Evaluation of the Canadian Space Agency Sun-Earth System Science Business Line

2.1.1 Advancing scientific knowledge of the Sun-Earth System

With its colossal objects and forces at play, the Sun-Earth system creates among the most challenging scientific phenomena to explore and comprehend. Such scientific knowledge is nonetheless critical, as life on Earth both affects and is affected by these dynamic forces. Expanding technological capabilities, particularly through ever more sophisticated satellite missions, are enhancing our understanding of the Sun-Earth system and of the environmental, social, political, and economic ramifications of such phenomena as space weather, climate change, or the evolving composition of the Earth's surface and atmosphere.

Over the last two decades in particular, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have led several space missions focussed on the Sun-Earth system, and many more space agencies and organizations in countries such as Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, and Japan have either led or contributed to scientific missions and activities expanding our knowledge of the Sun-Earth system.

These space initiatives emerged in a context marked by a greater recognition that the interconnectivity of activities occurring on Earth and within its atmosphere has far reaching consequences. One illustration was provided by the international mobilization that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s around the need to reverse the ozone layer depletion, which led to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, a United Nations treaty signed by 46 states in 1987 and since ratified by another 151 countries (United Nations, 2018). Beyond the direct harmful impact of UV radiation on humans that comes from a depleting ozone layer, this phenomenon also affects photosynthesis in plants, which may disturb the entire food chain (NASA, 2007). In early 2018, NASA published a report providing the first direct proof of ozone hole recovery since the passing of the Montreal Protocol (NASA, 2018b). The ongoing monitoring of the ozone layer, commissioned by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and other studies on the ozone layer, have consistently relied on data provided by several satellites carrying scientific missions, including Canada's SCISAT or the OSIRIS instrument, provided by Canada and located on the Swedish satellite ODEN.

Another illustration came less than two years after the signing of the Montreal Protocol, when in March 1989, a particularly powerful solar flare triggered a solar storm that struck Earth's magnetic field. Among other things, this created electrical currents in the ground of a large part of North America that caused various forms of damages, including the shutting down of the entire power grid in Québec, leaving households in the dark for 12 hours, and halting airports in the province and the Montréal subway. Additional impacts of this solar storm included the disturbance of some satellites that were left out of control for several hours (NASA, 2017). Recognizing the range of significant impacts that solar storms may cause to infrastructures on Earth and in space (where the number of satellites is increasing exponentially^{Footnote 1}), governments around the world have invested in scientific missions focused on space weather, with the goal of enhancing the capacity of public authorities and private entities to mitigate the impacts of solar storms and other related phenomena. Canada's CASSIOPE satellite with its ePOP instrument, ESA's SWARM mission (which includes the UVI instrument provided by Canada), the CSA's Geospace Observatory Canada Initiative, and the proposed SMILE mission, led by ESA and China and including a Canadian instrument, are some of the space activities focussing specifically on varying dimensions of space weather.

Other phenomena, such as the intensity and severity of floods, droughts, forest fire, costal erosion, melting glaciers, or raising ocean levels, have also illustrated the many ramifications of the dynamics unfolding within the Sun-Earth system.

2.1.2 Canada's participation in missions and activities related to the Sun-Earth system

The CSA is engaged in scientific activities related to the Sun-Earth system and the SESS-BL is the primary conduit through which these activities are channeled. As further elaborated in the next sub-section, the SESS-BL provides a framework for CSA's involvement that covers the entire space science life cycle, from science preparation to mission data analysis and use.

In addition to the SESS-BL, the CSA manages other programs that may address, at a secondary level, issues related to the Sun-Earth system. For instance:

• The Space Technology Development (STD) initiative provides selected Canadian entities with financial support to advance the development of targeted space technologies. The program helps to reduce technological unknowns of future space missions and develop Canadian expertise to support such missions. While the primary goal of the STD initiative is the development or maturation of space technologies and expertise in a variety of areas, it may include technologies that are expected to be used in support of scientific missions exploring the Sun-Earth system.
• The ESA Contribution Program, which supports the implementation of the Canada-ESA Cooperation Agreement, provides opportunities for Canadian entities (primarily industry) to participate in ESA missions and activities. The primary goal of the program is to support the space industry in Canada, particularly through an expansion of their international markets. In doing so, the nature of the activities and missions in which Canadian entities participate may relate to the Sun-Earth system.

