Broadening the use of & access to NASA data and tools for food, water, and energy priorities in Tribal communities
NASA UNBOUND for food, water, and energy in tribal communities
Community ground observations paired with remote sensing data can provide tribal organizations and colleges with resources and tools needed to confront climate challenges and plan for resilient futures. NASA has incredibly rich and free data that can be used in planning for climate change; however, access to and use of this data can be challenging. NASA wants to make the data easier to find and access, especially for tribal organizations and colleges.They do this through supporting UNBOUND workshops: Understanding Needs to Broaden Outside Use of NASA Data where participants learn about and test NASA data and tools.
We invite applicants affiliated with a tribal organization or college to participate in a four-part online UNBOUND workshop series for participants to identify challenges and opportunities for improving accessibility and usability of NASA data tools for tribal food, water, and energy applications and priorities. The workshop series aimed to engage relevant issues for individuals who are not currently using NASA data products or would like to increase the use of NASA data for food, water, and energy applications.
Workshop Dates and Times
Listening Session
December 5, 2023
10:30am-12:00pm AK
Workshop #1
January 30, 2024
9:30am-11:30am AK
Workshop #2
February 20, 2024
9:30am-11:30am AK
Workshop #3
March 5, 2024
9:30am-11:30am AK
Roles and Responsibilities
The listening session gave participants the opportunity to guide the development of the workshop, centering issues most relevant to their work and communities as well as network with other workshop participants. During the workshops and in between sessions, participants accessed and used NASA Earth Data and reported back during subsequent workshop sessions. 15 participants from Tribal organizations or enrolled Tribal members were compensated for their time and actively contributed to discussions, test assigned NASA Earth Data tool, and developed individual responses that led to the final recommendation report.
Feedback to NASA
Participants provided valuable feedback on how NASA can make their data more accessible and usable to Tribal data users, organizations, and colleges working in food, water, and energy issues. Participants evaluated NASA data products in actual analyses and made specific recommendations for removing barriers to use, such as addressing data-centric issues such as format, data size, sub-setting, discoverability, and other aspects.
Participants will :
Explore how NASA data products can be used for tribal food, energy, and water planning
Make connections with people and organizations using GIS for food, energy, and water issues
Provide feedback to NASA to enable the data to be more accessible and useful for tribal food, energy, and water priorities
Fifteen individual participants selected will receive $1,200 each. Interested participants should have some experience in GIS (geographic information systems) and/or satellite data. Additional interested participants (not receiving a stipend) will be notified of selection to participate based on selection criteria and number of applications. To be eligible to receive a stipend, the applicant must be associated with a U.S.-based organization or institution. Priority for a stipend will be given to applicants affiliated with or working for a tribal organization or college.
Participants are expected to test NASA Earth data and develop a series of practical recommendations to improve NASA Earth Science Data Systems through guided workshop activities. See previous UNBOUND reports HERE.
UAF is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination