V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
Minutes V1.0
SDCG-7
4th – 6th March 2015
Sydney, Australia
Meeting Objectives

Confirm the R&D Strategy, and finalise for presentation at SIT-30.

Confirm the SDCG Three-Year Work Plan, and confirm 2015 tasking.

Review the implementation and status of the Global Baseline Strategy.

Review and progress the pilot implementation of the Space Data Services, including the SDMS.

Confirm linkages to the development process of the MGD 2.0 component, including the MGD Portal.

Discuss and confirm the understanding between the GFOI Lead Team and across components on
the modus operandi for country interaction.

Confirm linkages to FAO and World Bank and how the objectives and plans of these groups will be
complemented by, and align with, those of the SDCG.

Confirm linkages to SilvaCarbon, including any potential support to Colombia, Cambodia and
Vietnam.

Identify and agree space data service provision to Kenya’s SLEEK program.

Contribute to the discussion and agreement by GFOI on a country(s) for a cross component (CB,
MGD, Space Data) focus in 2015.
1
V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
Thursday 5th March
1
1.1
SDCG-7 Kick-Off
SDCG Meeting Introduction and Objectives
Stephen Briggs welcomed everyone to the meeting and Stephen Ward introduced some of the key topics
for discussion during SDCG-7:

Stephen Ward noted that the concept and planning phases of SDCG are complete, and now attention
needs to turn to ensuring that SDCG is fully integrated with the other components of GFOI to ensure
that countries receive the necessary deliverables. Primarily we need a coherent country engagement
strategy from the rest of the GFOI; and,

We need to confirm the Element 3 R&D Strategy; SDCG 3-Year Work Plan; review the
implementation of the Global Baseline Observation Strategy; confirm linkages to the MGD (including
the new Online Portal), FAO, World Bank and SilvaCarbon; identify and agree the support to Kenya’s
SLEEK program; and finally we need to understand how all of this can come together in support of a
cross component national model system.
A brief discussion followed:

Stephen Ward recalled that during Alex Held’s final plenary presentation on R&D, Henrik Fliflet
agreed to consider whether Norway could fund specific R&D activities in country.

Stephen Briggs noted that everyone has agreed that GOFC-GOLD should take over leadership of the
GFOI R&D component, and he has suggested to Norway that they might like to consider funding
some elements in the future, noting that ESA has been funding the GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Office
for over a decade and welcome contributions from others;

Stephen Briggs added that there was some confusion around the meaning of ‘country engagement’
during the plenary sessions. When the SDCG speaks about country engagement we are referring to
a GFOI-wide strategy, in collaboration with in-country partners such as the FAO and WB; and,

Stephen Briggs reported that a meeting will be taking place on the 14th and 15th of April at FAO, which
will be attended by SilvaCarbon, and will aim to produce a list of priority countries, their requirements,
and engagement strategies for the next couple of years.
1.2
SDCG-6 Action Status
George reviewed the SDCG-6 action status (see presentation for details), and the SDCG discussed some
select actions:

Brian is unable to report on action SDCG-6-30 yet, and indicated that he would like to see the
outcome from the April FAO-SilvaCarbon meeting before committing. He would like to see a summary
of country activities and engagement status with FAO, WB FCPF, SilvaCarbon, etc. to come out of
the meeting in April; and,

Stephen Briggs reminded everyone that we are not trying to push or promote the MGD; we are simply
offering a service to those that are interested, noting that it is not our responsibility to push services
and data on those who do not need or want it.
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
2
2.1
SDCG 3-Year Work Plan 2015-2017
3-Year Work Plan Status and Overview and Discussion
Stephen reviewed the SDCG’s 3-Year Work Plan, noting that it aims to support external and internal
communication, plan the next phases of SDCG support to GFOI and highlight the inputs required from the
GFOI Lead Team. The document is outcome-centric and represents the SDCG’s vision for the next few
years. Stephen noted the following points:

The 3-Year Work Plan has been progressing for 9 months thanks to the inputs of the whole SDCG,
and we are seeing an increased number of actions and outcomes related to commercial sector
engagement; and,

