SGT strives to understand each of our client's specific missions and goals. We develop comprehensive business approaches tailored to their needs. Our products and services range from aerospace systems engineering, microelectronic hardware development, software system implementation, and science modeling and analysis. SGT delivers best- value services to all of our customers in the areas of:

• Engineering
• Scientific Analysis and Modeling
• Project Management Services
• Information Technology

Learn more about the support we are providing by reviewing the highlights from three of our contracts.

• Geophysics, Geodynamics and Space Geodesy Program
• U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
• Goddard Institute of Space Studies

In addition to the highlights above, SGT participates in several GWAC contract vehicles and Government Schedules.  Click here to learn more.

Geophysics, Geodynamics and Space Geodesy Program

On the NASA/GSFC/Geophysics, Geodynamics and Space Geodesy Program, SGT is the prime contractor. Activities within this program include:

ICESat: An important element of the climate system with long memory is that of the cryrosphere. The Earth's ice sheets both exert control over changes in the Earth's climate, but also are important to monitor, for they will exhibit secular changes due to its changing state. ICESat carries a laser altimeter and was launched in early 2003 to uniquely monitor long wavelength cm-level changes that reflect trends in mass exchange between the oceans and ice sheets, and the deformation of the ice sheets themselves. Added to the 20 year legacy of mapping the polar regions with radar altimeters, ICESat has revolutionize the accuracy by which ice sheet topographic changes can be discerned. With surface spot sizes of 65 meters in diameter, and dense transects of data, this mission has also significantly advances our synoptic mapping capabilities over all land-forms.

ICESat measures the topography of the Earth’s surface to unprecedented accuracy approaching ±2 cm for non-sloped smooth surfaces (like those seem over much of the ice sheets). With highly accurate orbits, ICESat is providing highly significant measures of ice sheet mass flux, including the first ever measures of the thinning of the Arctic Ice canopy. SGT is providing a complete end-to-end level of support for this mission. We are engaged in commanding the laser altimeter instrument, monitoring engineering housekeeping data, performing the data ingest into our SGT developed Science Information Processing System, and producing all of the Level 1 and 2 science data products. In addition we are heavily engaged in science product algorithm development, science product verification and calibration, and the reprocessing of the more than 2 billion laser returns to increasingly add value to these unique data. SGT is also heavily engaged in the cryospheric research made possible from these data with a team of PhD researchers supporting the Project Scientist. We have several Co-Investigators on the ICESat Science Team. From 2006 onward, SGT has authored or co- authored over 15 refereed journal articles on these investigations.

Planetary Laser Altimetry: SGT has also supported the analysis of laser altimetry acquired orbiting Mars on Mars Global Surveyor and the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission which orbited the asteroid 433-Eros. For both Mars and Eros, meter level accuracy was achieved for topographic mapping.

GRACE: SGT scientists are active within the GRACE Science Team using GRACE data to measure mass flux within the Earth system. The GRACE satellites fly in constellation and track one another with exquisite precision (see http://grace.sgt-inc.com/). From the measured relative motion of these satellites, we are able to measure changes in the gravity field arising from mass flux within the Earth’s system, as a form of remote sensing. Our participation within this team has led to a host of publications in major journals like SCIENCE and Geophysical Research Letters reporting mass changes over Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets, the deterioration of the Alaska mountain glacial system, and the monitoring of ground water changes within hydrological basins.

TOPEX/ Jason: The oceans play a dominant role in determining climate. Through the transport of heat from the equators to the pole, and by providing a sink for excess carbon dioxide, the oceans also play a key role in climate change. Access to the vast expanse of the oceans has always presented a problem for better understanding ocean circulation, and the limitations of ship based surveys have limited study to certain geographic regions leaving much of the ocean under-observed. Space-based radar altimeter systems were developed to provide a synoptic and continuous monitoring of the oceans by providing direct measures of a boundary condition reflective of this circulation, that being the ocean's topographic height and surface slopes. Altimetry is one of the most important tools for ocean change studies, and altimeters are the only systems available to make observations on the spatial and temporal scales upon which these changes occur. Consequently, a major focus during the last decade was to advance altimeter sensors and improve the large host of enabling models (e.g. orbits, tides, atmospheric refractive corrections) needed to extract ocean circulation signals from altimeter measurements.

