An Objectively Optimized Earth Observing System

Abstract—This paper describes one vision for future earth ob-serving systems. New in this vision is the desire for symbiotic communication to dynamically guide an earth observation system. An earth observation system which is not just a single satellite acting on its own but a constellation of satellites, and sub-orbital platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and ground observations interacting with computer systems used for modeling, data analysis and dynamic observation guid-ance. An autonomous Objectively Optimized Observation Direction System (OOODS) is of great utility for earth ob-servation. In particular, to have a fleet of smart assets that can be reconfigured based on the changing needs of science and technology. The OOODS integrates a modeling and assimi-lation system within the sensor web allowing the autonomous scheduling of the chosen assets and the autonomous provisio