We are here this week to confirm the tasking, identify the actions required to complete the plan, and
to hear from each of the task leads on their individual plans and statuses.
A discussion followed:

Yves Crevier asked whether there is a defined end goal for the SDCG, and whether it is clear whether
we hand over or remain active in support of GFOI once we reach this point. He added that if this is
not clear, it should be added to the 3-Year Work Plan;

Yves also stressed that we need to remain focused on the tasks that space agencies have control
over, ensuring not to be caught up in areas that are not our responsibility;

Yves suggested that the 3-Year Work Plan be assessed against the original ToR for the SDCG, to
determine whether we are on track and focused;

Helmut Staudenrausch supported the comments made by Yves.

Erik Lindquist stressed the need to clearly specify in the 3-Year Work Plan that country engagement
will occur at the level of FAO/SilvaCarbon, with the SDCG responding to requests received through
these efforts. He added that it was initially agreed that the SDCG should not be doing direct
engagement with the countries but rather providing support to the agencies that are engaging with
countries directly;

Stephen Ward noted that GFOI component coordination and country engagement section is not really
an SDCG topic, and it was included in the plenary sessions to prompt a response from the GFOI
Lead Team and to point out that we require their assistance on these topics;

Ake Rosenqvist would like to see a formal task/outcome included in the 3-Year Work Plan related to
the hand over of SDCG R&D responsibility to ESA; and,

Stephen thanked the SDCG again for their contribution to the 3-Year Work Plan, and noted that he
wishes to close out the document within a week.
SDCG-7-1
CEOS SEO to coordinate with ESA, USGS and GA on the planning,
definition, and progressing of the initial implementation steps of Outcomes
11 and 12 (cloud computing pilots) in the SDCG 3-Year Work Plan.
SDCG-8
SDCG-7-2
Stephen Ward to confirm the content of outcomes 3 (around standard
products) and 10 (integration of space data within the MGD) from the
SDCG 3-Year Work Plan with the MGD component manager, including
around the objective of the SDCG Data Cube to focus on standard surface
reflectance products.
SIT-30
3
V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
SDCG-7-3
Stephen Ward and George Dyke to define additional milestones for the
advancement of Kenya as a national model implementation of the Space
Data Services for outcome 11 in the 3-Year Work Plan.
SDCG-7-4
SDCG EXEC to include an SDCG 3-Year Work Plan task to propose a
mechanism to address the coordination and collection of forest-related
R&D space data requests.
SDCG-7-5
SDCG EXEC to finalise the SDCG 3-Year Work Plan based on discussion
at SDCG-7, and submit to the SIT-30 document approval process.
COMPLETE
SDCG-7-6
SDCG EXEC, in collaboration with the MGD component manager, to draft
a 1-2 page assessment of the potential roles and interactions between the
GFOI Space Data Component and the GFW.
SDCG-8
3
3.1
SIT-30
Task defined by
SIT-30,
mechanism
definition by
SDCG-8
Baseline Global Observation Scenario
Session Introduction
Gene Fosnight reviewed the Baseline Global Observation Scenario outcomes and the plan to achieve
them, noting that:

The outcomes are focused on ensuring consistency of global acquisitions, assessing efficient and
effective global flows of data, and developing consistent information products;

The outcomes in the 3-Year Work Plan reflect the transition to an agency emphasis on data and
information selection and the delivery and provision of analysis ready data;

Gene noted that the ALOS and ALOS-2 global mosaics and SPOT data archive are integral to the
Baseline Global Observation Scenario; and,

Gene pointed out that we need clear statements of capacity building needs (in terms of tools and data
discovery) and R&D requirements (e.g. what is our role for integrating radar data) so that we can
assess what space agency resources are available to help achieve the desired outcomes.
A discussion was held on strategies for dealing with large future datasets, including alternative data
distribution methodologies:

Gene feels that this is an issue that is really above the SDCG and GFOI, noting that we don't have
the skillset or financing to take on these issues, however we can help setup the necessary dialogues
with space agencies;

