Key documents 2016 - 2025

• GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025 Implementing GEOSS
• GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025 Implementing GEOSS: Reference Document
• Engagement Strategy
• Rules of Procedure

Archived reference documents 2005-2015

• GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan
• GEOSS 10-Year Plan Reference Document
• GEO Work plan 2012 2015
• GEOSS Strategic Targets

see also GEOSS Implementation page

Publications

2017 AfriGEOSS brochure

AfriGEOSS is helping identify user needs, tools using Earth observations as well as increasing capacity and supporting data infrastructures, for a healthy environment for all. AfriGEOSS is strengthening the African Space Policy and Strategy to advance the uptake and use of Earth observations for decision-making in Africa through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to ensure we deliver the information required to support policy and effective decision making.

Download the brochure here

 

 

Earth observations and geospatial information: supporting official statistics in monitoring and achieving the 2030 agenda (April 2017)

The Global Indicator Framework captures the interlinked, multifaceted and ambitious aspirations for the continued development of nations and societies. Effective reporting of progress toward these Indicators requires the use of multiple types of data, what we have in hand - traditional national accounts, household surveys and routine administrative data – as well as new sources of data, namely Earth observations, geospatial information, citizen science, and Big Data.

Read details in this four pager flyer.

 

 

EO Supports Sustainable Development (March 2017)

GEO convenes effective partnerships for societal benefit through use of free and open Earth observation (EO) data. The GEO Initiative ‘Earth Observations in Service of the 2030 Agenda’, together with the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) have issued a new report to highlight case studies of how EO responds to sustainable development, whether for health, disaster risk reduction or environmental protection.

Read related article here

 

 

GEO 4 page flyer (February 2017)

No one country has the resources needed to collect the Earth observations data required for addressing the major global environmental issues of today. A global system of systems approach leverages the existing infrastructures used for Earth observations. This approach both fosters the continuity of observations and improves access to data, information, and services.

GEO is an Intergovernmental Organization working to improve the availability, access and use of Earth observations. Our vision for the future is a world where decisions and actions are enhanced by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information, for the benefit of society.

 

 

The Value of Open Data Sharing (November 2015)

The Members and Participating Organizations of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) make their Earth observation and environmental data available through the GEO Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) portal. The preferred approach of the organization is to provide open access and unrestricted use to those data through the GEOSS Data-CORE (Collection of Open Resources for Everyone). This approach has not been adopted by all the GEO participants, despite the call for even greater openness that is promoted by the revised GEO Data Sharing Principles for next decade.

The report was produced by CODATA specifically at the request of the GEO Secretariat in order to summarise arguments in favour of broad and open data sharing.

 

 

AfriGEOSS: Building on Success (Nov 2014)

The development and uptake of Earth observation (EO) data, information and knowledge is critical to improving the socio-economic status of the African continent. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Member States and Participating Organizations in Africa recognize the need to improve and coordinate observation systems across the nine GEO Societal Benefit Areas of agriculture, biodiversity, climate, disasters, ecosystems, energy, health, water and weather. Strong advocacy of open data-sharing policies and practices, as well as for the increased use of EO data and information, are the foundation of moving forward in these vital areas. Similarly, focusing significant effort on building both human and technological capabilities will ensure that all parts of the African continent can benefit from better access to, and understanding and use of, EO data, information and services. Click on the image on the right to download the report.

 

 

Report on Progress 2011-2013 (2014)

GEO Members and Participating Organizations continue to improve and coordinate observation systems across the nine Societal Benefit Areas of agriculture, biodiversity, climate, disasters, ecosystems, energy, health, water and weather. The organization is a strong advocate for broad, open data-sharing policies and practices, as well as for the increased use of Earth observation (EO) data and information. Further, GEO continues to focus significant effort on building both human and technological capabilities to ensure that all parts of the world can benefit from better access to, understanding, and use of EO data, information and services. Click on the image on the right to download the report.

 

 

GEO Fact Sheet (2014)

For developed and developing nations battling drought and disease, emergency managers making evacuation decisions, farmers making planting choices, companies evaluating energy costs, and coastal communities concerned about sea-level rise, there is a vital global and regional need to get ahead of the curve - to provide new analytical tools, access to timely data, and forecasts about emerging threats that enable wise choices in a changing world.