These examples are offered for illustrative purposes only, as other activities undertaken by the CSA (such as CSA's Science, Technology and Expertise Development in Academia (STEDiA) initiative) may also address, in some capacity, issues associated with the Sun-Earth system. They nonetheless illustrate an important consideration for the purpose of this evaluation, namely that the assessment of the SESS-BL ought to consider activities directly covered by the business line, in addition to other activities that, while pursuing very separate goals and objectives, may also contribute to the achievement of the outcomes of the SESS-BL.

2.2.1 SESS-BL overview and objectives

During the period covered by the evaluation, the SESS-BL fell within the CSA's departmental program entitled Space Data, Information and Services (CSA, 2016a).^{Footnote 2} This departmental Program focussed on space missions related to Earth observation, satellite communications, and scientific missions (Sun-Earth system sciences). As illustrated in Figure 1, the range of activities covered have included mission design (and the development of the required technology), ground infrastructures, and the access and use of the data and imagery, as applicable, which have resulted from these missions. While some of the missions undertaken through this departmental Program are pursuing research and development (R&D) goals, other missions are primary operational in nature, in that they provide ongoing data and images that support the implementation of programs and services offered by a range of federal departments and agencies.

The CSA has used the concept of "business lines" to bridge the nature of missions undertaken and the various operational dimensions that typically characterize space missions. In the specific case of the SESS-BL, it therefore covers the range of activities related to mission design and technology development, the required ground infrastructures, as well as the use of data and images, all of which are specifically associated with scientific missions exploring the Sun-Earth system.

Since missions targeting the Sun-Earth system often involve international collaborations and tend to be led by large space agencies, Canada's projects and activities may involve only some dimensions of the business line. For example, they can include the provision of a specific instrument to be incorporated on a foreign satellite; the use of Canadian ground infrastructures or the undertaking of calibration or validation activities to support scientific mission led by other space agencies; or the use by Canadian researchers of scientific data from foreign missions to advance scientific knowledge on specific dimensions of the Sun-Earth system. Canada's participation may also involve satellite missions entirely led by Canada (such as ACE/SCISAT), in which case all dimensions of the business line would apply, in addition to involving other international partners or stakeholders as applicable (to provide complementary support, or to use the Canadian data for analysis).

Ultimately, the goal of the SESS-BL is to provide an overall framework and direction for the range of scientific missions and activities on the Sun-Earth system that the CSA engages in directly through the SESS-BL, or indirectly through other programing areas.

2.2.2 Program activities

Scientific space missions typically progress through various cycles, including the preparatory work leading up to the potential missions (science preparation and maturation, and mission development), and the ongoing operations of actual missions, including data analysis and use. As these missions typically unfold over an extended period of time, the work carried out through the SESS-BL may relate to missions that have been in operations for quite some time, as well as more recently launched missions. For illustrative purposes, Figure 2 includes the key missions in which the SESS-BL has been engaged in some capacity over the evaluation period.

More specifically, the SESS-BL carries out the following types of activities:

• Provision of financial support: The SESS-BL provides financial support to external partners and stakeholders. This includes providing support for the exploratory work on potential scientific missions (concept and Phase 0 studies), for the development of new missions (phases A to D), for ongoing operational missions, including calibration and validation activities (phase E), and for the analysis of data provided through scientific missions (phases E and F). This support is managed by the CSA personnel assigned to the SESS-BL and may be provided through contracts, grants and contributions, or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Support to other CSA activities: The personnel assigned to the SESS-BL provides support (e.g., acting as scientific authority) or collaborates with other programs within the CSA on activities concerning the Sun-Earth system. The list of these activities includes (but is not limited to) funded projects under the STD program or the STEDiA program, particularly the Flight and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) initiative.
• Engage external stakeholders: The personnel assigned to the SESS-BL also interacts with a number of external stakeholders who are also involved in space missions and activities on the Sun-Earth system. The list of these external stakeholders includes other federal departments and agencies, international partners (other space agencies, universities, and international groupings and associations of researchers involved in relevant scientific fields).

