GEO Overview
Nancy Searby, NASA
Jacob Sutherlun, NOAA
Webinar 1
28 October 2013
Adapted from GEO Secretariat Presentation
© GEO Secretariat
Created in 2005, to develop a coordinated and sustained
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to
enhance decision making in nine Societal Benefit Areas
(SBAs)
GEO today:
90 Members
67 Participating
Organizations
In-situ Systems
Increasing Demand for Free Digital Landsat Data
• Data delivered to 186 countries
• User shift to multi-year scenes at
same location
• Exceeded 13 million scenes 8/21/2013
Daily Average = 53 scenes for best year of sales (2001)
Daily Average ≅ 5,700 scenes of web-enabled data delivered
09.12.2013-AIAA – 5
GEO Objectives
• Improve and Coordinate Observation Systems
• Advance Broad Open Data Policies/Practices
• Foster Increased Use of EO Data and Information
• Build Capacity
Data Sharing Principles
• Full and Open Exchange of Data
• Data and Products at Minimum Time delay
and Minimum Cost
• Free of Charge or Cost of Reproduction
GEOSS
• Global Earth Observation System of Systems
• an integrating public infrastructure, interconnecting a
diverse, growing array of Earth observing instruments and
information systems for monitoring and forecasting changes
in the global environment
• Supports policymakers, resource managers, science
researchers and other experts to support informed decision
making for society
• 10-year implementation plan
• 2015: Global, Coordinated, Comprehensive and Sustained
System of Observing Systems
© GEO Secretariat
A Global, Coordinated, Comprehensive and Sustained
System of Observing Systems
GEOSS Targeted Gaps
1. Uncertainty over continuity of observations
2. Large spatial and temporal gaps in specific data sets
3. Limited access to data and associated benefits in developing world
4. Inadequate data integration and interoperability
5. Lack of relevant processing systems to transform data into useful
information
6. Inadequate user involvement
7. Eroding or little technical infrastructure in many parts of the world
GEOSS Building Blocks
• In order to build an integrated system of systems, GEO is
focusing efforts in the following key areas:
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Architecture
Data Management
Capacity Building
Science and Technology
User Engagement
© GEO Secretariat
Architecture
• Before 2015, GEO aims to:
– Achieve sustained operation, continuity and interoperability of existing
and new systems that provide essential environmental observations and
information, including the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) that
facilitates access to, and use of, these observations and information.
• This will be achieved through:
– Provision of long-term, continuous data
– Identification of effective national coordination mechanisms
– Adoption and advocacy of comprehensive approach to global EO
systems
– Promotion of consistent standards and practices for observations
through the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI)
• Points of Contact: Espen Volden - EVolden@geosec.org,
steveb@omstech.com
© GEO Secretariat
Interoperability Brokering Strategy
Resource Growth
Data Management
• Before 2015, GEO aims to:
– Provide a shared, easily accessible, timely, sustained stream of
comprehensive data of documented quality, as well as metadata and
information products, for informed decision-making.
• This will be achieved through:
– Data made available in accordance with GEOSS Data Sharing Principles
– Promotion of a coordinated, life-cycle data management process to
support simulation, modeling, and prediction capabilities
– Development of best practices for observation, collection and access to
data and information
– Evaluation of emerging information sources and encouraging access to
information through GEOSS as appropriate
• Points of Contact: Osamu Ochiai - oochiai@geosec.org,
miura.satoko@jaxa.jp
© GEO Secretariat
Capacity Building
• Before 2015, GEO aims to:
– Enhance the coordination of efforts to strengthen individual, institutional
and infrastructure capacities, particularly in developing countries, to
produce and use Earth observations and derived information products.
• This will be achieved through:
– Working with and building on the capacity building efforts of GEO
Members and Participating Organizations to further increase synergies
and effectiveness of national and international capacity building
programs
– Ensuring the engagement and committed involvement of resource
providers in the GEO capacity building process
– Enhancing capacity building efforts to ensure the integration of Earth
observation-based information systems into daily practices
• Points of Contact: João Soares - jsoares@geosec.org,
andiswa@umvoto.com, hilcea@dpi.inpe.br
© GEO Secretariat
Science and Technology
• Before 2015, GEO aims to:
– Ensure full interaction and engagement of relevant science and
technology communities such that GEOSS advances through integration
of innovations in Earth observation science and technology, enabling the
research community to fully benefit from GEOSS accomplishments.
