Patrick Duran (ST11), SPoRT tropical meteorology team lead and Deputy Program Applications Lead for NASA’s TROPICS mission, co-organized the 2023 Joint Applications Workshop on NASA’s CYGNSS and TROPICS missions, held at the University of Miami, FL, 4/11-13/23. Formulated in collaboration with Jason Dunion of the University of Miami, the three-day workshop brought together two NASA satellite missions designed to observe the tropical regions of the globe: CYGNSS, a mature mission consisting of eight satellites focused on observing winds over the ocean and soil moisture over land, and TROPICS, a mission consisting of four satellites scheduled to be launched in May 2023 focused on observing convection, precipitation, and vertical profiles of temperature and moisture. With assistance from Ryan Wade and Anita LeRoy (UAH/SPoRT) and a planning committee of 17 scientists, including Brent Roberts (ST11), Duran organized the meeting agenda to highlight how additional collaboration between these two missions, and future missions such as INCUS and AOS, can address persistent applications needs. The workshop had 142 registered attendees, including representatives from four federal agencies, 22 US universities, 11 international partners, and five private-sector organizations. Breakout sessions and open discussion were emphasized in the agenda, with Ryan Wade, Anita LeRoy, and Brent Roberts leading breakouts highlighting how CYGNSS and TROPICS products can be further leveraged to benefit society. Numerous synergies between TROPICS and CYGNSS were identified that will enhance NASA’s ability to meet persistent applications needs, especially for extreme events such as floods and tropical cyclones. Collaborations with new international partners were also established, including with the United Nations Satellite Centre, and private sector firms for both satellite technology and applications development