Since its launch in the fall of 1992, the TOPEX Mission created a revolution in altimetric applications. Through its ability to deliver global sea surface height measurements which are of an accuracy comparable to that acquired by tide gauges (±2 cm), TOPEX data are now being assimilated directly into some of the most accurate ocean circulation models. Basin scale ocean processes are routinely revealed, and events like the El Nino are unambiguously seen to form, advance, and dissipate through altimeter studies. Jason, the TOPEX follow on, launched in 2002, has continued the TOPEX legacy and by overflying the same groundtrack, has provided a continuous record of sea surface height to the present. Jason 2 is expected to be launched in June of 2008.

SGT scientists have supported the TOPEX and Jason Missions since the early 1980s. The support we have provided has helped to produce the gravity field needed for high precision (± cm radial accuracy) orbits, the geoid needed to isolate the dynamic ocean topographic signals, the precision orbits employed in the distribution of these data to the worldwide community, and science investigations including those directed at measuring the rise in the global sea level and ocean circulation using these data. SGT scientists are on dozens of publications related to this work.

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U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

On the USGS/ Technical Support Services Contract, both as a former major subcontractor and now the prime contractor, SGT provides support to the EROS Data Center, the world’s largest data repository for land imaging data. Activities within this large 450 person contract include:

Managing and Preserving EROS’ Legacy of Earth Remote Sensing: SGT supports EROS in the critical role of managing and preserving the remote sensing, cartographic and Earth science archives through the use of databases and collections management techniques with a strong adherence to archival standards. USGS’ Long-Term- Archive (LTA) project is directly responsible for the management, quality assurance, operations, and maintenance of film and digital inventories within the USGS/EROS Long-Term-Archive. SGT helps maintain, preserve, and provide ready access to the historical remote sensing film and digital databases and archives. This includes activities related to operations such as data organization, ingest, metadata generation and ingest, data set appraisal, assessments, dispositions and preservation activities such as data set transcriptions and media migrations.

Early Warning and Environmental Monitoring: SGT supports basic and applied research; analyses and interpretation of remotely sensed data; preparation of geospatial data for processing through hydroclimatological models; assisting with the development of early warning systems for food security and flooding as well as other hazards including landslides, tsunamis, and hurricanes; providing dynamic data access and delivery over the Internet; collaboration with other government and academic research scientists, other US government entities, and international organizations such as the UN. We provide technical expertise associated with the broad spectrum of satellite and aerial remote sensing systems and derivative data sets as well as other geospatial data characterizing the land, water, and atmospheric environments used to process the data, run the models, and provide access to the data. Under this activity SGT provides assistance in developing operational applications and modeling results related to harvest assessments, drought, land use changes, snow fall, rainfall anomalies in malaria epidemic zones, and identification of manifestations of long-term climate trends.

Land Cover Database and Land Characterization: SGT supports the Land Characterization and National Land Cover Database projects that provides information on the Nation’s current and historical land cover characteristics that are applicable at national, regional, and local scales. The geospatial data layers that are produced by this project are used to support a broad spectrum of applications in land management, environmental studies, modeling and policy decisions. Land cover and land use data are high priority data themes within the USGS, with the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) providing the foundation database. This database, combined with other sources of relevant scientific data provide a robust suite of geospatial data that allow informed decisions by managers and the public. These data (and derived products) require continuous production, updating and improvement, in order to provide the most relevant land cover information for the Nation.

Land Cover Status and Trends: SGT supports the Land Cover Status and Trends Project which creates image maps of the land use and land cover on sample regions within the United States. We help develop geo- referenced databases using Landsat and aerial photography data. These studies support ecoregional assessments and are key to assessing long term trends in land use and agricultural productivity.

Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Remote Sensing Technologies Project: The major tasks undertaken by SGT comprising this activity include:

1. Instrumentation and Analysis,
2. Reimbursable Aerial Camera Characterization and Calibration,
3. System Characterization/Calibration and Product Verification/Validation
4. Aerial Mapping Digital Sensor Characterization and Calibration.

SGT provides management and coordination for the these tasks including the integrating work requirements undertaken at other USGS centers.

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Goddard Institute of Space Studies

At the NASA/ Goddard Institute of Space Studies, both as a former prime contractor and now as the JV partner forming Sigma Space Partners, SGT provides support to all elements of this institute. GISS has long been at the forefront of NASA’s research programs in the areas of Global Climate Modeling, Earth Observations, and Planetary Atmospheres. The primary goals of our contract are to provide scientific programming and analysis support to the various GISS research programs, provide PhD level researchers to the climate modeling team, and to perform all ancillary supporting services necessary to achieve this goal. SGT provides onsite scientific programming and analysis skills necessary to support GISS and Columbia researchers in developing and implementing research algorithms and data processing functions and in analyzing the results. SGT offers a highly qualified technical staff well versed in the scientific as well as computational and software- related aspects of GISS’ research projects.

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