ESA and NASA launch revolutionary open-source platform

#Data & Tools, #ESA, #Climate change, #Forests

Published on 4 November 2021

ESA and NASA have publicly released the first globally-harmonised assessment of above ground biomass – information that is vital for managing global climate change. The Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP) provides seamless access to above ground biomass information from both NASA and ESA Earth observation data. The revolutionary open-science tool is now fully operational and accessible online.

MAAP is the culmination of a two-year NASA and ESA effort and reflects the cooperation between the two agencies under the NASA and ESA JPPG (Joint Program and Planning Group) Joint Working Group (WG) on Ground Segment and Operations.

The MAAP platform enables international scientists and researchers to collaboratively develop algorithms and code as well as analyse and visualise large datasets acquired from sources including satellite instruments, the International Space Station, and airborne and ground campaigns. The large data and high-performance computing required for MAAP, along with a shared code repository and catalog, are stored and managed in the cloud. MAAP capabilities are supported and shared between NASA and ESA.

Boreal Forest Above Ground Biomass Density

Biomass is the first ESA mission with open-source algorithms. Thanks to that, the community will be able to access all the source code, the test data and all the documentation, and will be able to contribute in a collaborative way to the improvement of the Biomass products. MAAP will allow scientists to easily work with large datasets at a global scale and to finally focus on science.

ESA’s Biomass data quality manager, Clement Albinet

The initial application of MAAP focuses on above-ground biomass to help determine the size and carbon content of Earth’s forests. These data are vital for informing our understanding and forecasting of climate change, including regular updates to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The MAAP dashboard can be accessed here.

While biomass is the first application of MAAP, it easily can be adapted for collaborative exploration across the breadth of science data and scientific disciplines available through NASA, ESA, and similar research agencies.

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