© GEO Secretariat

GEO Overview

Nancy Searby, NASAJacob Sutherlun, NOAA

Webinar 230 October 2013

Adapted from GEO Secretariat Presentation

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

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

• Data delivered to 186 countries• User shift to multi-year scenes at same

location• Exceeded 13 million scenes 8/21/2013

• Improve and Coordinate Observation Systems

• Advance Broad Open Data Policies/Practices

• Foster Increased Use of EO Data and Information

• Build Capacity

GEO Objectives

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

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 Targeted Gaps

GEOSS Building Blocks• In order to build an integrated system of systems,

GEO is focusing efforts in the following key areas:– 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

GEODAB

GEO Home Page

GEOSS

Portal

Enabling a System of Systems

Current Assets

About 20 brokered data providers – capacities, systems, Communities .. .

More than 7 Million (1.2 Million GEOSS Data Core) Discoverable and potentially Accessible resources (mix of data collections, datasets and individual images)

..

.

Publish

Contain [source: data providers]

More than 65 Million (50 Million GEOSS Data Core) Discoverable and potentially Accessible granules (e.g. satellite scene, raingauge record)

.. .

Resources

What is the difference between the GCI and Google?

GCI• Searches on content,

location, and time in EO datasets

• Provides access to data in EO databases

• Historically no ranking• Efforts now being undertaken to

rank by DataCORE, accessibilty, expert opinion, etc

Google Search• Searches Web pages that

may describe EO datasets• Does not search inside EO

databases• Provides ranked resultsGoogle Earth• Displays selected satellite

imagery and aerial photography

• Does not provide access to data

While tools such as GOOGLE are general instruments to discover generic content and serve a broad-spectrum audience, the GCI is a specialized system supporting discovery and access of Earth observations

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:– 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

oceansandsociety.org

The Oceans and Society: Blue Planet Task of GEO seeks, through the mobilisation of expert knowledge,

• 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;

• to coordinate the various marine initiatives within GEO and develop synergies between them; and

• to advocate and advance the establishment and maintenance of a global observing network for the oceans.

Recent Progress and Key Outputs for 2013• 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• 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

Blue Planet

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 DemonstratorsFrom 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 actionsWhile 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 remotely-sensed observations

• Contact: martijn.schaap@tno.nl, s.chevrel@brgm.fr© GEO Secretariat

Nine Societal Benefit Areas

GEO Agriculture Activities• 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 - woody.turner@nasa.gov

© GEO Secretariat

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

SupersitesAmericas Europe/Africa Asia

• background monitoring with low-resolution satellites• monitoring of Supersites with high-resolution satellites• interconnected geohazard monitoring agencies• open data access

GEO, CEOS, and NASA work together on Disaster Sensor Web Concept

Analyze Risks

Task Sensor

Acquire Data (Image)

Detect Floods

Analyze Image

Validate Model

Acquire Data

(River Gauge)

Initiate Request

3

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• 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

Pathways to a Global Drought Monitoring Product

The mosaic approach

Research is planned to evaluate the degree to whichdrought impacts in parts ofthe world can be assessedusing a global set ofindicators in combinationwith local information.

Global coverage bya single productor index

C2. Information Systems for Hydrometeorological Extremes (GDEWS, Drought Impacts, Floods)

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.

C4 Global Water Quality Products and Services

Lakes Mendota & Monona -University of Wisconsin SSEC image

C5. Information System Development and Capacity Building (CIEHLYC, AWCI, AfWCCI, IEEE Pilots)

Common Issues:- Climate change and water resources- Extremes (floods and droughts)- Demonstration of value of GEO principals - Land use change and impacts on water resources

GEOSSWater Cycle Integrator

(WCI)

AWCI

AfWCCI

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

Monitoring Water Quality in Lake Nicaragua by Satellite Remote Sensing

An IEEE Water for the World Demonstration Project

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

Technical ActivitiesNetworking Activities

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

© GEO Secretariat

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

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 •Implementation of the system

TA.5 •Assessment and evaluation

TA.6 •Integration with GEOSS and other infrastructures

Website:

http://www.egida-project.eu/

Contacts: 

info@egida-project.eu;

Douglas Cripe - dcripe@geosec.org

© GEO Secretariat

• 2014 - 1st Latin-American school in Ocean Acidification (LAOCA) – Chile. International sponsors.

• 2014 - Monthly webinars on Earth-Observations projects by Latin-American scientist. Collaboration: GEO-Secretariat – CIEHLYC.

POC: angelica.gutierrez@noaa.gov

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.

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.

Recommendation 1: Continuation of GEO and GEOSS Implementation

GEO through 2025

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)

• 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: Brazil – 2007, Panama – 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• 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

© GEO Secretariat

Thank you!

• Nancy Searby, NASA - nancy.d.searby@nasa.gov

• Jacob Sutherlun, NOAA – jacob.sutherlun@noaa.gov

Points of Contact: