Executive Summary
Introduction

The Earth Science Program is a scientific endeavor seeking to provide understanding of the Earth and how it is changing, both naturally and as the result of human interaction. The Earth Science Program comprises integrated spacecraft and measurement capabilities; information management systems to acquire, process, archive, and distribute global data sets; and research and analysis programs to convert data into new knowledge of the Earth.

Audit Objective

The audit objectives were to determine whether (1) NASA's efforts to disseminate Earth Science Program information accomplish the program's goals and (2) NASA explored cost-efficient and effective methods to disseminate Earth Science Program information.

Results of Audit

Earth Science Program and Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project officials have made significant strides toward creating an advanced system network capable of disseminating the program's data and information products. Further, the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) have taken initiatives to enhance services by creating web sites and products that will make Earth Science Program data and information more accessible (Exhibit 1 highlights DAAC management best practices that successfully improved operations through reinvention and innovation). The audit showed that Earth Science Program data and information products are designed to support the scientific research community. Although stated Agency goals are to disseminate and enable the productive use of Earth science data and information by a broad spectrum of users, the Earth Science Program is not meeting its goals. The program is not meeting its goals because four of the five intended user groups are not making significant use of the program's data and information products. We were unable to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of dissemination efforts because neither NASA nor the DAACs account for dissemination costs.

Recommendations

We made recommendations to establish and fund a formal outreach plan to focus dissemination efforts on nonscientific customers and to integrate customers more fully into ESDIS data dissemination activities. Management concurred with the report recommendations, and we consider planned actions responsive.