NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team

What NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team does

HAQAST (NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team) is a federally funded applied research program operated under NASA's Applied Science Program and hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founded in 2011 as the Air Quality Applied Science Team (AQAST) and rebranded HAQAST in 2016 to incorporate public health, the program operates on four-year grant cycles (HAQAST-4 runs 2025-2029) and is led by Dr. Tracey Holloway with 14 principal investigators drawn from U.S. research universities and government offices. The team's core function is to translate NASA satellite data products — including MODIS, VIIRS, GOES, and TEMPO — into operational tools and analyses for air quality management and public health decision-making. Its deliverables include satellite-derived PM2.5 and ozone estimates, the Satellite-based Air Quality Index (HAQI), machine learning forecasts for surface ozone and PM2.5, low-cost sensor fusion methodologies, and the EE Demo Tool built on Google Earth Engine for wildfire smoke exceptional event documentation. HAQAST delivers these capabilities through three engagement modalities: Tiger Teams (short-term, high-impact projects), Rapid Response Teams (urgent issues addressed within one year), and the HAQAST Ambassadors stakeholder liaison program.

The business model is non-commercial: HAQAST is funded entirely by NASA's Applied Sciences Program and operates as a public-good initiative, with all NASA data, tools, and outputs provided at no cost. Revenue is therefore not transactional but grant-based, contingent on NASA appropriations and four-year program reauthorization. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven — researchers collaborate directly with public and private stakeholders (EPA, NOAA, state agencies, nonprofits, healthcare providers) on problems ranging from wildfire smoke to diesel emissions, using Tiger Teams and Rapid Response Teams as the primary engagement vehicles. Customer segments are primarily government air quality agencies and public health agencies, with secondary engagement of research institutions and HAQAST Ambassadors acting as cross-sector liaisons. Distribution occurs via the haqast.org website, EPA AirNow embedding, the EE Demo Tool, public meetings, newsletters, and the Ambassadors network.

Because HAQAST is not a commercial entity, traditional revenue and growth metrics do not apply. The program's strategic significance lies in embedding NASA Earth observation data into regulatory and operational workflows — notably EPA AirNow and state air quality management — and in building a multi-disciplinary talent cohort that bridges atmospheric science, data fusion, machine learning, and public health. Key forward-looking vectors include scaling data fusion into understudied regions (Latin America, Alaska), expanding healthcare and epidemiology use cases (Cleveland Clinic, American Cancer Society), and operationalizing ML-based forecasting (ozone, PM2.5, wildfire smoke) within partner agency systems.

Name

NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team

Legal name

NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team

Website

https://haqast.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HAQAST is a NASA-funded applied research program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that translates NASA satellite data into operational tools for air quality management and public health agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Funded by NASA's Applied Science Program as part of a decade-long effort to advance applied science. HAQAST-1 ran 2011-2016 (AQAST), HAQAST-2 ran 2016-2020, HAQAST-3 runs 2021-2025, and HAQAST-4 runs 2025-2029.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HAQAST is a NASA Applied Science Program research team (14 principal investigators) that connects NASA satellite data and tools with health and air quality stakeholders to solve real-world public health and air quality problems. It delivers applied research outputs through collaborative Tiger Teams, Rapid Response Teams, an Ambassadors stakeholder program, and publicly available satellite-derived air quality data products including PM2.5, ozone, NO2, and aerosol optical depth datasets.

