NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) is the newest member of NASA's Earthdata Forum. With the addition of SEDAC, all 12 of NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) are participating in the Forum.
The Earthdata Forum provides a central, online location where data users can interact with DAAC subject matter experts to discuss data applications and research needs, and get answers to specific questions about accessing, viewing, and manipulating NASA Earth observation data.
Focusing on human interactions in the environment, SEDAC's mission is to develop and operate applications that support the integration of socioeconomic and Earth science data. SEDAC's data holdings include policy-relevant indicators on sustainable development, spatial data related to poverty and vulnerability, key measures of air pollution and air quality, and datasets on important climate impacts, such as urban heat exposure, sea level rise vulnerability, and climate-related migration.
SEDAC serves as an "information gateway" between the Earth and social science research and data communities by supporting the integration and application of remote sensing and socioeconomic data through Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Operated by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), a unit of the Columbia Climate School of Columbia University based at Columbia's Lamont campus in Palisades, New York, SEDAC makes geospatial socioeconomic data available in forms that enable researchers and applied users to combine them with remote sensing data from other sources to create value-added data products. SEDAC also archives and disseminates data relevant to its mission from third party providers and offers tools and services that facilitate the application and integration of these data.
SEDAC and its 11 partner DAACs located throughout the United States archive and distribute data in NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and ensure that these data will be easily accessible to users. EOSDIS is a key core capability of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program, which provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA Earth science data from various sources—satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs.
EOSDIS DAACs process, archive, document, and distribute data from NASA's past and current Earth-observing satellites and field measurement programs. Acting in concert, the DAACs provide reliable, robust services to users whose needs may cross the traditional boundaries of a science discipline, while continuing to support the particular needs of users within the discipline communities.
Learn More
- To learn more about SEDAC and to explore its data, services, and tools, visit the SEDAC website
- For an introduction to the Earthdata Forum and tips on how to use it, watch the Earthdata Forum webinar