2.2.3 Program resources

Over the five years covered by the evaluation, the CSA invested a total of $42.2 million in the SESS-BL.

As indicated in Table 1, the vast majority of these resources (88%) were directed to various forms of financial support to external entities undertaking scientific activities on the Sun-Earth system. A more complete analysis of these investments is included in sub-section 4.2.2 of this report. The remaining expenditures were directed towards the ongoing management of the SESS-BL. As for human resources, between 7.5 and 9 full time equivalents (FTE) were assigned annually to the SESS-BL.

2.2.4 Management structures

The Director General of the Space Utilization Branch holds the overall responsibility for activities carried out under the SESS-BL. In doing so, he operates within the set of applicable policies from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (CSA, 2016b, p. 10), as well as the Project Management Policy and the Integrated Governance and Monitoring Framework Directive adopted by the CSA. This latter policy includes a Project Complexity and Risk Assessment tool that supports the assessment of the nature and complexity of each project being considered by the Space Utilization Branch, including missions on the Sun-Earth system.

To support the ongoing coordination of activities related to all satellite missions within the Space Utilization Program (earth observations, communications or scientific), the Director General of the Space Utilization Program chairs the Space Utilization Management Committee. It is the responsibility of each director to implement the decision of this Committee as applicable.

The CSA personnel assigned to the SESS-BL includes project managers and engineering professionals. Other professionals within the CSA provide support on a project by project basis (matrix support).

2.2.5 Program logic

The program logic of the SESS-BL is described in its Performance Measurement Strategy (CSA, 2016b, p. 18). The logic model, which illustrates the SESS-BL's results chain, is presented in Figure 3.

3.2.1 Overall approach

As this is the first evaluation of the SESS-BL, the methodological approach was designed to offer a comprehensive picture of the range of activities undertaken by the SESS-BL, and of the contribution that the knowledge generated by the SESS-BL is expected to make to a number of public policy goals and objectives. It also considers the fact that the full achievement of the SESS-BL's expected outcomes unfolds over a long period of time, well beyond a five-year period. As such, the goal of the evaluation was to offer a meaningful assessment of the activities undertaken during the targeted five-year period (2012 to 2017), as well as a description of the benefits realized and outcomes achieved from activities that have occurred prior to that period.

The following sub-sections describe each of the methods used to address the evaluation questions.

3.2.2 Document, performance and financial data review

The document and literature review informed all evaluation questions. The document review portion of this task included both information provided by the CSA on the SESS-BL, as well as documents identified or provided by other stakeholders, particularly as a result of the interviews conducted as part of the evaluation. The literature review portion of this task focused on the relevance of the SESS-BL and covered activities undertaken by other countries in scientific missions and activities in which Canada has also been involved. Since the SESS-BL aims to produce new knowledge, this task also included a bibliometric analysis that was prepared for the CSA.

As it relates more specifically to performance data, the CSA approved the SESS-BL's Performance Measurement Strategy in March 2016. As such, some but not all performance indicators had been documented at the time of the evaluation. The performance information also included a variety of operational documents, administrative data, and financial information.

3.2.3 Key Informant Interviews and case studies

Key informant interviews contributed to the in-depth understanding of SESS-BL activities, including results achieved and challenges faced by key stakeholders. These interviews also corroborated, explained, or further elaborated on findings from other data sources. A total of 63 individuals were consulted (through both individual and group interviews) from seven different stakeholder groups. The distribution of these interviews is included in Table 2.

A total of 14 of the interviews conducted focussed more specifically on three missions selected to act as case studies. These missions are SWOT, SWARM, and OSIRIS. The criteria used to select these missions included the date that the missions were launched (to include both older and newer missions), the nature of the Canadian participation, and the sub-field of the Sun-Earth system to which they belong (space weather, atmospheric sciences, and Earth system sciences). The purpose of these interviews was to focus on specific missions (rather than Sun-Earth activities more generally) to allow for a more in-depth understanding of the implementation and results associated with these missions. The information gathered as part of these interviews is included throughout this report, as applicable.

