2nd Pan-GEWEX Science Meeting23-27 September 2010, Seattle

Douglas Cripe, GEO Secretariat

GEO / GEOSS and GEWEX

The Earth is a complex system of systems

© GEO Secretariat

Mankind has become a Geophysical Parameter

Geophysics has become a Political Issue

… Earth Observations are needed to inform decisions

IKONOS

QuickBird

SPIN-2SPOT 4, 5

EROS A1

EnvisatAura/Aqua/Terra

Grace

QuikScatSage

SeaWindsTRMM

Toms-EP

UARSLandsat 7

SORCE

ACRIMSAT

CBERS

SeaWiFS

ERBS

Jason

Orbview 2, 3

Radarsat ALOS

DMC

Space Observation Systems

In-situ systems

Need for:

• Earth observation Coordination

• Interoperable Architecture and Formats

• Data Sharing

… to benefit fully from Earth Observation Systems

The Tower of Babel problem…

U.S. Department of State, Washington DCJuly 31, 2003

GEO, the Group on Earth ObservationsAn Intergovernmental group with 81 Members and

58 Participating Organizations

What is GEO?

• launched in response to calls for action by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Earth Observation Summits, and by the G8 (Group of Eight) leading industrialized countries

• voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations– 80 member governments + EC– 58 Participating Organizations (PO)

• provides a framework within which these partners can develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments

• charged with developing GEOSS

What is GEOSS?

• the 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

Improve and Coordinate Observation Systems (avoid duplications)

Provide Easier & More Open Data Access Foster Use (Science, Applications) Building Capacity Identify gaps in observations (based on user requirements)

…Earth Observation Systems should becoordinated and shared internationally

… to answer Society’s need for informed decision making

GEOSS: main objectives

© GEO Secretariat slide 11

GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan• GEOSS is “to realize a future wherein

decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed via coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information.”

• GEOSS is an important contribution to meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

• Furthering the implementation of international treaty obligations.

• Encompass all areas of the Earth, with a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of developing country users

• Incorporate in situ, seaborne, airborne, and space-based observations

• Address the integration of observations with models to support early warning and prediction and other “societal benefit areas.”

GEOSS: A Global, Coordinated, Comprehensive and Sustained System of Observing Systems

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GEO 2009-2011 Work Plan

• Updated annually

• Approved by GEO Plenary

• Building GEOSS through specific tasks– Each with leads and contributors

• Aligned with GEOSS strategic targets

ClimateBefore 2015, GEO aims to:

8. Achieve effective and sustained operation of the global climate observing system and reliable delivery of climate information of a quality needed for predicting, mitigating and adapting to climate variability and change, including for better understanding of the global carbon cycle.

GEO Climate Tasks

• Sustained Reprocessing and Reanalysis Efforts – Ensure the development of international mechanisms to coordinate and

maintain sustained climate data reprocessing and reanalysis efforts. – Lead: GCOS, WCRP, CEOS

• Key Climate Data from Satellite Systems – Establish actions securing the provision of key data for climate studies and

forecasting from satellite systems.– Lead: CEOS, GCOS, USA, WMO

• Key Terrestrial Observations for Climate – Develop intergovernmental mechanisms for coordinating terrestrial observations

needed for climate studies and forecasting. Develop a framework for the preparation of guidance materials, standards, and reporting guidelines for terrestrial observing systems for climate and associated data, metadata, and products to expand the comprehensiveness of current networks and facilitate exchange of data.

– Lead: GTOS

GEO Climate Tasks

• GEOSS IPY Contribution – Coordinate with the International Polar Year (IPY) to enhance the

utilization of Earth observations in all appropriate realms– Lead: WCRP, Portugal

• Global Ocean Observation System – Enhance and improve coordination of coastal and marine climate

observations in support of a global ocean observation system. – Lead: GOOS, POGO

• Seamless Weather and Climate Prediction System – Support the development of a THORPEX/WCRP initiative on

"International Weather, Climate and Earth-system Science", to better address uncertainties associated with climate variability and change, and related societal impacts.

– Lead: WMO, WCRP

WaterBefore 2015, GEO aims to:

13. Produce comprehensive sets of data and information products to support decision-making for efficient management of the world's water resources, based on coordinated, sustained observations of the water cycle on multiple scales.

GEO Water Tasks

• Droughts, Floods and Water Resource Management– Address decision-making challenges related to the

management of hydro-meteorological extremes and the sustainable use of water.

