Orbiting Climate Observatory 2 (OCO-2) Command Access Request (CAR) System

About this technology

Overview

OCO-2 collects a great number of high-resolution measurements, which provides a greater spatial distribution of CO2 over the entire globe; in short, a bigger, clearer, more complete picture of global CO2. These measurements are combined with data from the ground-based network to provide scientists with the information that they need to better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric CO2 and its role in the carbon cycle. This enhanced understanding is essential for improving predictions of future atmospheric CO2 increases and its impact on Earth's climate. The instrument was designed so that the science team could identify targets around the globe for observation and select which ones they want to observe on for a given day. The OCO-2 CAR tool collects information about OCO-2's potential targets for a given time period and allows the science team to make their selections and automatically notifies the instrument operations team. The website helps inform the science team's selections by providing them information about past target selections.