Scientific Collaboration

NASA has collaborated with Tribal Nations on a number of research or applied science efforts. Some notable examples include:

• The Western Water Application Office (WWAO): a program that provides data, technology, and tools to help improve how water is managed in the arid western United States (U.S.). NASA partnered with the Navajo Nation to develop a web-based tool for drought monitoring and reporting. More information on the WWAO and this partnership is available here.
• The Indigenous People’s Initiative engages with Indigenous communities to foster ethical and culturally relevant space for the use of Earth observations in monitoring, mapping, and managing natural and cultural resources. The Indigenous People’s Initiative team is uniquely positioned to foster respectful and reciprocal relationships between NASA and Indigenous communities to sustainably co-develop trainings, projects, and tools. The pillars of this work are centered around place-based remote sensing trainings, community engagement, and creating diverse Earth Science opportunities. 
• DEVELOP: a program that engages in fostering interdisciplinary research projects to address environmental and public policy issues. In 2021, the DEVELOP team partnered with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the NASA Indigenous Peoples Initiative to develop tools to enhance flood monitoring on tribal lands in the Northern Great Plains. More information is available here.

NASA Engagement with Tribal Nations

• Economic Development
• Education and Outreach
• Environmental Consultation
• Workforce Development

Economic Development

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