Developing Cloud-Based ArcGIS Image Services on NASA Earthdata GIS (EGIS)

"NASA’s Earthdata GIS (EGIS) is a cloud-based geospatial platform that enables the discovery, access, visualization, and analysis of Earth Observation (EO) data through interoperable web services. EGIS transforms complex satellite observations into accessible, analysis-ready data that can be used directly in various GIS environments. This work introduces how EGIS plays a critical role in delivering timely data products for monitoring floods and droughts, tracking wildfires, and conducting environmental assessments. By making EO data more usable and actionable, EGIS empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions in response to environmental stressors, pollution, and climate variability.
This work presents the development of a cloud-based ArcGIS Image Service on NASA EGIS, using the TROPOMI Level 2 (L2) tropospheric composition product as a use case. The service workflow begins with automated data discovery by querying NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR) to identify relevant TROPOMI L2 granules based on Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and temporal criteria. Once identified, the data files are programmatically downloaded from NASA’s cloud data archive. Individual swath files that are typically in NetCDF format. They are processed using Python and ArcPy tools to extract geophysical variables of interest along with associated geolocation information. Then each swath is reprojected and resampled to a uniform global grid using predefined spatial resolution parameters. Swaths from the same day are mosaicked together to produce seamless daily global composites. Temporal metadata and data quality flags are kept to support filtering and time-series analysis. These daily products are then loaded into a mosaic dataset within a cloud-hosted Relational Database Service (RDS), allowing optimized, on-demand access to historical and newly ingested data. To support dynamic data updates, a Cloud Notification Mechanism (CNM) is configured with Lambda functions to alert subscribers when new daily composites are available. This enables downstream systems and users to automatically consume the data in near real-time. Finally, a unified color palette is applied for consistent and intuitive visualization across all clients and platforms.

This service can be integrated into desktop GIS software, web applications, and custom platforms through ArcGIS REST API and OGC Web Services. By exposing high-resolution meteorological, pollution, and precipitation data via EGIS, services on EGIS support agricultural users in identifying pollution hotspots, monitoring extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, and enhancing situational awareness across farming regions. This work demonstrates how NASA EGIS transforms satellite data into operational geospatial services that advance agriculture."