WCD-01. Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing (IRISS): Capabilities and Opportunities for Collaboration

Abstract
Nearly six years ago, a vision for a program leveraging aerospace systems to enhance data collection and support development of expanded visibility of the four-dimensionality of the ground-to-space column was born with the proposal of the Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing (IRISS) initiative. This initiative, part of the University of Colorado’s Our Space, Our Future grand challenge, has accelerated and improved CU’s ability to observe the Earth System and support communal understanding of our planet. Through IRISS, new observing systems have been developed and tested, diverse field campaigns have been supported, campus-wide science-engineering partnerships have developed, and students have been trained to support modern and innovative Earth System observing. To connect to a broad variety of scientific efforts and projects, IRISS supports development and deployment of various platforms and sensing systems, with a primary emphasis on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). In this presentation, we will provide an overview of IRISS capabilities, and offer examples of previous Earth science campaigns supported with systems developed and deployed by IRISS. Recent examples of such campaigns include ATOMIC, MOSAiC, Wisco-DISCO and TORUS. Additionally, we will highlight previous work with NOAA laboratories to develop task-specific systems and provide perspectives on opportunities for collaboration with the broader CIRES community.