• This will be achieved through:
– Promotion of research and development in key areas of Earth sciences
– Research and development for models, data assimilation modules and
new or improved algorithms
– Encouraging and facilitating transition of systems from research to
operations
– Inclusion of societal needs in new research observing system planning
• Points of Contact: Douglas Cripe – dcripe@geosec.org, Kathy
Fontaine - kathy.fontaine@nasa.gov
© GEO Secretariat
User Engagement
• Before 2015, GEO aims to:
– Ensure critical user information needs for decision making are
recognized and met through Earth observations.
• This will be archived through:
– Developing a framework to identify and implement linkages across
Societal Benefit Areas
– Active partnerships among and within Societal Benefit Areas, promoting
synergy among GEO projects
– Increased development of data and information, with special emphasis
on socio-economic applications and the development of methods for
models and tools required to make best use of these data in science and
technology development and decision-making
– Use of Earth observation products and services across all Societal
Benefit Areas of GEOSS, especially in and for developing countries.
• Point of Contact: Tomoko Mano - tmano@geosec.org,
kathy.fontaine@nasa.gov,
© GEO Secretariat
GEOSS Cross-Cutting Societal Benefits
Activities
• In addition to the nine societal benefit areas, there are
several cross-cutting societal benefit activities, including:
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Oceans
Global land cover
Global forest observations
Global urban observations and information
Impact assessment of human activities.
© GEO Secretariat
Oceans
• Provide sustained ocean observations and information to
underpin the development, and assess the efficacy, of
global-change adaptation measures
• Improve the global coverage and data accuracy of coastal
and open-ocean observing systems
• Coordinate and promote the gathering, processing, and
analysis of ocean observations
• Develop a global operational ocean forecasting network
• Contacts: Albert Fischer, a.fischer@unesco.org; Robert
Houtman, bhoutman@nsf.gov
© GEO Secretariat
Blue Planet
The Oceans and Society: Blue Planet Task of GEO seeks, through the
mobilisation of expert knowledge,
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to raise public awareness of the role of the oceans in the Earth
system, of their impacts (good and bad) on humankind, and of the
societal benefits of ocean observations;
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to coordinate the various marine initiatives within GEO and develop
synergies between them; and
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to advocate and advance the establishment and maintenance of a
global observing network for the oceans.
oceansandsociety.org
Blue Planet
Recent Progress and Key Outputs for 2013
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Kick-off Symposium, Brazil, November 2012
Book contract
Engagement with EC in relation to collaboration with Canada and USA
(The Atlantic – A Shared Resource)
Requests from other programmes to participate in Blue Planet (eg Ocean
Acidification Network)
Plan to develop White Paper for Task
Ways of Extending Task Participation
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Unsolicited requests coming from other programmes to join Blue Planet
Intergovernmental participation, for example through EU/North America
collaboration (The Atlantic – a shared resource). Blue Planet vision is
global in scope
But funds are limited at present
Global Land Cover
• Provide a suite of global land-cover and land-cover change
datasets, based on improved and validated moderate
resolution land-cover maps
• Develop <50m global land-cover and land-cover change
data sets
• Improve the use of time-series products to characterize the
nature and extent of land-cover change and dynamics
• Contacts: Garik Gutman, Garik.gutman@nasa.gov
© GEO Secretariat
Global Forest Observations
• Build upon and continue the science and demonstration
activities performed under the GEO Forest Carbon Tracking
(FCT) initiative
• Support the worldwide development of national forest
information systems for improved forest management and
ecosystem & biodiversity monitoring
• Coordinate satellite data acquisition over the global forest
• Ensure comprehensive coverage and continuity of data
• Contacts: Michael Brady, MBrady1@ifc.org
© GEO Secretariat
FCT National Demonstrators
From 2009
• Brazil
• Guyana
• Mexico
• Indonesia
• Australia
• Cameroon
• Tanzania
From 2010
• Colombia
• DR Congo
• Peru
From 2011
• Nepal
GFOI overall objectives and areas of
action
Objectives
•Fostering the sustained availability of observations in support
of national forest monitoring systems
•Supporting countries in the use of observations in NFMS –
respecting national choices of data and tools
Areas of action
• Coordination of satellite data acquisition and supply
• Capacity development
• Research, Development and Demonstration
• Methods and guidance documentation
Near term actions
While continuing to mobilize data and support for the countries
currently engaged, GFOI is also expanding to sustained routine
activities aiming to
– encourage greater participation by new countries;
– reflect priorities of UNFCCC, FAO, World Bank FCPF;
– increase coordination of capacity enhancing within GFOI and
with other organisations;
– continue and enhance data provision and continue to develop
the MGD;
– Continue to perform R&D activities and in-country
demonstrations
– include additional donor countries and organisations in GFOI mobilise resources
Global Urban Observations and
Information
• Improve the coordination of urban observations, monitoring,
forecasting, and assessment initiatives worldwide
• Support the development of a global urban observation and
analysis system
• Produce up-to-date information on the status and
development of the urban system – from local to global
scale
• Fill existing gaps in the integration of global urban land
observations
• Contacts: Dale Quattrochi, dale.quattrochi@nasa.gov
© GEO Secretariat
Impact Assessment of Human Activities
• Foster the use of Earth observation and information for
environmental, economic and societal impact assessment
• Develop datasets, tools and services for impact monitoring