3.2.4 Limitations

This section describes the limitations encountered in the evaluation and how they were addressed.

4.1.1 The rationale for the SESS-BL

Canada has historically collaborated with other countries and with international organizations in enhancing the global knowledge of the Sun-Earth system, and in expanding the operational capacity to better forecast and mitigate the impact of events occurring within that system. For instance, after more than 15 years, Canada's ACE/SCISAT mission continues to provide insights on the ozone layer depletion (CSA, 2017); scientists at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) have been collaborating with agencies such as EUMETSAT in Europe or NOAA in the United States to enhance space-based solutions used to forecast and monitor weather and other environmental patterns (ECCC, 2017; EUMETSAT, 2018). Canada is also actively engaged in policies and initiatives on climate change, such as the WMO's Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) that monitors Essential Climate Variables (ECV) (World Meteorological Organization, 2018a) or the WMO's Global Framework for Climate Services that supports the integration of science-based climate information in ongoing policy and program planning and implementation (World Meteorological Organization, 2018b). Canada has also joined other countries in enhancing the scientific knowledge on space weather, and on the resulting impacts that may derive from solar storms.

In fact, during the period covered by the evaluation, a higher level of global mobilization emerged around the need to more systematically address the potential impacts of solar storms and of Near-Earth Objects (NEO), such as asteroids or comets whose orbital paths may affect the Earth. In 2016, ESA renewed the funding for its 2009 Space Situational Awareness Programme, which focusses on space weather, the monitoring of NEO, and space surveillance and tracking, with a view of enhancing Europe's capacity to "watch for objects and natural phenomena that could harm satellites in orbit or infrastructure such as power grids on the ground" (European Space Agency, 2017). In 2015, the United States tabled its National Space Weather Strategy (National Science and Technology Council, 2015b) and its companion National Space Weather Action Plan (National Science and Technology Council, 2015a) with a goal of enhancing the capacity of the United States monitor and respond to space weather and other related events occurring within the Sun-Earth system. The Strategy notes that "unlike terrestrial weather events (e.g., a hurricane), space weather has the potential to simultaneously affect the whole of North America or reach even wider geographic regions of the planet", and that capabilities in observing and forecasting space-weather events "depend on international cooperation and coordination" (National Science and Technology Council, 2015b, p. 3).

The need for a sustained effort to monitor space weather and NEO and for adequately preparing for their potential impacts has driven a number of space missions and instruments, including the SWARM mission led by ESA and launched in 2013, the ePOP instrument included on CSA's CASSIOPE satellite launched also in 2013, the recently launched GOLD mission led by NASA (NASA, 2018c) and the upcoming SMILE mission led jointly by ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (to be launched in 2021) (European Space Agency, 2018a).

In this context, Canada's involvement in activities concerning the Sun-Earth system relies to a great extent on the CSA, which in turn, collaborates with other federal departments and agencies, and with other space agencies and institutions around the world. The SESS-BL provides the overall framework within which CSA's activities on the Sun-Earth system are carried-out. As previously mentioned, other programs of the CSA may include activities that concern the Sun-Earth system, but only the SESS-BL is specifically dedicated to this field of space activities. Moreover, the SESS-BL is expected to support and coordinate all programs and activities of the CSA that have a connection to the Sun-Earth system. In the absence of the SESS-BL, the CSA does not have another mechanism to coordinate its scientific activities respecting the Sun-Earth system.

4.1.2 The SESS-BL's alignment with government and CSA priorities

For the purpose of this evaluation, the alignment of the SESS-BL with government and CSA priorities is considered at a number of distinct levels.

