OPERA: Addressing Societal Needs with Satellite Data

Introduction

Observational products for end users from remote sensing analysis (OPERA) is a strategic initiative to address critical satellite data needs identified by federal agencies. Established in 2021 by NASA/JPL, OPERA responds to priorities identified by the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), an interagency body convened by the White House. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Department of Scientific and Technical Policy (OSTP). SNWG surveys federal agencies every two years to determine their top satellite data needs. This article briefly describes OPERA, including its mandate, and then presents a case study demonstrating how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) uses OPERA to monitor agricultural conditions in the US Midwest.

OPERA's mandate and approach

The OPERA project's core mandate is its commitment to providing information products in formats that are immediately usable and ready for analysis. Instead of providing raw satellite data that requires extensive processing expertise, OPERA transforms complex satellite observations into standardized, accessible products that federal agencies can quickly integrate into their existing workflows to support national security, environmental monitoring, disaster response, and infrastructure management. This approach removes the technical barriers that often prevent agencies from effectively using satellite data, allowing them to focus on their mission-critical applications rather than data processing tasks.

To achieve this goal at the scale required by federal agencies, OPERA has developed a sophisticated cloud-based production system capable of efficiently and consistently generating information products to meet the dynamic needs of federal users. As of 2025, OPERA has successfully published dynamic surface water extent, surface disturbances, and surface displacements through various NASAs. Distributed active archive centers (DAAC). The vertical ground propulsion product will be OPERA's next offering, starting in 2028 – see below. Figure 1.

OPERA Mission

OPERA provides high-quality, ready-to-use satellite information that allows federal agencies to better monitor environmental changes, respond to natural disasters, assess infrastructure risks, and make data-driven decisions. To illustrate this goal, 5th Annual OPERA Stakeholder Engagement Workshop detailed practical application of this approach on September 11, 2025.

Case Study: Using OPERA Data to Map Crop Health in the US Midwest

When water is retained on agricultural land, the effects often ripple outward, leading to crop losses, changes in soil health and shifts in carbon stocks. In the rolling landscape of the South Fork watershed in central Iowa, these problems are a daily reality for farmers, researchers and crop insurance companies. To address these issues, scientists from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) National Laboratory of Agriculture and Environment (NLAE) are collaborating with NASA's OPERA project.

Using OPERA Dynamic extent of surface waters (DSWx) and Surface irregularities (DIST), USDA and NLAE researchers have begun the process of identifying depressions where water continually accumulates in fields – see Figure 2.

These places are often more than just nuisance puddles; they signal areas of yield decline, risk of crop failure, and hotspots of carbon and nutrient accumulation. By combining OPERA's cloud-free, high-resolution mosaics with field measurements from USDA and partner universities, the joint OPERA-NLAE team creates actionable maps that identify wetlands – see. Figure 3. Farmers can use these maps to improve soil health and make land use decisions.

OPERA products also support broader watershed management. Analysis of river migration, oxbow formation, and hurricane damage from major derecho events in the Midwest shows how OPERA data extend beyond field sites to larger areas. By detecting both persistent flooding and changes in vegetation conditions, DSWx and DIST together provide synergistic information identifying areas where improved drainage can lead to improved crop health and higher yields. This approach can also be used to mitigate topsoil erosion and nutrient transport to control the development of harmful algal blooms and anoxic zones with impacts far beyond the Mississippi Delta.

Conclusion

USDA's use of OPERA data – ARS to map and monitor crop health in the US Midwest shows how this vital data product bridges the gap between geoscience and agricultural sustainability. The results of this collaboration underscore OPERA's mission to transform cutting-edge satellite observations into useful tools that support farmers, improve soil and water conservation, and enhance the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. This collaboration signifies OPERA's mandate as a provider of SNWG solutions to meet the surveillance needs of federal users. All OPERA data products are freely available from various NASA DAAC centers and searchable on the NASA Earthdata Search platform. The team welcomes direct interaction with selected federal, state, academic and commercial stakeholders and can be contacted at [email protected].

Stephen K. Chan
Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory
[email protected]

Renato Prata de Moraes Frasson
Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory
[email protected]

Al Handwerger
Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory
[email protected]