Earthdata Forum

Two years ago I was working as a scientific programmer for the GOES-R program at NASA Goddard. I have since gone down the rabbit hole of software and have recently begun a unique project that uses many different modern technologies.

Without having to explain the entirety of the project, I am working with about 20 young university students in southern Nigeria to launch low-cost weather balloons for under $100 each. It is an entrepreneurial project that is currently funded by various non-government grants. We are beginning the prototype for the project in Uyo on May 17 through May 28 and will be launching approximately 10 balloons, weather permitting. Given the interest of young people to run their own "climate labs" and the ease of communication of these students with their smartphones, I think there is some potential that the project spread to a significant portion of Western Africa, or at the very least quite a few universities in the region.

Of course as a young meteorologist, I understand how under sampled this region is and how important it is for hurricane formation, expansion of the Sahara, and climate change.

My questions are the following:
1) Given that we're using commercial sensors, what is the process by which NASA or NOAA can use this data to validate weather satellites or fulfill any other weather forecasting needs?
2) How can I connect with the NASA AIST grant office or find other researchers interested in the study, if I am no longer a Goddard employee
3) Are there any other grants that would be appropriate for the project?

Thank you very much for reading these questions.

Thank you for your questions. We would like to direct you to the following resources for each of your questions.

1. NASA has many innovation opportunities for the public. View some of them at https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/openinnovation/aboutus
2. AIST Program Information is available at https://esto.nasa.gov/info_technologies_aist.html
   You can contact the Program Manager listed in the announcement document attached

   A.48 AIST.pdf

   (27.05 KiB) Downloaded 643 times

3. NASA publicly announces solicitations for AIST, as well as InVEST, IIP, and ACT at the ESTO website, along with due dates and program FAQs. 2020 solicitations will be available in Q2.
   
   A list of Earth Science Technology Office Solicitations can be found at https://esto.nasa.gov/about_esto_solicitations.html
   
   How can I find opportunities to propose to NASA?
   There are several mechanisms by which interested parties can learn of research opportunities with NASA. These include searching the Federal Business Opportunities web site at http://www.fbo.gov for upcoming opportunities, searching Grants.gov for posted application packages at http://www.grants.gov, searching NSPIRES for Open and Future Solicitations at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/, or by becoming a registered NSPIRES member and signing up for email notification.
   
   The following includes links to general information related to all research activities.
   https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/helpReference.do

Thank you very much. Looking forward to reviewing these links.