Erik Lindquist noted that corrected surface reflectance products direct from the provider would be
ideal for FAO activities, however the countries do not want the classification work done for them. He
added that analysis ready radar data would be incredibly valuable and is under demand from the
countries that FAO is working with. Brian Killough pointed out that this type of data is planned for
inclusion in the Data Cube; and,

It was pointed out that we should avoid talking about ‘information products’ and instead use the
phrase: ‘analysis ready data’.
4
V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
SDCG-7-7
SDCG EXEC to collaborate with GA & the SEO to achieve the 2015 paper
on future efficient global data flows (SDCG 3-Year Work Plan Outcome 2)
– starting by agreeing the scope and objectives with SDCG.
Draft for
discussion at
SDCG-8
SDCG-7-8
Steven Hosford to confirm some details of the SPOT archive processing
including approximate schedule, number of scenes being handled, and
current expected completion date.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-9
Gene Fosnight to engage with CEOS WGCV (and its Land Cover
Validation subgroup) on analysis ready surface reflectance products and
USGS activities to see whether their work might be complementary.
End April 2015
3.2
USGS Core Data Stream Report
Gene Fosnight gave a status report on Landsat 7 and 8 acquisitions, noting that:

Since the launch of Landsat 8, Landsat 7 doesn't acquire over islands or Antarctica due to duty cycle
restrictions;

Between +/-57 degrees latitude USGS are acquiring 99.7% of landmass, and 89.3% of landmass
outside of these latitudes; and,

USGS are shifting their focus to producing analysis ready data, and he presented the USGS data
processing workflow (see slides for details).
A discussion followed:

Erik Lindquist noted that historic coverage over countries is very much a necessity, and he added that
USGS’ efforts to make this data more available is greatly appreciated; and,

Erik also clarified that countries can choose the year to use for their reference levels calculations,
however this is typically not before 1990. Lots of countries are choosing 1990, however the coverage
can be inconsistent, and any action to bring data that hasn't been brought into the accessible archive
for 1990 would be particularly helpful.
3.3
ESA Core Data Stream Report
Frank Martin Seifert reported on the GFOI-related activities underway at ESA, in particular the status of
Sentinel-1A and preparations for the launch of Sentinel-2A:

Frank Martin reported that the Sentinel-1A 2-month rolling public archive is still in effect, but to date
no data has been deleted. Any required data should be downloaded immediately, as no procedure to
access a general archive is in place (only Copernicus services users are able to access the complete
archive);

Brian noted that NASA is mirroring all data from the Sentinel-1, 3 and 5 missions. USGS will be
archiving copies of Sentinel-2 data;

Frank Martin is actively pushing for dual polarisation acquisitions for GFOI where possible. In
particular he is trying to convert acquisitions over seismic areas and volcanoes in South America,
Africa and Indonesia from single to dual polarisation, however there are still limitations related to
system capacity during the ramp-up phase;
5
V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

Sentinel-2A is planned to launch on the 12th of June 2015, after which a three-month commissioning
phase will follow. Europe, Africa and Asia will be the first priorities during the nine-month Sentinel-2A
ramp-up phase;

Preliminary site selection for the SPOT 5 Take 5 experiment jointly organised by CNES and ESA has
been completed (see: https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/pi-community/news/-/article/spot-5-take-5-sitesassessment-including-list-of-provisional-sites); and,

The ESA Thematic Exploitation Platform will facilitate effective and economically sustainable use of
computing infrastructure and ground segment capabilities, provide an easy use R&D environment
with simple access to EO data and processing tools, and reduce the burden of IT. Frank Martin noted
that the UN-REDD team at FAO is involved in the ESA TEP and he added that the TEP will address a
sub-country case in Mexico and will be complimentary to the SDMS, with closer collaboration
planned.
SDCG-7-10
Brian Killough to confirm with Andy Mitchell whether the NASA mirror of
the Sentinel-1A rolling archive can be shared with GFOI and other CEOS
users.
SDCG-7-11
Brian Killough and Frank Martin Seifert to confirm the linkages between
the ESA TEP and the SDMS.
3.4
End April 2015
SDCG-8
Other Core Data Stream Reports
CSA (Yves Crevier)

Yves reported that RCM is now in the construction phase, and that RCM will provide 12-15 minutes of
SAR acquisitions per orbit.

