Where We Are and Where We’re Going
Beth Greenaway
UK Environmental Observation Network, and
GEO Data Sharing Task Force
CODATA-DSTF Symposium
Washington, DC
16 November 2009

Thanks to:
Robert Chen, CIESIN/Columbia University, CODATA Secretary
General, and DSTF Co-Chair
Linda Moodie, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and DSTF Co-Chair
Paul Uhlir, National Academy of Sciences, and DSTF Co-Chair

• 2006: CODATA agreed to lead GEO Task DA-06-01
– Held initial expert meeting at the CODATA Conference in Beijing in October 2006 to solicit inputs
• 2007: Developed initial White Paper
– Established international core author team and set of reviewers
– Reviewed past experience with data sharing principles & policies
– Drafted specific guidelines for implementing the Data Sharing Principles
– Held discussions with GEO committees
– Participated in November 2007 Plenary & Ministerial in Cape Town
– Published the paper in October in the CODATA Data Science Journal and the Journal of Space Law
Available at: http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/JSL/articles/35JSL201.pdf
• 2008 Data Sharing Implementation Guidelines : Completed 1 st draft of the recommendations for data sharing implementation in GEOSS
• 2007-2009 Data Sharing Events: The CODATA Task Group also organised a number of data sharing events, including co-organizing this side-event at the 2009 GEO Plenary
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• Core Author Group
– Paul F. Uhlir, Chair of Core Author Group
– Robert Chen, DA-06-01 lead
– Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz
– Katleen Janssen
– Jack Hill
– Charles Barton
• Review Group
– Santiago Borrero
– Dora Ann Lange Canhos
– V.P. Dimri
– Yukiko Fukasaku
– Huadong Guo
– Alexei Gvishiani
– Bernard Minster
– Steve Rossouw
– Fraser Taylor
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The 2008 GEO Plenary in Bucharest agreed on the establishment of a
Data Sharing Task Force :
• To support the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) in its objective to reach a consensus at its 2010 Ministerial Summit on the practical steps to implement the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles.
• To reconfirm the Cape Town Declaration that “ the success of GEOSS will depend on a commitment by all GEO partners to work together to ensure timely, global and open access to data and products ” .

The Task Force Kick-Off Meeting was held on 27-28 May in
Geneva; since then, it has held biweekly teleconferences
Co-Chairs:
• China – WANG Goufu
• India – V. S. Hegde
• European Member – Alan Edwards
• Japan - Chiyoshi Kawamoto
• USA - Linda Moodie
• DA-06-01 Task Team – Paul Uhlir/Robert Chen/Joanne
Gabrynowicz

• Carlos Angelis (Brazil)
• Serge Ondoua (Cameroon)
• Fraser Taylor (Canada)
• WANG Goufu* (China)
• Radim Tolasz (Czech Republic)
• Vojko Bratina, Massimo Craglia &
Alan Edwards (EC)
• François Chirié & Philippe Santoni
(France)
• V.S. Hegde & Rajeev Jaiswal (India)*
• Nico Bonora (Italy)
• Masatoshi Kamei, Chiyoshi
Kawamoto* & Masami Hato (Japan)
• Frank Lantsheer - Netherlands
• Marjan Vezjak & Silvo Zlebir
(Slovenia)
• Beth Greenaway (UK)
• Ivan Deloatch, Martha Maiden &
Linda Moodie* (USA)
• Harlan Onsrud (GSDI)
• Basanta Shrestha - ICIMOD
• Robert Chen, Paul Uhlir (ICSU) &
Joanne Gabrynowicz (IISL)*
(*Rotating Co-Chairs from the Task Team)
• Kathleen Cass (ICSU/CODATA)
• George Percival (OGC)
• Oliver de Munck & Robert Hoeft
(UNEP)
• David Stevens (UNOOSA)
* Co-Chairs

1. Update the Implementation Guidelines for GEO Plenary 2009
2. Interact with GEO Communities ( Questionnaire ) on their data sharing opportunities and needs and work to promote harmonisation of data sharing procedures consistent with the Data Sharing Principles.
3. Prepare an Action Plan to implement the Data Sharing Principles and to enable the development of Working Procedures for data sharing within
GEOSS.
4. Produce documentation to support adoption of the Implementation
Guidelines and the Action Plan by the 2010 GEO Ministerial Summit.
5. Consider possible recommendations to improve the principles for data sharing within GEOSS.

• DSTF is developing working data sharing practices and procedures consistent with the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles through
– Revised Implementation Guidelines
– Action Plan
• Promote understanding of responsibilities by both providers and users of GEOSS data products and services with regard to data dissemination, access, use, and reuse
• Begin possibly formalizing data sharing practices and procedures of major GEO initiatives such as Global Carbon Monitoring, GEO Biodiversity Observation
Network (GEOBON), and others
• GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) and Initial Operating Capability (IOC) could also begin to incorporate tools to implement data sharing policies and procedures slide 10

Interaction with GEO Committees, CoPs, Experts
Objectives include :
• Exchange information on Data Sharing practices, needs and barriers
– A Communique with questionnaire sent to all Committees and GEO experts for further dissemination to Task Team leads and
Communities of Practice
• Work with the Architecture and Data Committee to identify:
– Existing activities that could contribute to technical implementation of enhanced data sharing arrangements
– Any areas of potential and unnecessary overlap with DSTF planned activities – which should be avoided

• As inputs to these efforts, the DSTF would like to obtain feedback from the broad GEO community, especially GEO
Committees
• We would like your thoughts on the following:
1) What GEO tasks and activities in your Committee’s domain have already developed specific data sharing guidelines or procedures , or are in the process of developing such guidelines or procedures, for contributors and users of GEOSS data, metadata, and value-added products and services?
2) Have any other tasks or activities indicated a need for general guidelines or procedures to facilitate participation in GEOSS and use of GEOSS data, metadata, and value-added products and services to realize desirable societal benefits?

3) Do the draft Implementation Guidelines, as presented at GEO-V
Plenary in Bucharest, provide useful guidance on the further development of working procedures for data sharing for specific
GEOSS tasks and Communities of Practice, and the harmonization of such procedures across tasks and communities consistent with the
Data Sharing Principles?
4) Are there specific issues with regard to data access, sharing, and use in specific societal benefit areas and communities of practice that the GEO Members and Participating Organizations need to address, that are not currently covered by the draft implementation guidelines or the agreed GEOSS Data Sharing Principles?

5) Are there existing or planned activities that could contribute to the technical implementation of working procedures for data sharing in specific GEOSS activities or communities of practice, or as part of the overall GEOSS architecture and operational implementation?
6) Please provide an indication of key dataset types your community needs to achieve your task objectives, and the accessibility status and problems associated with these types of data.
• Specific examples of guidelines, procedures, or implementation activities already in place or under development could be used to illustrate how enhanced data sharing is important for GEOSS.

•
The Success of GEOSS is contingent upon implementation of the GEOSS Data Sharing
Principles
– Within the individual elements of GEOSS and by GEO Members
•
No single set of rules will apply to all types, sources, and uses of data
– Clear set of guidelines, definitions, and minimum expectations will help to improve the sharing of data within GEOSS
• GEOSS Data Sharing Principles
–
Establish overarching strategic policy goals
•
Implementation Guidelines for GEOSS Data Sharing Principles
– Facilitate the provision of data and products for application by diverse users in the SBAs
– Consistent with the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles
•
Action Plan for Sharing Data and Products
– Designed to facilitate the development of clear, balanced, and workable data sharing procedures
–
Consistent with Implementation Guidelines and Data Sharing Principles