The Earth Information Action Lead: Strengthening Leadership to Enhance 

U.S. Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal Benefits

National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group

Climate and Societal Benefits Subcommittee

January 29, 2024

The content of this paper reflects the thoughts and opinions of the subcommittee’s authors 

and should not be construed as a recommendation of the full National Space Council Users’ 

Advisory Group or the official policy of the United States Government, the National Space 

Council, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This paper solely provides 

background information and context for findings or recommendations that were developed 

for submission to the National Space Council Office for consideration. This paper does not 

presume that any action will be taken.
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Strengthening Leadership to Enhance US Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal 

Benefits: The Earth Information Action Lead

NSpC UAG Climate and Societal Benefits Subcommittee

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Purpose

Americans are on a quest to identify, capture, and interpret the most trusted, timely, and relevant 

environmental insights about the changing world around them. At the heart of this endeavor is the 

U.S. Government’s (USG) robust space-based Earth observations that enable U.S. citizens and 

people worldwide to receive severe weather alerts, air quality warnings, and numerous other 

critical data points that drive travel, safety, energy, insurance, water, health, real estate as well as 

climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience decision making. The purpose of this paper is to 

examine and recommend how the U.S. could better meet the growing and more diverse user 

demand and ensure that active participation and cooperation with the private sector is considered 

and leveraged to the fullest for the climate and societal benefit.

Background

The U.S. like all nations across the world is faced with rapidly evolving challenges and impact 

related to climate change and other environmental issues facing society. Drought, water shortages, 

poor air quality, shrinking arable land, wildfires, sea level rise, extreme weather, and greenhouse 

gases reduction are just a few of the critical challenges facing governments, businesses, civil 

society, and citizens in today’s ever-changing world.

At the core of understanding these challenges and their all-important interconnections is data 

provided by vital Earth Observing (EO) systems that monitor the Earth and serve as the foundation 

of the science that enables insights into not only what is changing, but why. Advanced analytics, 

visualizations, modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence transform the observations 

into global to local insights and make interpretation possible as to what may happen in the future. 

At the core of all of these capabilities lies data, particularly data on regional and global scales.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), and United States Geological Survey (USGS) provide the most robust 

fleet of space-based EO systems in the world aimed at understanding Earth and Earth System 

processes. When integrated and analyzed with other USG and private sector data sources (spacebased, airborne, and in situ) these space-based EO are enhanced to deliver a unique and critical 

capability that is vital to our nation’s understanding, response, and preparedness of current and 

future climate-related and other societal challenges. 

Through a different lens, the abundance of challenges the nation faces because of climate change 

and societal demands can be described as security issues. Whether environmental security, food 

security, energy security, water security, economic security or human security, the nation relies on 

the vital, civil space-based EO capabilities of NASA, NOAA, and USGS to understand and 

respond the risks of a rapidly changing planet. 

For this reason, the demand for Earth-related information products has increased significantly. 

From local governments to insurance companies to farmers to health professionals and patients to 
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Strengthening Leadership to Enhance US Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal 

Benefits: The Earth Information Action Lead

NSpC UAG Climate and Societal Benefits Subcommittee

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renewable energy suppliers and users to home buyers. Americans are on a quest to capture the 

best, most timely, thorough, trusted environmental insights and interpretation to guide decision 

making. Because of this increasing demand, multiple changes are taking place in the sector:

• a growing and more diverse group of public and private sector users is seeking to discover 

and apply USG open Earth observation data;

• Federal policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are driving investments in 

energy transition and infrastructure that are enabled by improved data and information.

• USG agencies are trying to address a flood of new users who are less knowledgeable of 

these assets than their traditional science users and respond to requests for new 

applications such as wildfire insights for tribal cultural burning as well as the wildfire 

insights for insurance and reinsurance analysis; 

• Federal agencies are requesting greater coordination and collaboration on priority issues 

such as greenhouse gas monitoring, drought, severe weather, and air quality; and 

• Private sector and non-profit entities are emerging or increasing efforts to fill USG 

monitoring gaps and meet new demands for observations and easy-to-use and access 

information products (e.g., air quality).

These changes along with others such as the Department of Defense’s interest to better identify 

and understand authoritative climate data, environmental information’s growing role in soft power, 

specifically climate diplomacy, have amplified the need to address several long-standing USG EO 

issues. Perhaps the most important is how to leverage what is estimated to be a $4 billion annual 

investment in space-based EO so that the data is easier to find, access, integrate, and apply. Several 

questions should be considered:

• How can the U.S. ensure that the systems and science exist and will exist in the future to 

address the most critical questions of the day such as monitoring Greenhouse Gases 

(GHGs) globally and at the source-level, water availability, agriculture, drought, wildfires, 

etc.? 

• What are the emerging capabilities of the private sector that fill gaps, best enhance USG 

efforts, and best serve the American people our global interests? 

• How can strengthened cooperation be better facilitated amongst the agencies and private 

sector to better protect and serve the U.S. and its missions? 

• How can more complete, accessible EO data and assets support USG’s mission to drive 

influence and global resilience to exogenous events ensuring security in the broadest 

terms?