For nearly a decade, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has been driving the interoperability of many thousands of individual space-based, airborne and in situ Earth observations around the world. Often these separate systems yield just snapshot assessments, leading to critical gaps in scientific understanding. GEO is addressing such gaps by providing easy, open access to organized observations that enable an increasingly integrated view of our changing Earth. For sound science to shape sound policy, leaders and other decision-makers require this fuller picture as an indispensable foundation of sound decision-making. The flyer can be downloaded by clicking on the image on the left.

 

 

 

D_City manifesto

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has sponsored two print runs of the D_City manifesto: the world's first comprehensive 'snapshot' report on efforts to create a networked environmental monitoring system. Click on the image to access this publication as an e-book.

 

 

 

Geneva Ministerial Summit flyer (2014)

The "Geneva Ministerial Summit flyer" provides an exerpt of recent GEO achievements that use analytical tools, to access timely data, and forecasts emerging threats that enable wise choices in a challenging world. The GEO achievements decsribed, address several societal challenges, as well as build technical capacity, develop information infrastructure and standards, and provide better access to data. The flyer can be downloaded by clicking on the image on the left.

 

 

 

 

Crafting geoinformation

"Crafting geoinformation: the art and science of Earth observation" takes the reader behind the scenes to watch how environmental data is gathered, processed, integrated and transformed into information for decision making. This full-color, image-driven publication was launched at the Beijing Ministerial in November 2010 and can be downloaded by clicking on the image on the right.

 

 

 

GEO Report on Progress

The GEO "Report on Progress" provides an overview of the advances made by GEO from 2005 through 2010 in launching and developing the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS. It includes brief descriptions of the contributions made to GEOSS by hundreds of government agencies and national and international agencies and organizations. The report can be downloaded by clicking on the image on the left.

 

 

 

GEO brochure

“Observing the Earth and monitoring its host of complex systems is a role no one organization masters. GEO is providing the structure and opportunity for governments and organizations to actively seek better solutions for our changing planet. GEOSS as an emerging public infrastructure could prove as essential to economic and social progress in the 21st century as new transport and communications systems were in the 20th.” José Achache, GEO Secretariat Director. Read the GEO brochure

 

 

 

GEO Information Kit

The GEO Information Kit is a collection of information sheets published in February 2008. The first two introductory sheets describe the Group on Earth Observations, and the “system of systems”, or GEOSS, that it is constructing. The next nine sheets explain the “Societal Benefit Areas”, or SBAs, which provide a convenient reference-frame for understanding GEO and GEOSS. None of these areas, of course, exists in isolation: much of the value of GEOSS lies in its ability to integrate information across disciplines. This collection therefore concludes with several sheets on issues that cut across, and are relevant to, all of the Societal Benefit Areas. Read the GEO Information Kit.

 

The Full Picture

Launched in November 2007, the Full Picture is a full-colour publication detailing selected Early Achievements and other Earth observation projects and services. You can download "The Full Picture" by clicking on the image on the left.

 

 

 

The First 100 Steps to GEOSS

The Early Achievements that governments and organizations had contributed to GEOSS as of 2007 have each been summarized in a two-page brief and collected in a document entitled “The First 100 Steps to GEOSS”.

 

Ad Hoc GEO documents

Sixth Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-6)

14-15 February 2005, Brussels, Belgium

GEO-6 Summary As Adopted 25 April 2005

Presentations

IOC International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG/ITSU) Presentation Overview of Documents for Third EO Summit GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan Reference Document presentation - (IPTT) GEO-6 Forward Planning: Decisions and Documents

Fifth Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-5)

29-30 November 2004, Ottawa, Canada

GEO-5 Summary

Presentations

Administrative Presentation GEO-4 Summary Draft GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan and Status Report on Reference Document World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Proposal to Host GEO Secretariat IGOS-P Input for the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan Transition Planning Arrangements for GEO-6 and EO Summit III

Official Statements

“Watching the Globe Globally,” Statement by the Honourable Stéphane Dion, M.P., P.C, Minister of the Environment, Canada Statement of the Honourable R. John Efford, P.C., M.P., Minister of Natural Resources, Canada POGO Statement - Brest Communiqué Adopted by POGO at their Sixth Meeting at Brest, France (30 November 2004)