The primary focus for RCM will be Canadian government services, and international acquisitions will
be a secondary priority, but despite this initiatives such as GFOI and GEOGLAM are expected to
benefit greatly from the programme.

Yves noted that C-band availability in the 2018 time frame will be very good, and that it is now time to
start understanding and applying the data products.
CNES (Steven Hosford)
Steven reviewed the SPOT World Heritage program and its application in support of GFOI:

Steven noted that there is a large archive (around 30 million scenes) of data stored at ground stations
across the world, and CNES are working to have the data processed and accessible online. He
added that current reprocessing efforts are focused on scenes already held by CNES in Toulouse;

100,000 scenes have already been processed and CNES are hoping to secure funding to sustain
ongoing processing activities; and,

Steven added that CNES are keen to promote the activities of CEOS and GFOI at the upcoming
COP-21 meeting in Paris, and Steven would like to identify potential contributions.
A discussion followed:

Brian Killough suggested that SPOT data for the Kenya Data Cube could be prioritised so that it could
be presented as a CNES contribution during the Kenyan’s COP-21 presentation; and,
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

Erik Lindquist noted that pre-2000 SPOT coverage over forested countries would be very useful for
the FAO’s in-country activities, and he suggested that these scenes be prioritised.
SDCG-7-12
Steven Hosford to coordinate with SDCG EXEC on potential SDCG and
GFOI outcomes to include in any CEOS presence at COP-21.
SDCG-7-13
SDCG, in consultation with the Capacity Building component and Kenya to
advise CNES on priority locations and dates for SPOT reprocessing.
4
SDCG-8
End April 2015
GFOI Space Data Services Outcome Reviews
Brian Killough, Stephen Ward and George Dyke lead a discussion and review of the 3-Year Work Plan
outcomes related to the GFOI Space Data Services:
See the presentation slides for comments and discussion points for each of the outcomes.

Erik Lindquist noted that the FAO hasn't used C-band radar in the past partly due to availability, not
because it is not useful for their work;

Erik reported that Internet capacity in countries is rapidly improving, and the FAO has been funding
the installation of high-speed internet for their in-country partners;

Erik added that the FAO has a grant from Amazon for AWS, which includes 3 years free hosting, and
bandwidth. Brian suggested that it would be good if this could be leveraged for the Kenya Cube, and
Erik agreed to check with his management;

Brian proposed that the SDCG produce a “GFOI Space Data Access Guide” (see Plenary action
GFOI-26) and Erik suggested that it be integrated into COVE once complete; and,

Brian presented his vision for model national GFOI data services:
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
SDCG-7-14
Erik Lindquist to confirm with Brian Killough whether FAO would be able to
host a Kenya data cube on their AWS infrastructure in the event that
Kenya wishes to use the prototype Brian is developing operationally.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-15
Brian Killough to confirm whether an updated RapidEye API is available.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-16
Ake Rosenqvist to work with Brian Killough on including the ALOS archive
in the country coverage assessment and COVE tools.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-17
Yves Crevier to work with Brian Killough on including the RADARSAT-1
archive in the country coverage assessment and COVE tools.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-18
Brian Killough to follow up with Erik Lindquist for feedback on the archive
assessment tools his group are developing.
End April 2015
5
5.1
Country Follow-up
Country Follow-up Introduction
Sylvia Wilson and representatives from each of the countries joined the SDCG for a discussion session to
identify country requirements and practical support that the SDCG can provide.
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
5.2
Kenya
Faith Mutwiri presented on the space data and training needs of the Kenyan team, identifying the
following key requirements:

Space data needs: wall-to-wall coverage for the period 1990-2015, coastal area coverage is a high
priority due to constant cloud cover, Landsat L1T data is preferred due to cost and time series
availability, high-resolution data (e.g. SPOT) is desired for sampling sites, and January-March
acquisitions are preferred as this is the dry season and cloud cover is at a minimum; and,

Training is needed in: land cover classification, change detection, uncertainty analysis, use of open
source software, MGD best practices, refining/reviewing their process manuals, optimal sampling
strategies for a NFI.
SDCG-7-19
5.3
CEOS SEO to perform a Kenyan archive analysis back to 1990 for
SPOT and Landsat (including MSS) data.
COMPLETE
Cambodia
Sar Sophyra presented a history of Cambodia’s MRV/NFMS implementation and identified some space
data/training requirements and challenges:

Cambodia’s NFMS was established to provide wall-to-wall monitoring of deforestation, carbon pools,
above ground biomass, and GHG emissions;

The country has produced a LULC map for 2005 and 2006 and work continues on the 2010, 2013
and 2014 versions. In 2015 they hope to complete their LULC series and finish the development of
their web platform;

The LULC maps for 2005, 2006 and 2010 were produced using Landsat 7, with ALOS being used for
verification of the 2010 map. The maps for 2013 and 2014 use Landsat 8 images, with select
RapidEye data being used for verification activities;

Required space data: Landsat 8 wall-to-wall, very high-resolution (e.g. RapidEye) for verification
activities and radar data to support NFI sampling, SPOT data for early warning monitoring of forest
fires;

Training needs: methodology refinement, processing tools/software, help integrating maps with
inventory plots, production of good quality seasonal data mosaics, capacity building on time series
change map generation, LIDAR training (to support forest degradation, selected cutting and biomass
estimation); and,

Current challenges: need to refine their method for land cover mapping, integration of data sources to
fill gaps, access to high-resolution imagery for verification, the high costs of tools and software,
sustainable access to data and tools, Sentinel-2 data processing uncertainty, RADAR image
processing assistance, integrating in situ with remotely sensed data, coordination with space
agencies.
A discussion followed:

Stephen Ward questioned why SPOT data was requested for forest fire monitoring, noting that SPOT
is not suited to time-sensitive applications such as real time forest fire monitoring and early warning.
The SDCG Exec offered to send Sar some information on forest fire early detection using MODIS,
and will also share the Australian Sentinel example in coordination with Alex Held;
9
V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

Yves Crevier pointed out that there is extensive RADARSAT-1 coverage for the country since 1996;
and,

Sar noted that SAR training for sampling activities is a priority, and Matt Steventon recalled DLR’s
SAR remote sensing education initiative (https://saredu.dlr.de/)
SDCG-7-20
Brian Killough to share information with Sar Sophyra (Cambodia) on
forest fire early detection using MODIS, including Australia’s Sentinel
Hotspot system (in coordination with Alex Held).
SDCG-7-21
Sylvia Wilson to confer with SDCG EXEC to specify sites in SilvaCarbon
countries with high-resolution data requirements that might be addressed
by SDCG brokerage.
5.4
End April 2015
SDCG-8
Colombia
Edersson Cabrera presented the space data requirements of the Colombian NFMS:

The Colombian ‘semi-annual warning system’ operates on wall-to-wall, coarse resolution optical data,
such as from MODIS/VIIRS, as well as wide beam mode L-band (or C-/X-band) SAR;

For their annual wall-to-wall assessments, medium resolution optical datasets are used, such as from
Landsat 8, as well as fine beam mode L-band (or C-/X-band) SAR (in particular the pacific ocean
region of the country is covered by Sentinel-1A in dual-polarisation thanks to interaction with ESA);

Edersson noted that Colombia desires a better nation-wide DEM, at the resolution required for the
pre-processing steps of their optical and SAR data (such as SRTM/TanDEM-X);

Colombia is also planning to use SAR interferometric catalogues to do precision change cover
analyses; and,

Some of the current challenges faced by Edersson and the Colombian team are: the availability of
remotely sensed data for operational MGD implementation, availability of operational pre-processing
SAR algorithms, data infrastructure/cloud computing limitations and ongoing funding.
The following discussion occurred after the presentation:

Edersson identified early warning system supporting data (MODIS/VIIRS) as a priority for Colombia –
as well as the need to integrate SAR processing into the early warning system.