Starting with space weather, it is now recognized as one of the natural hazards in Canada being monitored by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), alongside earthquakes, volcanoes, marine geological hazards, flood, and landslides (Natural Resources Canada, 2016). NRCan provides ongoing forecasts of geomagnetic activity in Canada and the impact of space weather on technology. It is also operating the Canadian Geomagnetic Observatory Network, which provides data on the Earth's magnetic field (Natural Resources Canada, 2018), and is managing the Public Safety Geoscience Program, which supports research on risk reduction from the effect of space weather and other natural hazards (Natural Resources Canada, 2017). While NRCan uses the available operating data on space weather, the CSA, through the SESS-BL, supports research activities that expand the overall scientific knowledge respecting the Sun-Earth system, which ultimately expand the range of monitoring and tracking data becoming available for operational purposes, such as those undertaken by NRCan.

As already noted, Canada is also actively engaged in addressing the various challenges relative to climate change. During the period covered by the evaluation, the federal government, along with provincial and territorial governments, tabled their Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which provides a broad action plan on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and on adapting to current and expected climate changes (Government of Canada, 2016a). As these governments pursue specific goals in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, operational data is required for monitoring purposes. The commercially available space-based data on greenhouse gas emissions offered by the Canadian firm GHGSat, or the data provided by the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument launched in 2017 on board ESA's Sentinel-5 Precursor are some examples of ongoing space-based data that complement other measurement tools used by governments, industry and other stakeholders involved in climate change initiatives. In this context, atmospheric and Earth system sciences are expected to support climate change policies, programs, and activities by broadening the scientific knowledge on a wide range of related phenomena, and by paving the way for additional monitoring tools and data to emerge. The SESS-BL allows the CSA to specifically engage in scientific research activities that ultimately support actions on climate change.

The evaluation also provided an opportunity to assess the extent to which the range of activities undertaken through the SESS-BL are aligned with the research priorities of Canadian scientists active in Sun-Earth system sciences. Taken as a whole, the range of missions in which Canada has been participating, along with the funding opportunities provided by the CSA, including the announcement of opportunities issued through the SESS-BL, have allowed Canadian researchers and scientists to pursue what they consider to be research priorities. During the interviews conducted as part of this evaluation, academics have pointed to missions such as SMAP, MOPITT, OSIRIS and ACE/SCISAT as examples of missions that are well aligned with their research priorities. They also noted the important contribution made by the CSA through its support for ground-based and stratospheric balloon activities, including calibration and validation activities, which complement satellite-based missions and activities.

Looking forward, the decision by the CSA to establish, in 2017, three science advisory committees^{Footnote 3} to "support the planning, validation and updating of long-term roadmaps and program strategies for the CSA" (CSA, 2018) was well received by researchers and scientists consulted as part of this evaluation. As they assemble experts from academia, government departments and agencies, and the CSA, they are seen as an important contributor to an ongoing dialogue that can facilitate the alignment of research priorities among these stakeholder groups. The establishment of these committees is also aligned with the importance given to science in informing decision-making within the federal government (Government of Canada, 2015).

4.1.3 Appropriate distribution of roles and responsibilities

At a fundamental level, and in accordance with section 4 of the Canadian Space Agency Act, the CSA has a legislative mandate to "advance the knowledge of space through science", which is the primary purpose of SESS-BL activities. While other departments and agencies, such as ECCC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) or NRCan, are also involved in activities pertaining to the Sun-Earth system, they typically pursue operational goals, such as the monitoring or the ongoing measurement of phenomena occurring in the Sun-Earth system. Other funding agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) or Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) may also support fundamental research that relate to the Sun-Earth system, but they do not directly pursue the goal of advancing this type of scientific knowledge. Consequently, in the absence of the SESS-BL, there would be no other program in Canada whose primary purpose is to allow Canadian researchers and other Canadian space stakeholders to participate in advancing fundamental scientific knowledge specific to the Sun-Earth system.

By engaging key stakeholders through mechanisms such as the three CSA scientific advisory committees, by participating in interdepartmental bodies, such as those led by ECCC on climate change, or by engaging in academic coordinating bodies such as the Atmosphere-Related Research in Canadian Universities (ARRCU) or the Division of Atmospheric and Space Physics (DASP) of the Canadian Association of Physicists, the SESS-BL further ensures that the activities it undertakes plays a complementary role. During interviews conducted as part of this evaluation, stakeholders emphasized the fact that the personnel assigned to the SESS-BL offers unique skills and perspectives that can facilitate the coordination of efforts in Canada on the wide range of scientific activities that fall within the realm of the Sun-Earth system.

