Workshop: Re-examining our Grand Challenges in Geodesy; November 8-9, 2018; East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This is a workshop to re-examine the Grand Challenges in the field of geodesy. The workshop will convene at least40 experts in the field to revisit the state of the field and its future directions. The previous Grand Challenges document included sections on public benefit and workforce development that will be revised and expanded in this workshop and new document. The public benefits from research in geodesy are continuing to grow, and now include many applications of real-time geodetic data that were nascent a decade ago. At the same time, awareness of the scientific and broader contributions of geodetic research is relatively low, both in the scientific community and beyond. With the open availability of newer and upcoming SAR satellites global terrestrial high-resolution geodesy is becoming a reality, allowing for yet unfathomed outreach opportunities and tools for hazard mitigation.The broader impacts of this workshop include support for early-career researchers to have input into the strategic direction of their field and impacts to resources monitoring and hazards. This workshop will highlight the state of the art and new opportunities in geodesy. The project will result in a revised grand challenges document for consideration by the upcoming National Academies study, Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES): A Decadal Survey for NSF's Division of Earth Sciences. White papers from the broader community will be solicited for consideration, further broadening the range of researchers who will impact the report.The goal of the workshop is to assess progress in geodesy over the last several years, considering both areas of significant recent progress and areas of substantial new opportunity. For example, the use of campaign and continuous GPS instruments for tectonic kinematics relies on well-established methods and has produced critical scientific contributions over the past three decades, such that these data are essentially fully incorporated into models of tectonic motions. In contrast, the use of repeat LiDAR and RADAR images for capturing mm-scale surface processes is only just emerging as a useful scientific technology. Many different geodetic approaches and methods fall between these examples, and a comprehensive assessment of gains made and opportunities arising will help to guide scientific investments in the coming decade. The resulting document will also serve as a general useful reference for the field. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.