Product overview

HAQAST is a research and collaboration program led by Dr. Tracey Holloway at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, connecting NASA satellite data with health and air quality stakeholders. The core offerings include the HAQAST team itself (14 principal investigators from universities and government offices), Tiger Teams (short-term collaborative projects), Rapid Response Teams (urgent issue response), and the HAQAST Ambassadors Program (stakeholder engagement). The team provides satellite-based air quality data products including PM2.5 estimates, NO2, ozone, and aerosol optical depth measurements. The portfolio spans four generations: AQAST (2011-2016), HAQAST-2 (2016-2020), HAQAST-3 (2021-2025), and HAQAST-4 (2025-2029).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HAQAST Applied Sciences Team A NASA Applied Science Program initiative (14 principal investigators) connecting NASA satellite data and tools with health and air quality stakeholders to solve real-world public health and air quality problems. The team conducts applied research using satellite observations for air quality management and public health applications.
• Tiger Teams Short-term, high-impact collaborative projects between HAQAST members and public stakeholders that leverage NASA data and products to solve pressing health and air quality issues. Each Tiger Team draws on the expertise of multiple HAQAST PIs.
• Rapid Response Teams HAQAST initiative that addresses urgent health and air quality issues through collaborations leveraging NASA data and products on timescales of one year or less.
• HAQAST Ambassadors Program A stakeholder engagement program connecting HAQAST with the broader user community. Ambassadors serve as liaisons between NASA and the user community, promoting the use of NASA Earth observations and sharing stakeholder needs with researchers.
• Satellite-based Air Quality Data Products NASA satellite-derived data products including PM2.5 estimates, NO2 concentrations, ozone measurements, formaldehyde observations, aerosol optical depth, and fire/wildfire detection data for air quality management and public health applications.
• EE Demo Tool An online tool developed by Western States Air Resources Council (WESTAR) and South Coast AQMD, extended by HAQAST using Google Earth Engine satellite data, to help state, local, and tribal air agencies prepare documentation for proposed wildfire smoke exceptional events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Between 1990 and 2015, U.S. average concentration of PM2.5 decreased by 37% and O3 decreased by 22%, demonstrating impact of air quality improvements tracked using NASA data
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA partners with HAQAST on multiple projects including AirNow system integration with satellite data, evaluating atmospheric models for regulatory processes, and exceptional event demonstrations for wildfire smoke.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA collaborates with HAQAST on air quality forecasting, AIR4US platform development, and integrating satellite data into operational systems.
• Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLADCO uses NASA data to build knowledge on sources of air pollution in the Great Lakes region and enhance modeling capabilities for pollution mitigation strategies.
• Bay Area Air Quality Management DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses NASA data and tools for screening, emissions modeling, and development of mapping tools for air quality management.
• American Cancer SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses satellite data to evaluate how exposure to climate change-fueled extreme weather events and pollution from fossil fuel infrastructure impacts access to cancer care and outcomes.
• Health Effects InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses NASA data and tools for health effects research, training, and public outreach engagements.
• Western States Air Resources Council (WESTAR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on exceptional event demonstrations for wildfires and developing tools for state air quality agencies.
• Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses NASA data to understand air pollution trends, transport, and chemistry in the northeastern U.S.
• Cleveland ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses satellite data to understand how air pollution impacts health in rural and urban communities, working to identify where more research is needed.
• Environmental Defense FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses NASA data to characterize locations and times of elevated air pollution, identify monitoring gaps, and assess potential health impacts.
• State Air Quality AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple state agencies (Georgia EPD, Texas TCEQ, Connecticut DEEP, Colorado CDPHE, etc.) collaborate on Tiger Teams and use NASA data for air quality management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• IQAir: Global air quality information company combining low-cost sensor networks with satellite-derived data for public and commercial users. Comparable fusion of satellite and ground sensor data, but delivered as a commercial product.
• Climate Central: Nonprofit that translates climate and atmospheric science into actionable information for the public, media, and decision-makers. Comparable science-communication and stakeholder-engagement role for environmental health.
• EarthDefine: Provider of satellite-derived land cover, air quality, and environmental data products for government and commercial use. Overlaps with HAQAST's satellite-to-application pipeline in the air quality domain.
• BreezoMeter: Commercial provider of hyper-local air quality data combining satellite, sensor, and modeling inputs. Competes in the same satellite-based air quality data domain as HAQAST but with commercial delivery and SLAs.

Others

• Environmental Defense Fund: Major environmental nonprofit that is itself a HAQAST user, leveraging satellite data for air quality and health impact analysis. Included as a downstream consumer and partner rather than a direct competitor.
• American Lung Association: Public-health advocacy organization that uses air quality data for State of the Air reporting and policy engagement. Overlaps with HAQAST's public-health stakeholder community and applies similar satellite and ground-based air quality inputs.

Broad incumbents

• Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER): Private research firm applying satellite and atmospheric science to air quality, climate, and weather-risk problems for government and commercial clients. Comparable scientific domain and methodology, but operates commercially rather than as a grant-funded program.
• NOAA Cooperative Institutes: Federally funded academic partnerships producing applied atmospheric and environmental science for a government sponsor. Comparable funding structure and applied-science remit, though broader in scope than HAQAST.

Direct peers

• NASA DEVELOP: NASA applied science program that conducts rapid feasibility projects applying satellite data to environmental and public-policy questions. Closely comparable in mission, funding model, and stakeholder-engagement structure to HAQAST.
• NASA SERVIR: Another NASA Applied Sciences program that connects Earth observation data with decision-makers in developing regions. Operates via a hub-and-node network analogous to HAQAST, with co-development projects for environmental and resource management applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCujxbmRpZE1LdUnDKOKbjJQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nasa-health-and-air-quality-applied-sciences-team
• Xx.com/nasa_haqast
• Facebookfacebook.com/HAQAST6

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team