Information Systems

SAIC applies its leadership capabilities in information technology to several areas of its space business activities, primarily the development of data systems that support global change monitoring and meteorological research.

Information Systems Solutions

SAIC builds science data systems for remotely sensed data for NASA and NOAA that cover the full life cycle from raw data to phenomenology. Activities run the full spectrum from developing science data production requirements through design, development, test, and operation of the systems.

Information Systems is comprised of the following solutions:

  • Operational Data Processing and Archiving: SAIC provides support to NASA's operational data processing and archiving of a wide variety of remotely sensed data. For example, SAIC processes stratospheric aerosol and gas experiment instrument data from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II and III instruments, cataloging, screening, analyzing, validating and archiving scientific data. Scientists then develop and test trial validation algorithms and reprocess the data as the algorithms are improved, and then convert raw measurement data to atmospheric parameters. SAIC also provides this support to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments, two of the key remote sensing instruments of Mission to Planet Earth.
  • Operational Software Development: SAIC staff develop, integrate and test software systems for operational, real-time use in both flight and ground systems. Applications include on-board processing and control, ground system operations and management, and system data processing and evaluation in support of DoD, NASA, NOAA and other agencies. Expertise includes reengineering, data services, relational database design and integration, and distributed systems. This activity includes requirements definition and allocation, algorithm development, software design, prototype development and evaluation, software development, integration, test and qualification, and evaluation of software operation in integrated environments.
  • Science Data Systems: SAIC builds end-to-end (raw data to phenomenology) science data systems for remotely sensed data for NASA and NOAA. One example is the NASA/Goddard Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Science Data Information System, for which we defined hardware and software system requirements, developed all Level-1 processing software, developed a database management system and browse facility, performed software quality assurance and configuration management, and integrated ground validation products and science team software. We also built and provide support for the Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor Data Analysis System, an end-to-end system with utilities for real-time data ingestion, product generation, quality control, and data analysis. At NASA/Langley Research Center, SAIC developed science data management systems for the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) instrument, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) instrument. The CERES data management system was the largest single software development project ever undertaken at Langley Research Center.