November 18-20, 2014

Westin Huntsville at Bridge Street, Huntsville, AL
6800 Governors West NW, Huntsville, AL, 35805

Introduction:  The Second Suomi NPP Applications Workshop will provide the Earth science and applications communities with an update on S-NPP instrument performance, data characteristics, and data access from NASA and NOAA portals.  The workshop will review current applications and new ideas, with particular focus on the NASA Applied Sciences program focus areas of disasters, ecological forecasting, health and air quality, and water resources.  Breakout sessions will provide an opportunity for community feedback to NASA and NOAA on data products, data access, and other user needs, while also helping to identify barriers to the integration of S-NPP data into existing and future applications.

Purpose

·       Update the Earth science and applications communities on Suomi NPP including:

o   Instrument performance

o   Data Characteristics

o   Access to data and data products from NOAA and NASA

·       Review current applications from all S-NPP instruments and present new ideas.

·       Provide an opportunity for community feedback to NASA and NOAA on data products, data access and other user needs

·       Identify current barriers to integration of Suomi NPP data into existing and developing applications.

Intended audience:  Earth observation data users and end users in the science and applied science communities and all sectors – government, commercial, non-government organizations and academia.

Dates:          November 18-20, 2014

Sponsors:    NASA Earth Science Division, Applied Science Program

NOAA/Joint Polar Satellite Systems

Host:            Earth System Science Center, The University of Alabama in Huntsville

                     Earth Science Office, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Location:     Westin Huntsville at Bridge Street, Huntsville, AL -- (256) 428-2000
                    6800 Governors West Drive NW, Huntsville, Alabama, 35805
   ;                 http://www.westinhuntsville.com

Cost:            No registration fee, but attendance limited to 150 participants. This conference is listed as number 20938-15: Second Suomi NPP Applications Workshop within the NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS)

Workshop Breaks and Lunch Periods:      The University of Alabama in Huntsville and the Earth System Science Center have sponsored coffee and networking breaks during the workshop. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will not be provided by the workshop, but the Westin Huntsville Hotel, adjacent Bridge Street Town Centre outdoor mall, and other nearby restaurants (within a 5-10 minute drive) offer numerous food options. Area maps are provided at the workshop web site.

Lodging:      The room block made available by the Westin Huntsville at the federal per diem ($86 for FY15) has been filled, however, participants can book additional rooms at a discounted rate of $139 by contacting the Westin and reserving under a courtesy block assigned to the NPP workshop.

For those requiring per diem rate lodging, we encourage you to secure lodging as soon as possible. Hotels listed below offer per diem rate rooms on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact the hotel directly or via their linked web pages for per diem rate options. These brand new hotels are located just south of Bridge Street and are a short 1 mi./5-10 min. drive from the workshop location. These hotels do not offer shuttle service to the venue, but workshop organizers will provide limited shuttle transportation on a sign-up basis. Bridge Street offers several restaurants and shopping options during your stay, otherwise, numerous other restaurants and options are within a 5-10 minute drive.

Hampton Inn and Suites (located immediately south of Bridge Street) – (256) 971-1850 (web link)
o 7010 Governors West Drive SW, Huntsville, Alabama, 35805

Home 2 Suites by Hilton at Huntsville / Research Park – (256) 971-1667 (web link)
o 7010 Governors West Drive SW, Huntsville, Alabama, 35805

In addition to the per diem rate options provided by these hotels, the organizing committee has secured a discounted room block at the Hampton Inn and Suites at Huntsville / Research Park with options at $94 per night, a significant savings over their standard room rates. Discounted rooms can be reserved by using the Hilton web page (hilton.com) with special group code “NPP”, by contacting the hotel directly at the phone numbers listed above, or using the following web link:
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/H/HSVHRHX-NPP-20141117/index.jhtml
Discounted rooms at these hotels must be booked by Friday, October 31.

The venue is within a short drive of several other lodging options that offer per diem rate rooms on a first-come, first serve basis. These are available by contacting the hotels directly, using their respective web pages, or room reservation systems for per diem travelers (e.g. FedRooms). See the map of area hotels is on the area maps link.

Getting Around: Huntsville International Airport offers several major car rental companies to choose from. In addition, Huntsville cab services are available through Huntsville Cab Company at (256) 539-9444. Please contact the workshop organizers if you need other assistance.

Instructions for Oral Presentations The workshop will provide a laptop, presentation system, and all A/V equipment for oral presentations. Organizers request that you provide your presentation slides in Microsoft Powerpoint format, and make an electronic copy of your presentation available (via email, web link such as Google Drive or Dropbox, or FTP) to Andrew Molthan (andrew.molthan@nasa.gov) by Wednesday, November 12th. Links to web downloads of your presentation (e.g. FTP, Google Drive, or Dropbox) are preferred. Presenters are reminded to follow appropriate clearance processes for their respective organizations, where applicable.

Instructions for Poster Presentations The workshop organizers strongly encourage all participants to provide a poster presentation. Space limitations at the venue limit poster widths to no larger than 72" in width and 60" in height, preferably in a horizontal orientation. An example of the desired poster layout is shown below. Posters will be mounted using adhesive strips provided at the workshop. Registrants are encouraged to submit a title and abstract for their poster during the online registration process, however, we welcome and encourage additional poster submissions. Please send your poster title and a brief paragraph abstract to Andrew Molthan (andrew.molthan@nasa.gov) no later than Wednesday, November 5th to allow for coordination of the poster session and inclusion in the final program. Presenters are reminded to follow appropriate clearance processes for their respective organizations, where applicable.

The Second Suomi NPP Applications Workshop will be held at the Westin Huntsville Hotel, located at Bridge Street Town Centre, an outdoor shopping center located near Interstate 565 and Research Park Boulevard.  The Westin Huntsville Hotel will provide a large meeting room for workshop presentations in addition to smaller breakout discussion rooms on Wednesday.  The Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville has graciously sponsored our morning and afternoon refreshment breaks where coffee, soda, and a light snack will be provided. 

http://www.westinhuntsville.com/

http://www.bridgestreethuntsville.com/