What is known is that the U.S. must move at greater speed and scale to mitigate and adapt to 

climate change, to meet related economic, health, humanitarian, resilience, security, and other 

societal challenges. USG EO assets are at the center of the nation’s response in this regard and

their benefit must be maximized. In addition, the private sector will play a greater role in future 

national climate mitigation, resiliency, and adaptation efforts. 
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Strengthening Leadership to Enhance US Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal 

Benefits: The Earth Information Action Lead

NSpC UAG Climate and Societal Benefits Subcommittee

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The urgency and complexity of climate change and its importance to our national interests 

demands new thinking and approaches. USG EO efforts are spread across several agencies and 

are guided by different missions and priorities, subject areas, science versus operations 

frameworks, budget structures, planning processes, private sector engagement mechanisms, and 

end users. 

Although several coordination bodies exist to promote cooperation (U.S. Group on Earth 

Observations [USGEO], National Geospatial Advisory Committee [NGAC], U.S. Global Change 

Research Program [USGCRP]), these are best efforts organizations and not decision-making 

entities that set priorities, establish cross-agency data integration policy, streamline research to 

operations efforts, consider the entire U.S. and global public and private EO sector landscape, or 

develop a truly “national” vision for EO assets and outputs. Therefore, it is a recommendation of 

the Subcommittee to recommend a new EO leadership framework to accelerate efforts and 

maximize its benefit. Such a framework would enhance and better harmonize and further 

operationalize the excellent work NASA, NOAA, USGS as well as other Federal agencies, and 

capitalize on economic and societal benefit opportunities of the private sector. 

Recommendation

The Subcommittee on Climate and Societal Benefits recommends establishing an over-arching 

leadership role within the National Security Council (NSC) of the Executive Office of the 

President to assess, prioritize, and guide the nation’s multi-agency Earth observation effort for the 

purpose of improving environmental information and action.

Within the Executive Office of the President, the National Security Council’s Climate Security 

and Adaptation Director should serve as the USG lead for Earth information and action. 

The NSC (USG lead for Earth and information action) will establish a process and convene key 

representatives to work across agencies to address and set policies for:

• Priority observation needs and capabilities;

• Emerging users’ needs;

• Data discovery, access, and integration issues;

• Data ethics;

• Greater private sector data use;

• Prioritization of application areas; and 

• Mechanisms to facilitate private sector engagement and collaboration.

These topics will be addressed through active NSC facilitated engagement with designated 

representatives from:
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Strengthening Leadership to Enhance US Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal 

Benefits: The Earth Information Action Lead

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• NASA Earth Science

• NOAA 

• USGS 

• EOP/National Space Council 

• EOP/Council on Environmental Quality 

• EOP/Office of Science and Technology Policy 

• USGEO

• NGIC

• USGCRP

• Others TBD

It is the intent of this recommendation to elevate, integrate, and build upon the work of NASA, 

NOAA, and USGS in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as societal 

benefits. The recommendation also recognizes the increasing contributions of the private sector 

and the critical role that Earth observations play from a national security perspective. 

Acknowledgements

The Subcommittee is very appreciative of the following experts, who were interviewed or provided 

input to this paper:

• Waleed Abdalati, PhD, Chair, NASA Advisory Council

• Jennifer Decesaro, Director for Recovery and Mitigation, NSC

• Michael Gremillion, Col. USAF (Ret), Director, Global Water Security Center

• Mike Kuperberg, PhD, Executive Director, USGCRP 

• Laurie Schoeman, Sr. Advisor for Climate Resilience

• Swathi Veeravalli, Director of Climate Security and Adaptation, NSC

Subcommittee on Climate and Societal Benefits Findings and Recommendations

Overall findings of the Subcommittee include:

• EO is vital: Space-based Earth observation play a critical role in real-time measurement 

and monitoring of the changing and evolving planet.

• Monitoring is not enough: The U.S. and the global community need to move at greater 

speed and scale to mitigate and adapt to climate change to improve our resiliency.

• We can do more: Near-term opportunities exist to further EO application for societal 

benefits in high-impact areas such as agriculture, wildfires, greenhouse gas monitoring and

reduction, and water resources.
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Strengthening Leadership to Enhance US Earth Observation in Support of Climate and Societal 

Benefits: The Earth Information Action Lead

NSpC UAG Climate and Societal Benefits Subcommittee

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Recommendation 1: Earth Information and Action Lead (EIAL)

Finding: 

• The demand for Earth related information products has increased significantly 

demonstrating the vital role that space-based EO play in the Nation’s ability to understand, 

respond, and prepare for climate-related and other societal challenges.

Recommendation: 

• To establish an over-arching leadership role within the National Security Council to assess, 

prioritize, and guide the Nation’s multi-agency EO effort along with consideration of 

private sector capabilities for the purpose of accelerating and improving environmental 

information and action promoting greater resiliency. 

Rationale for Recommendation:

• The urgency and complexity of climate change and its importance to our national interests 

demands new thinking and approaches. USG EO efforts are spread across several agencies 

and guided by different missions, priorities, subject areas, science versus operations 

frameworks, budget structures, planning processes, private sector engagement 

mechanisms, and end users. For the U.S. to strengthen this critical capability, maximize 

the multi-billion-dollar annual investment, capitalize on rapidly-emerging private sector 

offerings, an over-arching leadership position is needed to guide and advance this national 

effort.

Consequences of No Action on the Recommendation:

• The U.S. will fail to meet the information needs of government organizations, businesses, 

and citizens who require the best, most timely, thorough, trusted environmental insights to 

guide decision making and ensure our national resiliency to adverse events (e.g., climate 

change, pandemics, etc.)