Extending OSSE beyond numerical weather prediction to new areas in Earth observing science

An observing system simulation experiment (OSSE), briefly stated, is a computational system designed to quantitatively assess the impact of proposed scientific observations. OSSEs allow one to examine how well specific science objectives can be met within a controlled environment where one can simulate the quality of data expected based on observation characteristics, instrument parameters, data retrieval methods, associated uncertainties, errors, and trades among design constraints. The numerical weather prediction community (NWP) has developed and utilized OSSEs to understand the impact of instrument designs and new measurements on numerical forecasts over the last 40 years. Now, there is a growing interest in applying OSSEs as a mechanism for systematic analysis and science evaluation for future observations of interest to the Earth science community. Examples include precise measurements of earth surface deformation, ice dynamics, ecosystem structure, and atmospheric chemistry. In this paper we introduce OSSE and describe the benefits and impact of the approach along with current work and future plans to apply OSSE for science analysis in various Earth science disciplines.