AmeriGEOSS: A regional initiative between GEO’s
15 member countries and Americas’
participating organizations
Nancy Searby/NASA
Overview
May 25, 2015
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Presentation Objective
• CEOS and USGEO are members of GEO, and
participate in GEO regional initiatives
• AmeriGEOSS is a new initiative with the 15
nations who are members of the Americas Caucus
as well as participating organizations
• Identified priority: Disaster risk reduction,
particularly for data exchange, associated with
early warnings and for the generation of regional
products of early warnings
• We need to work together to identify the most
pressing needs and develop plans that can
leverage this workshop, CEOS disaster pilots,
CEOS and GEO capacity building and other
disaster-related activities
GEOSS in the Americas
 There are 15 members of the Americas Caucus:
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Argentina
Bahamas
Belize
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
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Ecuador
Honduras
Mexico
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
United States
 Participating organizations include Sistema e la Integracion
Centroamerica’s Central American Commission on Environment and
Development (CCAD), CATHALAC, CEOS, others
 Additional potential member countries: Bolivia, Caribbean, Cuba,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala,
Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
 Potential additional participating regional governments, institutions
GEOSS in the Americas
• Three GEOSS in the Americas Symposia were held:
• Brazil – 2007
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Biodiversity, ecosystems, and agriculture
Public health observation systems in the Americas
Earth Observations for coastal management
GEOSS architecture and access in the Americas
• Panama – 2008
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Regional environmental information systems and tools
GEOSS common infrastructure
Regional programs and opportunities
GEO work plan, future activities, outcomes and next steps
• Chile – 2011
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Agricultural monitoring
Water resource management
Geological hazards
Hydrometeorological hazards
Water Task – Component 5
Comunidad para la Información Espacial e Hidrográfica en Latinoamérica y el
Caribe (CIEHLYC)
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• 2011- Colombia is
Working group of GEOSS in the
welcomed as a GEO
Americas
member. Collaboration:
International network of water
GEO Secretariat – IDEAM –
and remote-sensing experts from
CIEHLYC.
governments and academia in
• 2011 - Water Cycle
the Americas and in the
Capacity-Building
Caribbean.
Workshop (hands-on
Formed in 2009 to promote and
training). Cartagena,
support GEOSS implementation
Colombia. Collaboration:
activities in the Societal Benefit
Escuela Naval de ColombiaArea for Water (including
NOAA- GEO Secretariat –
Oceans) through collaborations
CIEHLYC.
among members, and capacity
building in the use of earth
observations
2014/15 – Monthly webinars on EarthManaged by three regional
Observations projects and applications by
coordinators from Canada,
Latin-American managers and scientists.
U.S./Colombia, and Chile.
Collaboration: GEO-Secretariat – CIEHLYC.
http://earthobservations.org/webinar_ch.s
html
Presentations cover remote sensing and insitu monitoring of fresh water and Oceans.
2013- Application of NASA Earth
Observations for Assessing
Potential Water Availability from
Andean Snowpack for Use in
Agricultural Water Allocation
Planning in the Coquimbo Region
of Chile. Collaboration: NASACIREN-CIEHLYC- Common Wealth
of Virginia Government.
GEOSS in Americas Events
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GEO CIEHLYC Webinars
monthly
USGEO GEOSS in Americas Coordination Group meeting
monthly
GFOI SilvaCarbon Workshop (INPE, Brazil)
Mar 14-18, 2015
2nd GEO/CIEHLYC water cycle capacity building workshop
(Cartagena, Colombia)
May 19 -22, 2015
GEO Americas Caucus telecons
As scheduled
CEOS SRTM-2 Workshop (CRECTEALC, Puebla, Mexico)
May 25-29, 2015
SELPER International (Lencois-Bahia-Brazil)
Sep 8-13, 2015
Latin America Geospatial Forum, GEO-Agri, UNGGIM, and
GEO-XII (Mexico City, Mexico)
Nov 11-13, 2015
Americas Caucus Oct 2014 Meeting
• Americas Caucus meeting, hosted in Bogota by Americas Caucus Chair Dr.
Franco/IDEAM, built relationships between Caucus members and identified
areas of mutual interest for increased regional engagement in GEO –
AmeriGEOSS:
• Agriculture, associated with climate variability, climate change, and food security
• Disaster risk reduction, particularly for data exchange associated with early
warnings and for the generation of regional products of early warnings
• Water, associated with the management approach of water resources and data
management
• Ecosystem Monitoring
• Specific activities to improve information systems and technical exchange were
identified, including communities of practice, activities to strengthen national
capacities, webinars/technical seminars
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• The “Declaration of the Americas Caucus Reunion” was shared at the GEO-XI
Plenary’s Americas Caucus and was accepted with the suggestion to broaden
“AmeriGEOSS” to also include ongoing activities that are working well, e.g.
GFOI/Silva Carbon
• Mexican Principal identified opportunity to synergize with UNGGIM activity
GEOSS in Americas Activities
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• Capacity building monthly webinars through Comunidad para la
Informacion Espacial e Hidrografica en Latino America y el Caribe (CIEHLYC).
• Coordination of Architecture Implementation Pilot (AIP-7) Projects
• NASA-DEVELOP / IDEAM : Expansion of the Flood Vulnerability
Index for the Hydrological Information System (SIRH) – Colombia
• NASA/SNIT/SAF/ :Testing of Registration of Chilean Web Services
Related to the GEO Societal Benefit Areas – Chile
• Brigham Young University/IDEAM : Hydroserver – Colombia
• 2013-2014 Collaboration: NASA-DEVELOP/CIREN : Application of NASA
Earth Observations for Assessing Potential Water Availability from Andean
Snowpack for Use in Agricultural Water Allocation Planning, Chile. Tool
transitioned October 14 – 15, 2014
• Other DEVELOP projects with Costa Rica, Mexico
• Engaging members in International Disaster Charter, e.g., recent call from
Costa Rica to request receipt of satellite data after volcano Turrialba
erupted
Thematic Priorities Identified for Future Planning
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• Agriculture, associated with climate variability, climate change,
and food security
• Disaster risk reduction, particularly for data exchange
associated with early warnings and for the generation of
regional products of early warnings
• Water, associated with the management approach of water
resources and data management
• Ecosystem Monitoring
• Specific activities to improve information systems and
technical exchange were identified, including communities of
practice, activities to strengthen national capacities,
webinars/technical seminars
• These are in addition to activities working well, e.g.
Next Steps
• Developing plans to contribute to thematic priorities
• Working to define how the initiative will function, leveraging
AfriGEOSS’s work
• Documenting plans in a document for GEO review in
September timeframe
• Presenting initiative at GEO-XII November 11 – 13, 2015 in
Mexico City, Mexico
• Planning related side event(s) just prior to GEO-XII
• Will be opportunity for detailed presentations at the Latin
American Geospatial Forum being held at the same time as
GEO-XII
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Request for Prioritizing Needs
• Identified thematic priority: Disaster risk
reduction, particularly for:
– Data exchange, associated with early warnings
– The generation of regional products of early
warnings
– What else?
• Most pressing needs?
• Work already underway we can leverage?
• Ideas for plans moving forward?
Thanks!
• Angelica Gutierrez, angelica.gutierrez@noaa.gov
• Nancy Searby, Nancy.D.Searby@nasa.gov