GEO Special Session on Governance

27-28 September 2004, Brussels, Belgium

Presentations

New Members and Interested Organizations Governance in the 10-Year Implementation Plan Previous Activities on GEO Governance Analysis of Comments on Governance of GEOSS Report of Resources Group Discussion GEO Host Responsibilities Possible Guidance Text for Consideration by the IPTT in Drafting the Governance Section of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan Arrangements for GEO-5 Arrangements for GEO-6 and Third EO Summit

Official Statements

IGOS-P Statement: Value of the IGOS Partnership and its Themes for the GEO Implementation Process Statement by Ambassador Raimundo Gonzalez, Chile Suggestion on GEO Structure, China Delegation

Fourth Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-4)

22-23 April 2004, Tokyo, Japan

Third Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-3)

25-27 February 2004, Cape Town, South Africa

Second Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-2)

28-29 November, 2003, Baveno, Italy

First Plenary Session of the Ad Hoc GEO (GEO-1)

1-2 August 2003, Washington, D.C., USA

News Items

2014 Geneva Summit documents (17 January 2014)

• Geneva Declaration (as adopted 17 January 2014)
• Report on Progress

Statements

Australia Brazil Canada China Colombia Croatia Egypt European Commission Finland France Georgia Germany Ghana Indonesia Italy Japan Korea, Republic of Madagascar Mexico Morocco Netherlands Niger Norway Paraguay Philippines Portugal Romania Russian Federation South Africa Sweden United Kingdom United States

CEOS COSPAR EEA ESA EUMETSAT EuroGeoSurveys GSDI IAF IAG IEEE IHO ISPRS UNCBD UNISDR WMO

2010 Beijing Summit documents (5 November 2010)

• Beijing Declaration (as adopted 5 November 2010)
• Report on Progress

Statements

Argentina Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Canada Central African Republic China Croatia Denmark Estonia European Commission (French - English) Finland France Germany Greece India Italy Japan Korea, Republic of Nepal Netherlands Niger Norway Peru Russian Federation Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand United Kingdom United States

CEOS COSPAR DIVERSITAS ECMWF ESA EUMETSAT EuroGeoSurveys FAO GCOS GSDI GTOS IAG ICIMOD ICSU IEEE IISL ISDE ISPRS IUGS Joint UN Agencies OGC POGO

2007 Cape Town Summit documents (30 November 2007)

• Cape Town Declaration (as adopted 30 November 2007)
• Report on Progress
• Annex of Early Achievements to the Report on Progress

Statements

AARSE Argentina Australia Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China COSPAR Croatia Denmark DIVERSITAS EC Egypt EIS EUMETSAT Finland France GCOS Germany GOOS GSDI Honduras IAG-GGOS ICSU IEEE

IHO India Iran Italy Japan Korea Nepal New Zealand Niger Norway OGC Panama POGO Portugal Romania Russian Federation Slovenia South Africa Spain Thailand The Netherlands UK UNEP/FAO/UNESCO/IOC/WMO UNOOSA US

EOS Summits documents

Third Earth Observation Summit (EOS III)

16 February 2005, Brussels, Belgium

(visit the EOS III website for more information)

Third Summit Resolution (as adopted 16 February 2005) Third Summit Tsunami Communiqué (as adopted 16 February 2005)

Second Earth Observation Summit (EOS II)

25 April 2004, Tokyo, Japan

(visit the EOS II website for more information)

Second Summit Communiqué (as adopted 25 April 2004) Framework for GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan: From Observation to Action – Achieving Comprehensive, Coordinated, and Sustained Earth Observations for the Benefit of Humankind (as adopted 25 April 2004)

First Earth Observation Summit (EOS I)

31 July 2003, Washington, DC, USA

First Summit Declaration (as adopted 31 July 2003)

Eleventh Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-XI) - 13-14 November 2014 • Geneva, Switzerland

