Understanding Marine Coastal Water Quality User Communities

This February 2026 report, produced by RTI International for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, examines how five coastal user communities — capture fisheries, aquaculture, recreation/tourism, utilities, and property risk — currently use and need marine water quality data. Through interviews and focus groups with 45 organizations, the study maps out key decision-makers, their specific data use cases, and the gaps in existing remote-sensing products that limit their decision-making. The findings are intended to help NASA and other Earth science organizations prioritize investments in coastal water quality data products that better serve real-world needs.