Brian Killough clarified that the FAO will handle any operational SDMS activities, and that the SEO
are only working on prototype services. Brian suggested that in the future a Data Cube could be
established for Colombia, and he would welcome partnering with a country that will provide good
development feedback; and,

Erik Lindquist asked whether the FAO could conceivably purchase DEM data for UN-REDD countries
and whether the SDCG could facilitate such a transaction.
SDCG-7-22
Helmut Staudenrausch and Frank Martin Seifert to approach Airbus
regarding the cost and availability of a 30m TanDEM-X DEM product for
Colombia.
End April 2015
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
Friday 6th March – Morning Session
6
Space Data Support to GFOI R&D
A discussion was held on Space Data Support to GFOI R&D, in particular whether to present the Element
3 Plan for endorsement at SIT, even with the lack of concrete funding arrangement for the GFOI R&D
Component. The following points were raised:

Yves Crevier noted that there is plenty of space agency funding available for R&D activities but the
coordination provided by the Element 3 Plan is necessary to unlock the full potential;

Stephen Ward suggested that it might be best to hold off on seeking CEOS endorsement of the
Element 3 Plan, given that the R&D Component is still uncertain;

Stephen asked whether the agencies have reviewed the GFOI R&D Component Plan, and it was
found that they had not. Stephen suggested that the R&D agencies review the R&D Component Plan,
and if they are all happy with it, then there are sufficient grounds for pushing forward with
endorsement of the Element 3 Plan, given that all agencies expressed their willingness to start
contributing;

Brian Killough asked whether the SDCG desires a common data services approach, analogous to the
JECAM CSA/MDA MURF, and suggested that we define the steps necessary to develop a common
user license agreement to host data from commercial and restricted missions from CSA, ASI, DLR,
JAXA, RapidEye, etc.;

Helmut Staudenrausch noted that DLR would like CEOS to consider a coordinated AO for EO data in
response to GFOI R&D to get more teams involved. Ake said that this is a longer term prospect, and
for now we should start with the existing teams;

Steven Hosford reported that CNES have already received data requests for the existing sites; and,

Brian reminded everyone that the SEO aims to set up the tools and data services, but at some point
need to transfer responsibility of the prototypes.
SDCG-7-23
R&D space agency representatives to read the GFOI R&D Component
Plan and the Element 3 (R&D) Acquisition Strategy and provide
feedback to Ake by Wednesday 11th March, and indicate their agency’s
support for the presentation of the Strategy for endorsement at SIT-30.
SDCG-7-24
Brian Killough to circulate the details of the pilot data services the SEO
have put in place for JECAM, including the MURF and other data licence
mechanisms.
6.1
COMPLETE
The Element 3
strategy was
endorsed at SIT-30.
End April 2015
CSA Contributing Data Stream Report
Yves Crevier presented on CSA’s contribution to GFOI R&D, noting that:

CSA remains committed to the GFOI R&D activities and the forest community. CSA wish to enable
end users to exploit the large amount of SAR data and to focus their investments in support of
societal benefit, however CSA is restricted to providing support for R&D with RADARSAT-2 due to its
commercial ties;
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

Unprocessed and globally distributed RADARSAT-1 data is available and its usefulness for forest
monitoring should be assessed;

CSA/MDA and JECAM have instigated a transition to the Multi-User Request Form (MURF) process,
which facilitates open sharing of data at the project-level by certifying a group of users to access a
pool of data under a single framework, and it is possible that a similar agreement could be
established for GFOI R&D activities; and,

CSA’s contribution can generate a better understanding of SAR, SAR band comparisons and SARoptical interoperability.
Brian Killough spoke about how the MURF is implemented from the SDMS perspective:

