Our Team

The OpenET Consortium—a network of scientists, water managers, technologists, and nonprofits—guides development and use of the platform. Its committee ensures transparency, accuracy, and alignment with real-world needs.

Forrest Melton

Senior Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center NASA Project Scientist

Dr. Justin Huntington

Desert Research Institute: Research Professor

Dr. Jamie Herring

HabitatSeven: President

Dr. David Ketchum

University of Montana: Research Hydrologist

Dr. Bruno Comini de Andrade

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul: Assistant Research Scientist

Dr. Anderson Ruhoff

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul: Professor

Leonardo Laipelt

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul: Assistant Research Scientist

Peter ReVelle

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist, Hydrology and Remote Sensing

Dr. Richard G. Allen

Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho | Owner, Evapotranspiration Plus, LLC

Dr. Yanghui Kang

University of California, Berkeley: Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr. Conor Doherty

Researcher

Alberto Guzman

Senior Software Engineer, CSUMB-NASA Ames Research Center

Dr. A.J. Purdy

Senior Research Scientist, CSUMB-NASA Ames Research Center

Dr. Christopher Hain

NASA: Research Scientist

Gregory Halverson

NASA JPL: Scientific Applications Software Engineer

Charles Morton

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist

Chris Pearson

Desert Research Institute: Associate Research Scientist, Hydrology

Dr. Yeonuk Kim

Desert Research Institute: Postdoctoral Researcher

Matt Bromley

Desert Research Institute: Associate Research Scientist

Christian Dunkerly

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist, Computational Hydrologist

Dr. Britta Daudert

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist of Climatology

Thomas Ott

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist, Hydrologist

Dr. John Volk

Desert Research Institute: Associate Research Scientist, Hydrology

Blake Minor

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist, Hydrologist

Sachiko Sueki

Desert Research Institute: Assistant Research Scientist, Computer Science

Garshaw Amidi-Abraham

Environmental Defense Fund: Program Specialist; OpenET: Manager

Rachel O’Connor

Environmental Defense Fund: Senior Manager

Jordan Harding

HabitatSeven: Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Joshua Fisher

Associate Professor of Environmental Science & Policy, Chapman University Science Lead, Hydrosat, Inc.

Dr. Ayse Kilic

University of Nebraska, Lincoln: Professor / School of Natural Resources & Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Margot Malloy

CK Blueshift, LLC: Principal

Gabe Parrish

USGS EROS: Remote Sensing Scientist

Dr. Martha Anderson

USDA Agricultural Research Service: Research Physical Scientist

Dr. Gabriel Senay

USGS EROS: Research Physical Scientist

Mac Friedrichs

USGS EROS: Remote Sensing Scientist

Dr. Yun Yang

Assistant Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University

OpenET is grateful to the philanthropic support it has received from Environmental Defense Fund, Bruce Rauner; Desert Research Institute Maki Endowment; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Lyda Hill Philanthropies; S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation; Telluray Foundation; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; The Laney and Pasha Thornton Foundation; The Walton Family Foundation; Water Funder Initiative; and Windward Fund.

OpenET is also supported by NASA Western Water Applications Office, the NASA Applied Sciences Program, the USGS Water Resources Mission Area, as well as our contracts with local, state, and regional agencies.

Google Earth Engine provides in-kind support which ensures our data is openly available to the public.

Our work would not be possible without our partners in the water management and agricultural communities.

Google Earth Engine Partnership

We are grateful for our partnership with Google Earth Engine. Google Earth Engine provides in-kind support, which ensures our data is openly available to the public.

OpenET leverages Google Earth Engine for computation, storage, and visualization of image data, as well as handling API requests. This cloud-based platform provides continuous access to updated satellite imagery, eliminating the need to download and process multiple datasets locally, and overcoming common data storage and processing limitations.

Maurice Hall

Senior Advisor, Climate Resilient Water Systems, Environmental Defense Fund

Ted Kowalski

Senior Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation

Dr. Temuulen (Teki) Sankey

Professor, School of Informatics, Computing, & Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University

Sarah Sexton-Bowser

Director, Center for Sorghum Improvement, K-State

Dr. Yun Yang

Assistant Professor, Soil & Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Cornell University

Luis Villa (Chair)

VP Legal, SonarSource

Sarah Roundtree Schlessinger 

CEO, Texas Water Foundation

Joya Banerjee

Head of US Programs, Waverley Street Foundation

Brett Baker

Attorney

Sara G. Larsen, PE

Chief Executive Officer

Lydia Bleifuss

Program Manager

Learn More About OpenET Data

Data Methods

Information about the models, input datasets, and compute resources used by OpenET.

Accuracy & Known Issues

Known issues that impact OpenET data and field-scale accuracy assessments.

Literature

Browse published papers and articles about ET and it's use, along with OpenET research.

Filling the Biggest Data Gap
in Water Management

As we expand globally, our mission remains the same: deliver open, reliable, and actionable water data—developed with users, for users.