and prediction across Societal Benefit Areas
• Develop a set of tools to process and analyze datasets
• Identify user-defined data requirements for impact
monitoring and promote related in-situ as well as remotelysensed observations
• Contact: martijn.schaap@tno.nl, s.chevrel@brgm.fr
© GEO Secretariat
Nine Societal Benefit Areas
GEO Agriculture Activities
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Improve sustainable agriculture management
Improve food security
Develop early-warning systems to mobilize food aid
Build capacity
Develop GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEO-GLAM)
initiative to strengthen monitoring with remote sensing
(http://www.geoglam-crop-monitor.org/node/118)
• Points of Contact:
– João Soares - jsoares@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert for
Agriculture
– Chris Justice - justice@hermes.geog.umd.edu, USA Contact for
Global Agricultural Monitoring Community of Practice
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Biodiversity Activities
• Implement the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO
BON), a global framework for observations to detect
biodiversity change (http://www.earthobservations.org/geobon.shtml)
• Coordinate data gathering
• Work in cooperation with conventions
– Convention on Biological Diversity
– Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• Develop and implement Essential Biodiversity Variables
• Point of Contact:
– Georgios Sarantakos - gsarantakos@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat
Expert for Biodiversity
– Michele Walters - mwalters@csir.co.za, Gary Geller gary.n.geller@jpl.nasa.gov, or Woody Turner © GEO Secretariat
woody.turner@nasa.gov
GEO Climate Activities
• Produce estimates of past and current climate to better
detect climate variability and change
• Implement the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
(http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index.php0
• Strengthen capacity to deliver improved climate services
• Support integration into adaptation processes and policy
• Develop global carbon observation and analysis system
• For more information, contact:
– Espen Volden - EVolden@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert for
Climate
– Antonio Bombelli - bombelli@unitus.it, Contact for Carbon
Community of Practice
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Disasters Activities
• Improve disaster risk management and reduction
• Provide timely information relevant to full cycle of disaster
management, including mitigation, preparedness, warning,
response, and recovery
• Monitor geohazards; provide alerts, and risk assessments
• Implement end-to-end regional pilot projects
• Point of Contact:
– Francesco Gaetani - fgaetani@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert
for Disasters
– Stuart Marsh - shm@bgs.ac.uk, Contact for GeoHazards Community
of Practice, Falk Amelung - famelung@rsmas.miami.edu
© GEO Secretariat
Today: Permanent Geohazard Supersites
accepted: Hawaii, Iceland volcanoes
next: North Anatolian Fault, San Andreas Fault
• frequent high-resolution SAR imagery for deformation monitoring from CEOS agencies
• in-situ observations from local monitoring agency (seismic and GPS)
• open data access (one data portal)
Global Network of Natural
Laboratories and Supersites
Americas
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Europe/Africa
Asia
background monitoring with low-resolution satellites
monitoring of Supersites with high-resolution satellites
interconnected geohazard monitoring agencies
open data access
GEO Ecosystems Activities
• Assess present and future trends of ecosystem conditions
and services for policy-making and natural resource
management
• Improve knowledge of ecosystem temporal and spatial
variability
• Observe ecosystems sustainably to assess resilience
• Improve ecosystem services techniques
• Result
• For more information, contact:
– Yubao Qiu - yqui@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert for
Ecosystems
– No Community of Practice
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Energy Activities
• Improve energy and geo-resources management
• Address end-to-end energy productions systems:
generation, transmission, distribution, integrated operations
• Address end-to-end geo-resource exploitation systems:
exploration, extraction, transportation
• Encourage use of Earth Observations for policy planning
• For more information, contact:
– Georgios Sarantakos - gsarantakos@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat
Expert for Energy
– Ellsworth LeDrew - ells@uwaterloo.ca, Contact for Energy
Community of Practice
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Health Activities
• Build capacity and improve use of Earth Observations in
health decision-making processes
• Improve understanding of health decision-maker needs
• Monitor air quality; provide alerts, and risk assessments
• Integrate and link with other Societal Benefit Areas
• For more information, contact:
– Douglas Cripe - dcripe@geosec.org, and Tomoko Mano tmano@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Experts for Health
– Ramesh Dhiman - dhimanrc@icmr.org.in, Rifat Hossain hossainr@who.int, Contacts for Health Community of Practice
– Gary Foley - foley.gary@epa.gov, Contact for Air Quality Community
of Practice
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Water Activities
• Develop operational and sustained global network of in situ
observation sites
• Improve availability of water cycle products and services for
research and integrated water resource management
• Improve availability of data and information, e.g. surface
and ground water quality and quantity, to support a water
cycle decision-making system
• Routinely produce watershed and human health indicators
• Points of contact:
– Douglas Cripe – dcripe@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert for
Water
– Rick Lawford - Richard.lawford@morgan.edu
© GEO Secretariat
C2. Information Systems for Hydrometeorological Extremes
(GDEWS, Drought Impacts, Floods)
Pathways to a Global Drought Monitoring Product
Global coverage by
a single product
or index
The mosaic approach
Research is planned to
evaluate the degree to which
drought impacts in parts of
the world can be assessed
using a global set of
indicators in combination
with local information.
