Title: Tools to Bridge the Gap between Static CMS Maps, Models, and Stakeholders
Principal Investigator: Christopher A. Williams
Funding Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

From its inception, the NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) has been largely organized around two activities: observation-based mapping of biomass and model-based estimation of carbon flux. Although there has been significant progress in both biomass and flux activities at various scales, several challenges hinder the use of biomass products to inform flux modeling. For example, biomass maps are often static or local scale, uncertainties are difficult to render and incorporate into models, and map products are not designed with the needs and format standards of modelers in mind. To help address these challenges, this project will develop new tools to facilitate broader use of CMS data products by (a) converting static maps of aboveground biomass and land cover to dynamic yearly maps, and (b) collaborating with modelers and stakeholders to build a convenient interface that will facilitate their use of the dynamic map results. This will add significant value to the CMS program by thoughtfully and deliberately connecting the results from various disparate projects to each other and to modeling and accounting frameworks that provide a more integrated view of carbon dynamics.