Science and Technology Corporation (STC) is a science and systems company founded in 1979 by Dr. Adarsh Deepak. Since the beginning days we have continually expanded our Earth Sciences and Data support capabilities to NASA, NOAA, DoD, and other Federal and State agencies. Today, our staff support many of the operational missions that monitor the heartbeat of our planet through a growing number of Earth Observing System of Systems platforms and direct field research. We also research and investigate leading-edge observing technologies and assist in their integration into operations.
Our Earth Sciences work:
- STC supports many of the NOAA line offices in the development and implementation of advanced observing platforms, including space, oceanic, land, and airborne sensor systems. Services include system engineering, architectural studies, trade studies, software engineering, and mission operation support.
- STC professionals are developing operational code for real time monitoring of environmental phenomena from the current and next generation NOAA satellites. In addition, we are near time processing NASA Earth Observing System satellite products that are distributed to customers by NOAA NESDIS.
- STC research scientists developed a prototype digital twin to model core processes in the next-generation NESDIS ground system. We used our digital twin to test how innovations like machine learning (ML)-based anomaly detection and deep learning data fusion can provide better services to end users. Our prototype Earth Observing Digital Twin (EO-DT) also explored tools for user engagement that can support NESDIS management decision-making on next-generation ground systems.
- STC assisted in the development of the Rapid Revisit Optical Cloud Imager (RROCI). RROCI is an innovative concept using four small COTS cameras and filters to simulate 8 of the principal cloud measurement bands on MODIS. STC has developed the ground system and played a key role in developing the concept with Orion Space LLC. RROCI is funded by Space Force.
- STC provides professional engineering, analysis, and research services to define and defend the uninterrupted national and international access to the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum needed now and in the future. STC engineers perform detailed engineering analysis to lead to minimal interruptions in satellite command, control, & communications (C3I) data flow.
- STC supports Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC), an extramural center that will unite academia, industry and government to help create the most user-friendly and user-accessible, comprehensive Earth modeling system. EPIC is a national priority supported by the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, which calls for NOAA to prioritize improving weather data, modeling, computing, forecasting, and weather warnings. Through EPIC, STC is helping NOAA accelerate community-developed scientific and technological advances to its operational numerical weather prediction and support the development and advancement of an end-to-end Unified Forecast System in collaboration with scientists from the federal, academic, and private sectors.
- STC supports the NESDIS the Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) with space systems engineering support. We provide systems engineering support to execute the following SWO flight projects: Space Weather Follow‐On (SWFO), Space Weather Lagrange 1 (L1) Series, Space Weather Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) Series, Lagrange 5 (L5) project, and other flight projects as formulated by the government. STC’s engineering support for SWO spans both flight and ground segment activities and is constantly evolving with different projects.
- STC leads a NASA initiative to provide enhanced aerosol and cloud products from NOAA OMPS-Limb Profiler. As part of this research STC has developed improved aerosol algorithms, mesospheric temperature retrieval algorithms, and analyses of the distribution of polar stratospheric clouds. Polar stratospheric clouds initiate the Antarctic and Arctic ozone holes.
- STC supports NASA Ames stratospheric research especially analysis of NASA Aura satellite measurements. STC analysis has lead to new insights into the impact of the Hunga-Tonga volcanic eruption which increased the stratospheric water vapor by 10%. A number of papers have speculated that the eruption could have a significant climate impact, but STC research has shown that the any climate warming by the stratospheric water vapor is blunted by the volcanic aerosols that cool the climate.
- STC has developed science integration and operation control monitoring software for the NASA CloudSAT mission. This data driven architecture improves coordination of scientific software development while reducing cost and risk through automated interface control and operations.
- STC is supporting the Navy’s program of electro-optical propagation assessment in coastal environments. Within a cloud/subcloud model an array is being developed for four different regions of stratus cloud.
- STC is providing both project coordination and conference logistical support for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supply Research, which is supporting 14 federal agencies.
- For the U.S. Army SBCCOM, STC conducts the development and evaluation of standoff detection systems, including lidars and microbiological detection systems, for chemical and biological agents. This support involves test and evaluation (test planning, operations, analyses, and documentation), design and fabrication, simulation and modeling, trade-off analyses, and effectiveness assessment and material release documentation.
- STC is a primary NASA contractor performing solid-state laser/lidar technology assessments for remote sensing needs.
- STC supports NASA’s SAGE II and SAGE III programs. This includes the analysis of SAGE II cloud and aerosol data to produce global climatologies and the study of long-term behavior. We also assist in the preparation for the SAGE III launch by participating in the production of algorithms, the planning of validation experiments, and the design and operation of ground-based and airborne research equipment.
- STC supported the U.S. Air Force Range Standardization and Automation. STC’s expert knowledge of weather instrumentation and models is used in trade studies, environmental testing, prototyping, development of data collection and quality control software, instrument installation, toxic hazard prediction model evaluation, and GIS visualization display tasks.
- STC maintains and operates at NASA Langley Research Center a scanning lidar system to remotely measure atmospheric aerosols, dust, and gas molecules in the Earth’s stratosphere. The system was originally designed and fabricated by STC and has been in operation at Langley for several years. Recently, this system was successfully used to remotely measure the wake vortices of a high flying Boeing 737 aircraft.
Our in-depth understanding and technical capabilities span the following domains:
- Algorithm Development and Integration (e.g. UV, IR, MW)
- Modeling and Simulation
- Scientific Data Validation and Analysis (Clouds, Aerosols, Profiles)
- Scientific Data and Data Center Management
- Data Systems Development and Research to Operations
- Independent Validation and Verification
- Scientific Data Analytics
- Satellite Data Capture, Image Processing, Calibration and Validation (e.g., SAGE, CLOUDSAT, CALIPSO, EWS)
- Feature extraction and Visualization
- Environmental Sensor Phenomenology
- Land Characterization, including cold regions, water resources, and wetlands
- Cloud Modeling
- Fabrication/Maintenance/Fielding
We also provide general support services in Earth Sciences including:
- Program Management
- Financial/Budget/Project Management Support
- Administrative Services
- Programming and Web Support
- Database Design, Engineering, Analysis, Administration, Maintenance; Web Page Development and Maintenance.
- Help Desk, Call Center, Data Center Support
