RELEASE: 03-093

NASA and USDA representatives participated in a workshop this week in Denver to identify collaborative research and development programs for the joint program. The workshop concentrated on five "focus areas" identified as national priorities of mutual interest: carbon management, agricultural competitiveness, air quality, water management and conservation, and management of invasive species.

"NASA is pleased to be part of this worthwhile effort, benefiting all Americans and humankind in general," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "NASA's ability to view the Earth from the unique vantage point of space provides data to enhance our ability to predict climate, weather and natural hazards, as well as to mitigate and assess the effects of natural and human-induced disasters. As NASA works to understand and protect our home planet, the relevant and concise information we provide will allow USDA and other U.S. government agencies to make critical, accurate, and timely decisions," he said.

"We in USDA are very excited about the possibilities opened up by this new collaboration," Veneman said. "For example, to improve our agricultural competitiveness, we need a better understanding of weather and climate, especially the ability to predict weather events with more accuracy and longer lead times. The results from NASA research and development of earth science and technology could lead to weather and climate predictions and observations that can be integrated into local and regional support systems used in agricultural management," she said."

Participants discussed USDA policy and program needs that might be fulfilled by remote sensing information provided by NASA; identified current research and capabilities of both NASA and USDA that could help address those needs; pinpointed gaps in existing knowledge and research. They also outlined opportunities for collaborative research and development efforts between USDA and NASA to develop products and solutions to serve decision makers.

Information from this week's workshop will be used by a USDA/NASA Interagency Working Group in evaluating and establishing new research efforts, remote sensing systems, and models for decision support in agricultural systems. The information resulting from the workshop will also be incorporated into the plans of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, which seeks to meet NASA's mission of understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA or NASA's Earth Science Enterprise on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov.

- end -

text-only version of this release

NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type the words "subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each subscription. A second automatic message will include additional information on the service. NASA releases also are available via CompuServe using the command GO NASA. To unsubscribe from this mailing list, address an E-mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov, leave the subject blank, and type only "unsubscribe press-release" (no quotes) in the body of the message.

Back to NASA Newsroom | Back to NASA Homepage