Data sharing

Air Force remote sensing lab to share space-based data

Air Force officials say a new remote sensing lab will allow partners in industry and academia to make richer use of infrared and other space-based data now being collected for missile defense purposes.

The Boulder, Colorado, lab will give researchers access to data drawn from weather satellites as well as from the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) constellation.

“We know that the information from those systems can do a lot more than just what their primary mission set was intended to do,” said Col. Kerri T. Mellor, chief of the Exploitation Capabilities Division in the Remote Sensing Directorate. The directorate is part of the Air Force Space Command Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.

The laboratory opened its doors April 27. Program managers plan to issue an announcement to academia and industry by midsummer seeking proposals from investigators interested in working with the Air Force data, Mellor said. The service hopes the lab will encourage scientists to demonstrate innovative concepts and prototype applications for eventual use by military and other audiences.