Earth Science Decadal Survey

The Earth Science Decadal Survey (in full: U.S. National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space) is a publication of the United States National Research Council that identifies key research priorities in the field of Earth Sciences with a focus on remote sensing. It is written and released at the request of three United States government agencies: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The survey is produced by the Committee on the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (ESAS) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Space Studies Board, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences. Agencies like NASA use the recommendations from the decadal survey to prioritize funding for specific types of scientific research projects.

As of 2021, two decadal surveys have been released. The first, for the decade 2007–2017, “Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond” was published in 2007. The second, for the decade 2017 to 2027, “Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observations from Space” was published in 2018.