C4 Global Water Quality Products and Services
GOAL: Integrate water quality data from multiple sources in a timely
manner and through data assimilatation of Earth observation with other
sources of data such as water quantity, hydrodynamics, biogeochemical
modelling, generate higher level information products such as trends and
anomalies and additional “value-added” products such as fluxes and
flows.
• Develop international operational water quality information systems
based on Earth observation.
• Collate and develop in-situ water quality
databases and remote-sensed data,
particularly space-borne data.
The component addresses both flowing and
static water bodies, recognizes differing
approaches to assessing their water quality
and the linkages/interface betweeen them.
Lakes Mendota & Monona -University of Wisconsin SSEC image
C5. Information System Development and
Capacity Building (CIEHLYC, AWCI, AfWCCI,
IEEE Pilots)
GEOSS
Common Issues:
Water
-Climate change and water resources
Cycle(floods and droughts)
- Extremes
- Demonstration
Integrator of value of GEO principals
- Land use change and impacts on water resources
(WCI)
AfWCCI
AWCI
Monitoring Water Quality in Lake Nicaragua by
Satellite Remote Sensing
An IEEE Water for the World Demonstration Project
Project Manager: Steven R. Greb, Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Cooperators:
Katherine Vammen, Assistant Director Centro para la Investigación de
Recursos Acuáticos (CIRA), Nicaragua.
Colleen Mouw, University of Wisconsin, Madison Space Science and
Engineering Center
GEO Weather Activities
• Identify and address gaps in operational weather networks
• Improve range and quality of services for high impact
weather forecasting
• Develop more accurate, reliable, and relevant weather
analyses, forecasts, advisories, and warnings of severe and
other high impact hydrometeorological events
• Points of contact:
– Douglas Cripe – dcripe@geosec.org, GEO Secretariat Expert for
Weather
– Jim Caughey - jim.caughey@gmail.com
© GEO Secretariat
Advances in Global and Regional Weather Forecasts
Country and Regional Needs
• What are the most important issues across the building
blocks?
• What are the most important issues across the cross-cutting
areas?
• What are the most important issues across the societal
benefit areas?
• GEO can help! We can discuss now, and please e-mail us
with additional information.
© GEO Secretariat
National and Regional GEO Mechanisms
• Two approaches to establishing GEO mechanisms
– Top-Down
– Bottom-Up
• EGIDA study done recently to establish methodology to
create a national GEO structure
Networking Activities
NA.1
•Identification of stakeholders
NA.2
•Assessment of the awareness of
GEO/GEOSS in the proposed network
NA.3
•Dissemination of the GEO/GEOSS
initiative in the proposed network
NA.4
•Establishment and operation of the
network
NA.5
•Address sustainability of the (re)engineering process
Technical Activities
TA.1
• Definition of the management structure and process
for capacity building
TA.2
• Identification and removal of barriers to information
sharing
TA.3
• Design of a national/regional resource sharing
system
TA.4
TA.5
TA.6
• Implementation of the system
• Assessment and evaluation
• Integration with GEOSS and other infrastructures
© GEO Secretariat
Website:
http://www.egidaproject.eu/
Contacts:
info@egida-project.eu;
Douglas Cripe dcripe@geosec.org
Comunidad para la Informacion Espacial e
Hydrografica en Latinoamerica y el Caribe (CIEHLYC)
2011- Colombia is welcomed as a GEO member
Collaboration: GEO Secretariat – IDEAM – CIEHLYC.
