Introducing NASA’s New Earth Information Center: A 60-Year Journey in Earth Monitoring

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art Earth Information Center at NASA Headquarters in Washington. This groundbreaking facility, both physical and virtual, serves as a powerful showcase for demonstrating the invaluable role of NASA’s extensive data in addressing disasters, environmental issues, and global transformations. Through the center, visitors gain insights from NASA’s 60-year-long Earth-monitoring initiatives, exploring diverse topics such as sea level rise, air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, energy, and agriculture. Credit: NASA

NASA has unveiled an impressive Earth Information Center at its headquarters, combining a physical exhibit and a virtual platform to exemplify the remarkable capabilities of NASA’s data in combating climate change, environmental challenges, and disaster management. Drawing upon six decades of Earth-monitoring data, this center caters to a wide range of users, including firefighters, farmers, homebuyers, and land-use planners, empowering them to make well-informed decisions.

Under the leadership of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday to showcase the new Earth Information Center at NASA Headquarters in Washington. This innovative space offers a blend of physical and virtual experiences, illustrating how NASA’s data can enhance lives in the face of disasters, environmental challenges, and the ever-changing world we inhabit.

As part of the event, NASA also launched the corresponding Earth Information Center website. The ribbon-cutting ceremony precedes the center’s public opening on Monday, June 26.

Understanding our planet is crucial for its protection. Join NASA as we continuously monitor, study, and observe Earth 24/7, 365 days a year to learn more, safeguard, and improve life on our home planet. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Climate change stands as a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and NASA plays a pivotal role in providing data to researchers and other stakeholders through its extensive constellation of Earth-monitoring satellites. For over six decades, NASA’s satellites, sensors, and scientists have collected valuable observations about our planet, and at the Earth Information Center, the public can catch a glimpse of the profound knowledge gained regarding sea level rise, air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, energy, and agriculture.

“For more than 60 years, NASA has utilized our unique vantage point in space to observe Earth, employing satellites and instruments aboard the International Space Station to gather vital, life-saving data,” stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “To achieve the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of making this data more comprehensible, accessible, and useful for everyone, NASA is proud to inaugurate the Earth Information Center. From firefighters relying on NASA data for wildfire management to farmers seeking knowledge about optimal planting conditions, the Earth Information Center will enable more individuals to make informed decisions on a daily basis.”

Irrespective of whether people reside in urban areas, suburbs, or farms, individuals throughout the nation can access vital information to comprehend our dynamic planet and prepare for the impacts of climate change. NASA collects and shares data that can benefit a broad range of users, including coastal homebuyers assessing flood risk, businesses seeking information on harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, farmers requiring drought and storm information, and county land-use planners evaluating wildfire management strategies.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for NASA’s Earth Information Center, Administrator Bill Nelson is joined by agency leadership as well as representatives from NOAA, USGS, USDA, USAID, EPA, and FEMA, on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Earth Information Center provides an immersive experience, combining live data sets with cutting-edge data visualization and storytelling, enabling visitors to witness the transformations occurring on our planet. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

“Nasa data powers resources across the U.S. and around the world, helping communities prepare for a changing climate,” remarked Kate Calvin, NASA’s Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor, who hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The Earth Information Center benefits humanity by providing easily accessible and readily usable Earth information, allowing people to see our home planet through the eyes of NASA.”

Notable speakers at the event included:

• Karen St. Germain, Director of NASA’s Earth Sciences Division
• Dave Applegate, Director of USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)
• Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Erik Hooks, Deputy Administrator of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration)
• Michael Morgan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• Mike Michener, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau of Resilience and Food Security, USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)
• Marlen Eve, Deputy Administrator of Agriculture Research Service, USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Dwane Roth, Big D Farms, Kansas

NASA, in collaboration with founding partners FEMA, EPA, NOAA, USAID, USDA, and USGS, established the Earth Information Center. This center draws upon research conducted by NASA’s centers, as well as government and industry partners, to provide comprehensive data.

The interactive physical exhibit is located in the east lobby of NASA Headquarters in Washington, inviting visitors to witness Earth’s splendor as observed by NASA astronauts from space. When it opens to the public on June 26, visitors can explore the exhibit from 8:30 a.m. EDT to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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More about Earth monitoring

• NASA’s Earth Science Program
• NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System
• [NASA Earth Information Center](insert specific link here once available)
• NASA’s Earth Science Division
• Biden-Harris Administration Climate Priorities
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration)
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)
• USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)