4.2.1 The selection of SESS-BL missions and activities

To adequately assess the performance of the SESS-BL, it is helpful to clarify how its missions and activities are planned and selected in the first place. Evaluation findings indicate that three main drivers must be considered in that regard:

• First, the CSA may decide to lead an entire mission, such as the ACE/SCISAT mission launched in 2003. In that case, the CSA has been responsible for the satellite itself and for one of the instruments onboard (while another instrument was development by ECCC); the mission's Principal Investigator and other scientists are from Canadian universities, and the satellite and payloads were developed by the Canadian space sector. A total of approximately $100 million has been invested to date by Canada in this mission.
• Second, the Canadian government, or the CSA more specifically, may be approached by international partners to contribute to a foreign scientific mission respecting the Sun-Earth system, through the development of an instrument, or through other activities such as calibration and validation activities. In such cases, Canadian scientists and/or industries may be solicited to contribute to such missions.
• A third and somewhat related avenue is when Canadian scientists or industries proactively approach foreign partners to engage in new scientific activities on the Sun-Earth system. If such projects are seen as being aligned with current research priorities, and funds are available, the CSA may support these initiatives.

In addition, the availability of new scientific data, resulting from missions in which the Canada may or may not have been directly involved, allow Canadian scientists to proceed with new analyses that will contribute to the overall body of knowledge produced in connection with the Sun-Earth system. The CSA may fund such analyses through announcements of opportunities.

Ultimately, the level of financial resources available to support missions and activities concerning the Sun-Earth system largely dictates the extent to which any of the above-mentioned avenues can be pursued. During the period covered by the evaluation (2012-13 to 2016-17), the CSA did not proceed with significant investments supporting new missions. As further discussed in sub-section 4.2.2, the SESS-BL focussed on supporting ongoing missions or missions that became operational during the evaluation period.

4.2.2 Activities undertaken during the evaluation period

4.2.3 SESS-BL outcomes

In light of the range of activities that have been undertaken through the SESS-BL, this sub-section explores the extent to which the SESS-BL has achieved its expected results. In doing so, the report first addresses how the SESS-BL has facilitated the engagement of Canadian scientists in enhancing the overall knowledge of the Sun-Earth system. The report also examines the impacts of SESS-BL activities on the Canadian space industries. Finally, the report provides insights on various applications of the scientific knowledge on the Sun-Earth system in managing public programs in Canada.

When considering these broader results, it is important to acknowledge that space missions and activities on the Sun-Earth system are assessed as a whole. In other words, Canada may provide instruments onboard foreign satellites, or carry out validation and calibration activities in support of a space-based mission, but when it comes to assessing the impact of these Canadian contributions, the entire missions within which these activities have occurred are considered, as they ultimately provide the new data and knowledge on the Sun-Earth system that is sought. This simply reflects the fact that, when it comes to Sun-Earth system sciences, international collaboration and cooperation are paramount, and any resulting impacts must be considered with this premise in mind.

Also, as mentioned in the description of the methodology used for this evaluation, the range of activities considered for this assessment of expected results is not limited to activities that have been initiated during the evaluation period. It takes into account activities that have been implemented prior to the evaluation period, but whose results have been experienced during the evaluation period.

4.2.4 Program efficiency

Activities undertaken by the SESS-BL during the evaluation period

Overtime, the CSA's involvement in scientific missions and activities on the Sun-Earth system has taken various forms, including launching and leading entire missions such as SCISAT, providing instruments and calibration activities as part of missions led by other agencies, participating in scientific mission committees, or supporting the use of data as part of fundamental research activities undertaken by Canadian scientists and researchers.

