Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana, as well as director of the Numerical Terradynamics Simulation Group.
He also developed the earth observing-oriented algorithms used by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s satellites Terra and Aqua.
Running's MOD17 algorithms are used to provide accurate and continuous global monitoring of the terrestrial biosphere,[1] specifically generating near-real-time data sets for repeated monitoring of vegetation primary production on vegetated land at 1-km resolution at 8-day intervals.
[2] These datasets are unique in that they provide global data on primary productivity and span a decade.
[6] In 2012, Running suggested a tenth planetary boundary, the annual net global primary production of all terrestrial plants, as an easily determinable measure integrating many variables that will give "a clear signal about the health of ecosystems".