The study will provide an independent assessment of the feasibility and implications of creating and exploiting partnerships for developing, deploying, and operating a system of satellites and supporting infrastructure capable of sensing ocean, coastal, atmospheric, and hydrologic data of sufficient scientific quality to enable prediction models and to support near real time applications of national interest. It will identify and describe, to the extent possible, promising options for such a system.
The committee will identify and consider potential partners - public and private - for developing such a system or major subsystems, taking into account factors such as:

What national missions might benefit in a substantial way from access to a small satellite data collection system and how might that mission depend on the frequency and geographic scope of the data collection? The benefits might be defined broadly to include military, economic, educational, and environmental benefits. What partnerships among industry, government, and academic institutions might be incentivized to develop the necessary space platform, system integration, launch, communications, test, data distribution, and maintenance functions? Is the existing infrastructure sufficient to support the needed space platform development and manufacture, system integration, launch, communications, test, data distribution, and maintenance functions? What infrastructure components should be enhanced or created in order to reduce the timeline from idea to on orbit? Infrastructure is broadly defined to include industrial manufacturing capability, space system support structures, and communication-information systems. What processes may be employed to enhance the technology development pipe-line, standards development, and the identification and adoption of best practices?

What is the anticipated time line for the development of the required technology, infrastructure, and processes that will enable the development of the desired satellite systems?

Upon the completion of the consensus study report, a workshop planning committee composed of participating members of the consensus study committee will address: (1) updates in commercial and government space activities since the report’s release; (2) the impact of these new developments on the report’s conclusions and recommendations; and, (3) methods for operationalizing the report’s recommendations to support the needs of the earth science community, with emphasis on oceanography. The workshop will result in an unclassified rapporteur-authored Proceedings-in-Brief in accordance with institutional guidelines.

In conducting the study, the committee will review current systems that provide some of the needed system components, as well as systems in various stages of development for future deployment. To the extent possible, the committee will gather and analyze information on anticipated relevant future needs of public and private organizations as well as relevant perspectives of academic researchers.