2011 - Water Cycle Capacity-Building Workshop (hands-on
training). Cartagena, Colombia. Collaboration: NOAA - GEO
Secretariat – CIEHLYC.
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Bottom-Up
Approach
2013 - Project on Water Availability from Snow in “high
mountains” (Chile). Collaboration CIREN-NASA-CIEHLYC.
2013 - Participation on Special Session on GEOSS at LARS,
Chile.
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2014 - 1st Latin-American school in Ocean Acidification
(LAOCA) – Chile. International sponsors.
2014 - Monthly webinars on Earth-Observations projects
by Latin-American scientist. Collaboration: GEOSecretariat – CIEHLYC.
POC: angelica.gutierrez@noaa.gov
© GEO Secretariat
GEO through 2025
Recommendation 1: Continuation of GEO and
GEOSS Implementation
Recommendation 2: GEO Strategic Objectives
• Coordinating Earth observations
• Facilitating enhanced access to national, regional and
global Earth observation data and information
• Fostering global initiatives
Recommendation 4.5:
Resources for GEO and GEOSS Post-2015
• Continue to rely on voluntary contributions (from both public
and non-public sources)
• Sustain essential technical and administrative components
(GEO Secretariat and GEOSS Information System)
• Support mechanisms for improving participation of
developing countries
2014 Ministerial Summit and “GEO week”
13 to 17 January 2014
• Centre International des Conférences in Geneva (CICG)
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GEO Implementation Board meetings
GEO Executive Committee meeting
GEO-X Plenary meeting
High-level Side Events
Exhibition, open to the public
Ministerial Summit on 17 January
GEOSS in the Americas
• There are 14 members of the Americas Caucus: Argentina,
Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United
States
• Three GEOSS in the Americas Symposia have been held in
the Americas: Panama – 2007, Brazil – 2008, Chile – 2011
• Waiting until after the GEO Ministerial in January 2014 to
plan another Symposium
GEOSS in the Americas Participation in 2014
GEO Ministerial
• USGEO will be sponsoring a booth in the exhibit hall at the
upcoming GEO Ministerial
• USGEO would like to encourage other Americas countries to
join in the exhibit to illustrate what GEOSS is providing to its
users and how complex challenges are being addressed
• Ways for your country or organization to join in:
– Propose a 5 minute presentation that you will present in the booth
during the exhibit on some of your recent activities (someone will
have to be present to present this information)
– Send posters or text that we can incorporate in larger posters that
will be part of the exhibit
– Proposals for the booth are due by 6 November 2013 – Please send
to Jacob.sutherlun@noaa.gov and nancy.d.searby@nasa.gov
© GEO Secretariat
How You Can Participate in GEO
• Member countries and participating organizations are encouraged
to participate in Ministerials, Plenaries, Symposia, Working
Groups, and other GEO related activities
• Non-member countries and organizations are encouraged to
participate in Ministerials, Plenaries, Symposia, Working Groups,
and other GEO related activities
• Additional member countries can join by
– Formally agreeing to the value of GEO
– Identify Principal and Alternate points of contact
– Then come to plenary and ministerial
• Broad and diverse participation will maximize the potential
benefits of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems
• Contact the GEO Secretariat for more information,
secretariat@geosec.org
© GEO Secretariat
Next Steps and Important Dates
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Additional GEO overview webinars through mid-November
Follow-up ad hoc technical discussions
November – next Americas Caucus Teleconference
November 10 – finalize Booth Plan for Ministerial
November 19-22 – Workshop on the Use of Space Science and
Technology for the Prevention of and Response to Disasters in
Mesoamerica (POC: Jacob Sutherlun – jacob.sutherlun@noaa.gov)
November 19 -December 10 – Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET)
Weekly Webinar Series: Flood Monitoring using NASA Remote Sensing
Data (POC: Ana Prados – aprados@umbc.edu)
December - consolidated list of upcoming workshops
Jan 13-17, 2014 - GEO Ministerial and Plenary
2014 - 11 CIEHLYC Water Cycle Webinars in 2014 (POC: Angelica
Gutierrez - Angelica.Gutierrez@noaa.gov)
2014 – GEOSS in the Americas Follow up Event
Points of Contact:
• Nancy Searby, NASA nancy.d.searby@nasa.gov
• Jacob Sutherlun, NOAA –
jacob.sutherlun@noaa.gov
Thank you!
© GEO Secretariat