• Capacity Building for Water Resource Management– Initiate capacity building programs in support of water

management, to show the value of, and develop tools for, Earth observation data.

• Integrated Products for Water Resource Management and Research– Improvements and expansion of in-situ networks, combined

with new satellite missions and emerging assimilation and prediction capabilities for integrated tools in global water-cycle management.

Convergence of Observations A Prototype of the Global Water Cycle

Observation System of Systems

Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project

12 NWP+DA Centers

13 NWP+DA Centers

JAXA, NASA, ESA, NOAA

Interoperability Arrangement A well organized collecting, processing, storing,

and disseminating shared data, metadata and products

Data Integrating/Archiving

Center at University of Tokyo and JAXA of

Japan

Model Output Data Archiving Center at the World Data Center for Climate, Max-

Planck Institute for Meteorology of Germany

In-Situ Data Archiving Center at NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric

Research) of USA

Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project

What’s in it for scientists?

• GEO is a framework to promote international cooperation.– Earth observing systems of the future: built by

scientists, informed by GEO.– bringing together data architecture experts,

scientists, users, and capacity-building specialists.

– visibility as data/networks/systems contributed to GEOSS.

– potential support for research leading to GEOSS implementation.

• but GEO is not a funding mechanism!

What’s in it for scientists?

• GDEM• Global land cover• Digital geological map

data• Global meteorological

and environmental data

• Virtual constellations– precipitation

– land surface imaging

– ocean surface topography

– atmopheric chemistry

– ocean colour radiometry

– ocean surface vector winds

GEO has a niche in facilitating the delivery of global datasets to improve modeling.

What’s in it for scientists?

• strengthen the delivery of environmental services by advancing multi-disciplinary research– high-resolution and seamless weather, climate

& Earth system modelling. • Provide SBA focus for research• GEO Label for quality assurance• Citation Standard• Continuity Indicators

Role of WCRP• WCRP Strategic Framework represents basis for GEO

Climate SBA – Together with GCOS Implementation Plan

• WCRP has essential role to play in GEOSS implementation

• Projects and activities such as GEWEX, CLIVAR, CLiC, SPARC and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) – Key contributions to the GEO Work Plan

• Contributes to 7 GEO Work Plan Tasks

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Summary• Engagement and Cooperation with WCRP/GEWEX and

the Global Scientific Community is FUNDAMENTAL to the success of GEOSS– As a global environmental information system for society

• Goal of GEOSS is to provide better information for decision making – Achieve Societal and Economic Benefits– Global coordinated network – Sustained and Comprehensive – Earth Observation System of Systems

• Scientific Engagement is CRITICAL to success of GEOSS• Cross-cutting Approach

– Involving many Communities with International Dimension

• Maintain Global Mobilization and Interest 26

“The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is a coordinating and integrating network of Earth observing and information systems, contributed on a voluntary basis by Members and Participating Organizations of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO).”

•To support informed decision making for society (including the implementation of international environmental treaty obligations).

Thank you!

earthobservations.org

dcripe@geosec.org

…we will accelerate efforts within the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), ... in priority areas, inter alia, climate change and water resources management, by strengthening observation, prediction and data sharing. ... capacity building for developing countries … interoperability and linkage …

WA-06-07: Capacity Building Program for Water Resource Management

• Milestones achieved to date:• A number of briefings and discussions about the plan have taken place at

IGWCO and GEWEX meetings. • APN has provided funding for capacity building efforts related to drought and

floods in Southeast Asia. These projects are being carried out in conjunction with the Asian Water Cycle Initiative.

• ESA is completing the first phase of TIGER activities and established a Secretariat in Africa. They are now working with UNESCO to determine how these activities can best be made self-sustaining.

• NASA has developed a draft plan outlining the capacity building activities they plan to undertake in Latin America. This plan will be a major contribution to the GEO Capacity Building efforts.

• Latin American CB activities are becoming part of the GEOSS in the Americas initiative. The draft LA CB proposal has been rewritten to include NASA Decision Support Tools.

• AWCI sponsored a series of CB workshops in Indonesia, Bangladesh and other countries in SE Asia.

• ITC has coordinated the TIGER Capacity Building Facility and will offer the expertise and training materials gained. ITC will offer the open source GIS system ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information System) and will further develop tools and materials that can be used by GEONETcast.