Discovering the research needs of current and potential partners and
collaborators for NASA’s Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
Abstract
The Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) is a NASA Terrestrial
Ecology field campaign comprised of researchers from many disciplines
and institutions who use field-based, remote sensing, and modeling
approaches to understand the vulnerability and resilience of Arctic
ecosystems and people in western North America. One goal of ABoVE is to
provide the scientific basis for informed decision-making to guide
societal responses at local to international levels, which requires
knowledge of the identities and data needs of ABoVE’s partners and
collaborators. The research presented here sought to identify relevant
existing and new communities, organizations and institutions for ABoVE
products while simultaneously assessing their research needs that future
ABoVE activities can meet. We report on the results of an online survey
sent to all ABoVE participants, defined broadly as an individual who
engages with ABoVE, to identify their most relevant research themes and
activities while simultaneously asking participants to identify
potential new partners and collaborators for ABoVE engagement. These
results are compared with data about who has downloaded ABoVE data
products from the ORNL DAAC (the designated data archive for most ABoVE
data products). The analysis reveals the current relevancy of ABoVE
research themes and activities to participants, identification of
additional organizations for ABoVE engagement, and potential gaps
between data product access, usage, and engagement with ABoVE. Results
indicate opportunities to tailor to the needs of current participants
and focused outreach for newly identified groups.