Parte 1 (PDF, 50.3 MB)

Part 2: Applications of SMAP Data

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2016

An overview of NASA Applied Sciences, the SMAP mission, SMAP applications, the SMAP early adopter program, and samples of SMAP data applications. 

Guest Instructor 

Vanessa Escobar

Materials

• Part 2 Presentation Slides (PDF, 7.9 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 2 (PDF, 8.1 MB)

Part 3: Accessing SMAP Data

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2016

A tour of NASA's National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), SMAP data discovery and access at NSIDC DAAC, accessing SMAP data through Worldview, and accessing SMAP data through Earthdata Search. 

Guest Instructor

Amy FitzGerrell

Materials

• Part 3 Presentation Slides (PDF, 7.3 MB)
• Homework Assignment 1

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 3 (PDF, 7.4 MB)
• Tarea 1

Part 4: Landsat-based Evapotranspiration Estimates (METRIC) and Google Earth Engine Evapotranspiration Flux (EEFlux) Portal

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016

Review of evapotranspiration (ET), ET and energy balance, the METRIC model, reference ET (ASCE Penman-Monteith), monthly vs. seasonal ET, applications, challenges, and access. 

Guest Instructors 

Rick Allen and Ayse Kilic

Materials

• Part 4 Presentation Slides (PDF, 39.9 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 4 (PDF, 19.9 MB)

Part 5 : MODIS-based Evapotranspiration (ALEXI) and Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration data from GLDAS/NLDAS

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2017

Atmospheric Land-Exchange (ALEXI) evapotranspiration and applications. ET and soil moisture data from Global and North American Land Data Assimilation Systems (GLDAS and NLDAS), data access, and analysis with QGIS.

Guest Instructor

Christopher Hain

Materials

• Part 5 Presentation Slides (PDF, 4.9 MB)
• Presentation Slides - ALEXI (PDF, 7.7 MB)
• QGIS Instructions (PDF, 0.7 MB)
• Homework Assignment 2

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 5 (PDF, 5.1 MB)
• Diapositivas de la Presentación - ALEXI (PDF, 9.2 MB)
• Instrucciones de QGIS (PDF, 0.6 MB)
• Tarea 2