During the evaluation period, the SESS-BL supported a number of concept and Phase 0 studies, including some that moved into the science and technology development phase. In addition, some instruments, including those included on the SWARM and CASSIOPE missions, or the upcoming SWOT mission, moved through project development phases (Phases A to D). The SESS-BL also provided financial assistance in support of ongoing mission operations and data utilization, particularly in relation to SCISAT and the GO Canada initiative. Finally, the SESS-BL provided matrix support to other programs of the CSA or acted as internal client to these programs.

Engaging Canadian scientists and the Canadian space sector

The evaluation confirms that the SESS-BL has contributed to the engagement of Canadian scientists in a range of scientific missions and activities concerning the Sun-Earth system. These scientists have shared their knowledge and expertise through publications, conferences, and other related activities. The contribution of Canadian scientists to the body of scientific knowledge on the Sun-Earth system is further illustrated by the fact that publications from Canadian scientists are regularly cited around the world. Additionally, missions and activities funded through the CSA have provided scientific data that has been used by scientists and other researchers around the world.

One challenge that Canada faced along with all nations involved in space missions and activities is the management and storage of the data produced through their respective missions and activities. At the time of the evaluation, the CSA was still exploring options to facilitate access to the scientific data it produces, in line with the open data direction adopted by the federal government as a whole, and to find options for storing and managing these large datasets over extended periods of time.

The development and operations of satellites and instruments used in support of Canada's scientific missions on the Sun-Earth system have also engaged the Canadian space sector. The benefits to the industry include the opportunity to mature their technology, to build space heritage, to attract and develop HQPs, and to open-up spin-off opportunities.

Informing public policies and programs

The evaluation provided an opportunity to document some of the policy and program applications realized to date that have been supported by the scientific knowledge acquired on the Sun-Earth system, to which Canada has contributed. The relatively long journey from the identification of a scientific research need to the launching of a scientific mission and the operationalization of the resulting data and knowledge requires that these outcomes be considered over an extended period of time. The improvement of weather forecasting in Canada and of the mitigation of floods and drought on agriculture activities through data from the SMAP and SMOS missions, the integration of space weather information (including NRCan's Space Weather Canada) in the ongoing management of electric grids, and the use of ACE/SCISAT and OSIRIS data to monitor progress on international commitment relating to climate change are some of the key applications that have emerged during the evaluation period.

Maximizing the benefits of SESS-BL investments

With its set level of resources assigned to scientific activities on the Sun-Earth system, the CSA has to make choices that must consider a range of factors such as the priorities set by other space agencies, operational needs of federal departments and agencies, and the needs and capacities of Canadian scientists and the Canadian space industry. During the period covered by the evaluation, the CSA has implemented processes that will support a more systematic consideration of these factors, in consultation with other federal departments and agencies (through senior management committees) and with Canadian experts (through advisory committees). While these advisory committees are expected to support the decision-making process within the CSA, they also present an opportunity to further engage, through knowledge translation and sharing activities, stakeholders who have a direct stake in the Sun-Earth system scientific knowledge and its application. Such activities could focus on targeted missions, new operational applications of scientific data, key policy statements from other space agencies (such as the NASA's Decadal Survey), or other issues as identified by committee members.

At the time of the evaluation, the CSA was implementing the performance reporting requirements established in the federal Policy on Results, which will necessarily cover the set of activities undertaken through the SESS-BL. The evaluation provided an opportunity to better assess the range of performance data collected to date, and in doing so, identified gaps that should be addressed moving forward. In particular, while some performance data has been collected, it has yet to be integrated in an actual performance monitoring and reporting strategy. Such a strategy will not only support the ongoing management and decision-making process respecting SESS-BL activities, but it will also provide considerable support for future evaluations, in addition to enhancing the capacity of the CSA to share information on activities carried-out and results achieved by the SESS-BL with key stakeholder groups in academia, governments, and industry. The CSA advisory committees can support the sharing of this performance information with external stakeholder groups.

The full implementation of the requirements established in the Policy on Results will also provide an opportunity for the CSA to integrate GBA+ considerations in the planning, delivery and reporting of SESS-BL activities.

Since the report does not include recommendations, a Management Action Plan is not required.