6.2
Under the MURF, the SDMS has security obligations, which include tracking and reporting on access
activities. Brian added that while scenes are available across all MURF users; it is not the main
objective of researchers to use each other’s data, but to rather review processes and results. He
noted that there is no limitation on scenes (within reason) for MURF JECAM PI’s.
ASI Contributing Data Stream Report
Anna Rita Pisani spoke about the COSMO-SkyMed open call for science, which opened to the
international community on the 25th February. There is no set timeframe, and selected projects are
supported for two years with up to 100 images. Anna Rita added that ASI is open to explore the possibility
of a coordinated AO specifically in support of GFOI R&D priorities and she will check on the quota that
would be available. .
COMPLETE
SDCG-7-25
6.3
Anna Rita Pisani to confirm the COSMO-SkyMed quotas that will be
available for GFOI projects.
The number of
COSMO-SkyMed
images available
for GFOI R&D
priority sites will be
evaluated based on
their individual
requirements.
DLR Contributing Data Stream Report
Helmut Staudenrausch presented on DLR’s commitments to GFOI R&D, noting that:

GFOI R&D TerraSAR-X data requests can be submitted at any time, and Helmut suggests that it is
better to submit a unified GFOI proposal with a single PI and a collection of co-PI’s. Helmut noted that
a quota of 500 scenes per year for all GFOI sites will apply, and therefore scene assignments for
each site will be necessary, depending on the actual requests;

He is expecting a second call for TanDEM-X DEM proposals in early 2015 with the same specifics as
the previous, and TanDEM-X quotas are assessed case-by-case;

There are ongoing DLR research projects that have a focus on GFOI R&D priorities (sensor
interoperability, biomass estimation, forest degradation), and he hopes that the sites and teams can
be integrated with GFOI R&D activities;
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March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

DLR is planning a specific AO in 2015 to address the research agendas of global forest initiatives
such as GFOI;

As announced in the plenary sessions, it is likely that SDCG-8 will take place in Germany, and the
meeting presents a very good opportunity for commercial sector engagement; and,

Helmut indicated that an approach similar to the CSA/MDA MURF might be a viable option for
DLR/Airbus Defence and Space.
COMPLETE
SDCG-7-26
6.4
Helmut Staudenrausch to confirm the TerraSAR-X quotas that will be
available for GFOI projects.
Collectively 500
scenes per year will
be available for
GFOI.
JAXA Contributing Data Stream Report
Nobuyoshi Fujimoto presented on JAXA’s contributions to GFOI R&D:

He reviewed the specifications of ALOS-2, its basic observation scenario, acquisition modes and
noted that 25m global ALOS mosaics have been released for 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010;

Nobuyoshi noted that the commercial nature of ALOS-2 unfortunately restricts its application for
GFOI, even for R&D purposes, however JAXA are still committed to supporting GFOI in any way that
they can;

Under GEO-FCT, JAXA provided ALOS images to research groups (around 50 scenes/year/group).
JAXA anticipates that ALOS-2 data will be available under a similar arrangement for GFOI R&D,
however this is to be confirmed, and the number of scenes would be assessed on a case-by-case
basis; and,

Nobuyoshi pointed out RA-6, expected in mid-2015, and highlighted it as a good opportunity for
researchers to submit GFOI-related project proposals.
6.5
CNES
Steven Hosford presented on behalf of CNES, noting the following GFOI R&D related points:

Pleiades data is purchased and made available by CNES at no cost to researchers. Priority areas
have been identified and 2014 data is available over 3 sites (see slides for details);

The SPOT World Heritage program is also available to support R&D activities, and an analysis of
SPOT 1–5 data held in the Toulouse archive over GFOI R&D study sites has been completed. 2386
images were identified and processing to L1A is underway. Steven expects that orthorectified data
(French DEM within France, SRTM elsewhere) will be available within 6 months; and,

More images are available in local receiving stations, which would also be available if the stations
agree to reprocess the data, and CNES is encouraging them to do so.
6.6
Commercial Provider Session at SDCG-8
A discussion took place on how to approach commercial sector engagement and their potential inclusion
at SDCG-8, and the following points were noted:
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia

Frank Martin Seifert pointed out that there are two cases for commercial providers to interact with
GFOI needs: R&D and operational validation and verification of products. There are at least three
approaches to commercial engagement: data warehouse, brokerage, and individual agreements, and
suggested that the solution be included as a discussion topic with the commercial providers at SDCG8;

Stephen Ward encourages the brokerage approach, as it has been identified that FAO, Australia and
Norway could potentially contribute in this way. Helmut Staudenrausch seconded Stephen’s
suggestion, noting that the broker role is an important role and a good fit for GFOI, and he added that
that the data warehouse approach would not work; and,

Helmut advocated the need for a coordinated and clear statement of requirements before
approaching the commercial providers. He also suggested that we need an assessment of what
commercial providers are willing to contribute, however he is not sure how to approach this with the
commercial providers.
7
7.1
SDCG-7 Wrap-Up Discussions
Discussion
SDCG-7 concluded with a wrap-up discussion session, during which the following points were raised:

Stephen Briggs noted that the GFOI Lead Team agreed to hold annual GFOI Plenary Meetings (with
all GFOI Components present) in addition to biannual GFOI Lead Team meetings;

Stephen added that we have seen good progress this week in regards to linking with the MGD and
the in-country efforts of FAO and SilvaCarbon;

Stephen said that it is clear that the MGD needs clear ‘step on and off points’, so that countries can
utilise piecewise modules to complement their own work;

Helmut Staudenrausch pointed out that he requires assistance from the whole SDCG to organise the
commercial provider session for SDCG-8;

Gene Fosnight said that it is good to see some progress in regards to the SDMS pilots, MGD
integration, and commercial provider discussions, and he sees the next important step to be
clarification of the operational scenario for the SDMS; and,

Frank Martin Seifert commended the decision of the GFOI Lead Team to have annual GFOI
Component Meetings, as communication between components has been lacking in the past.
SDCG-7-27
Frank Martin Seifert to assume responsibility as the POC for Element-3
(R&D).
From 1st April
2015
SDCG-7-28
Helmut Staudenrausch to coordinate with SDCG EXEC to confirm the
details of the SDCG-8 meeting alongside the international workshop on
MRV of REDD+ planned for 21-22 September 2015 in Bonn, Germany.
End April 2015
SDCG-7-29
SDCG EXEC to investigate the constraints, and draft a brief proposal for
a commercial provider session in conjunction with SDCG-8.
End April 2015
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
7.2
Closing Remarks
Stephen Briggs thanked everyone for continued support of the SDCG for GFOI and wished everyone safe
travel home.
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V1.0 Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the CEOS Space Data Coordination Group
March 4th to 6th 2015, Sydney, Australia
Attendees
Agency/Company
ASI
Australian Government (contractor)
Australian Government (contractor)
Cambodia Forestry Administration
CSA
Clinton Foundation
Clinton Foundation
CNES
Colombia
CSIRO
DLR
ESA
ESA
FAO
Geoscience Australia
Government of Kenya
JAXA
JAXA
Kenyan Forest Service
NASA CEOS SEO
NASA CEOS SEO/AMA
NASA CEOS SEO /AMA
NASA CEOS SEO /AMA
NASA CEOS SEO /AMA
NASA CEOS SEO/Symbios
USGS
USGS
Name
Anna Rita Pisani
Stephen Ward
George Dyke
Sar Sophyra
Yves Crevier
Jackson Kimani
Peter Ndunda
Steven Hosford
Edersson Cabrera
Alex Held
Helmut Staudenrausch
Frank Martin Seifert
Stephen Briggs
Erik Lindquist
Jonathon Ross
Mwangi Kinyanjui
Nobuyoshi Fujimoto
Ake Rosenqvist
Faith Mutwiri
Brian Killough
Paul Kessler
Sanjay Gowda
Matthew Jondrow
Brian Williams
Matthew Steventon
Gene Fosnight
Sylvia Wilson
16