Final Documents

Draft GEO-XI Report GEO-XI Meeting Outcomes Agenda Draft Report of GEO-X List of New Members Recognition of Participating Organizations Evaluation of Observers GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025: Implementing GEOSS Towards Data Management Principles Assessment of Progress - Target and Task Fifth Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation (Weather, Water, Climate) and Executive Committee Response Progress in the Implementation of Recommendations of GEOSS Evaluations GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan Update AfriGEOSS Implementation Plan 2014 Report of the Executive Committee Updates to Rules of Procedure Membership of Implementation Boards

GEO-XI presentations: Implementation Plan Working Group Update Plenary Discussion of Framework for Engagement Towards Data Management Principles - (Report of progress of the Task Force on Data Management Principles) Data Sharing Working Group Update 3rd Assessment of Progress against the GEOSS 2015 Strategic Targets - Implementation Boards' status report Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group Update GEOSS Implementation 2014 Highlights and GEOCAB GEO Appathon Update Architecture Implementation Pilot Phase 7 Update Plenary Feedback on Implementation Plan Working Group Update AfriGEOSS - An Initiative to Implement GEOSS in Africa Ministerial Working Group Composition Statements by Member Countries and Participating Organizations: Armenia Brazil Bulgaria Canada China Colombia European Commission Finland France Georgia Germany Japan Korea, Republic of Madagascar Netherlands Niger Peru Russian Federation South Africa United States CEOS ESA EuroGeoSurveys GCOS i-BEC IHO IUGG MKF POGO UNITAR UNOOSA

Tenth Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-X) - 15-16 January 2014 • Geneva, Switzerland

Final Documents

Draft GEO-X Report GEO-X Meeting Outcomes Agenda Report of GEO-IX List of New Members Recognition of Participating Organizations Preliminary Guidance for GEO 2025 Preparation of the GEOSS Implementation Plan Assessment of Progress - Target and Task Fourth Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation Report of the Executive Committee (Rev2)

GEO-X presentations: Preparation of the GEOSS Implementation Plan (GEO Post- 2015) Implementation Boards 2nd Assessment of Progress against the GEOSS 2015 Strategic Targets GEOSS Implementation 2013 Highlights Report on Progress 2011-2013 Highlights from the Report of the Fourth Evaluation: Disasters, Energy, and Health GEO-GNOME: the GEO Global Network for Observations and information in Mountain Environments AfriGEOSS Statements by Member Countries and Participating Organizations: Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China Colombia European Commission France Germany Italy Japan Madagascar Paraguay Russian Federation South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland United States AARSE CEOS COSPAR DIVERSITAS ECMWF EEA EPOS ESA EUMETSAT EU SatCen FAO ICIMOD ICSU IAF IAG IEEE IHO IOC ISDE ISPRS ITC IUGS OGC RCMRD UNCBD UNECA WCRP

Geneva Ministerial Summit outcomes Can be found here.

Ninth Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-IX) - 22-23 November 2012 • Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

Final Documents

Draft report of GEO-IX GEO-IX Meeting Outcomes Report of GEO-VIII List of New Members Recognition of Participating Organizations Assessment of Progress against the GEOSS 2015 Strategic Targets GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan Implementation Report, Task Assessment Third Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group Proposal GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan Annual Update AfriGEOSS - An Initiative to Build GEOSS in Africa Global Forest Observation Initiative (GFOI) Task Force Progress Report GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) Report of Data Sharing Working Group Engaging the Private Sector in the Implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) GEO Post-2015 Working Group Interim Report Secretariat Operations Budget for 2013 Report of the Executive Committee to Plenary Adoption of Rules of Procedure

Eight Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-VIII) - 16-17 November 2011 • Istanbul, Turkey

Documents

Draft report of GEO-VIII GEO-VIII Meeting Outcomes Report of GEO-VII List of New Members Recognition of Participating Organizations 2009-2011 Work Plan Progress Report Second Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group Progress Report Report of the Data Sharing Task Force and Status of Data-CORE Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories Progress Report The GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) GEOSS African Water Cycle Coordination Initiative and Capacity Development The Black Sea Environment Project (enviroGRIDS) Report GEO Global Drought Monitor Hydrological Extremes Monitoring, Forecasting, and Early Warning The Launch of the G20 Global Agricultural Geo-Monitoring Initiative (GEO-GLAM) GEO Global Forest Observations Inititative (GFOI)-Implementation Plan Report of the Architecture and Data Committee Report of the Capacity Building Committee Report of the Science and Technology Committee Report of the User Interface Committee GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan GEO Work Plan Management Secretariat Operations Budget for 2012 Establishement of Post-2015 Working Group

Seventh Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-VII) - 3-4 November 2010 • Beijing, China

Documents

Draft report of GEO-VII Report of GEO-VI List of New Members Recognition of Participating Organizations 2009-2011 Work Plan Progress Report Mid-Term Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation GEOSS Data Sharing Action Plan GCI Coordination Team Report 2009-2011 Work Plan Annual Update GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan Development Process and Schedule 2011 GEOSS Evaluation Planning Forest Carbon Tracking and the Global Forest Observation Initiative (GFOI) Report of the Architecture and Data Committee Report of the Capacity Building Committee Report of the Science and Technology Committee Report of the User Interface Committee Report of the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group Report of the Executive Committee Secretariat Operations Budget for 2011 Amendments to the Rules of Procedure GEO-VII Meeting Outcomes GEO-VII Draft Attendance List

Presentations

GEOSS Work Plan Progress Highlights presentation

Sixth Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-VI) - 17-18 November 2009 • Washington DC, United States

Final Documents

Draft report of GEO-VI Report of GEO-V 2009-2011 Work Plan Progress Report Implementation Guidelines for the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles The Forest Carbon Tracking Project The GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) The GEO Baseline Initiative Report of the Ministerial Summit Task Force Secretariat Operations Budget for 2010 GEOSS Strategic Targets GEOSS Monitoring and Evaluation 2009-2011 Work Plan Annual Update Report of the Executive Committee Report of the Architecture and Data Committee Report of the User Interface Committee Role of Participating Organizations GEO-VI Attendance List

Presentations

GEO 2009-2011 Work Plan 2009 Progress Highlights GEO Baseline Initiative The GEO Forest Carbon Tracking (FCT) initiative Integrated Global Carbon Observations Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observing Network ADC presentation CBC presentation STC presentation UIC presentation

Fifth Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-V) - 19-20 November 2008 • Bucharest, Romania

Final Documents

Agenda List of New Members Report of GEO-IV Recognition as Participating Organizations Report on GEOSS Common Infrastructure Report on Data Sharing Principles Process Paper and Implementation Guidelines GEO BON - Implementation Overview 2007-2009 Work Plan Progress Report Report of the Target Task Team (T3) Strategic Targets GEOSS Implementation by 2015 GEOSS Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 2009-2011 Work Plan Completion of IGOS-P Transition Report of the Executive Committee to Plenary Secretariat Operations Budget for 2009 US Invitation for GEO-VI GEO BON Concept Document GEO-V Attendance List Review of GEO-V Outcomes

Fourth Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-IV) - 28-29 November 2007 • Cape Town, South Africa

Final Documents

Report of GEO-III Report from the Architecture and Data Committee Report from the User Interface Committee Report from the Science and Technology Committee Report from the Capacity Building Committee Schedule of meetings for 2008 GEO Energy Strategic Plan Weather, Climate and Earth System Prediction Mobilizing Resources for Implementing GEOSS - The Seville Roadmap Tactical Guidance for current and potential contributors to GEOSS Strategic Guidance for current and potential contributors to GEOSS The role of Science and Technology in GEOSS GEO Report on Progress Annex of Early Achievements to the Report on Progress Review of GEO-IV Outcomes

Third Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-III) - 28-29 November 2006 • Bonn, Germany

Final Documents

Agenda Report of GEO-II New Members Since GEO-II Guidelines for Recognition of Participating Organizations Resolution on Audit Guidelines for Additional Contributions Non-Paper on Executive Committee Terms Director’s Note on the Work Plan 2007-2009 Work Plan GEO Outreach Plan GEO Capacity Building Strategy 2007-2009 Budget 2006 Report on Resources and Expenditure 2006 General Report on GEOSS Progress Report from the Architecture and Data Management Committee Report from the Capacity Building Committee Report from the Science and Technology Committee Report from the Working Group on Tsunami Activities Master Schedule for 2007

Second Plenary Session of GEO (GEO-II) - 14-15 December 2005 • Geneva, Switzerland

Final Documents

GEO 2006 Work Plan GEO Rules of Procedure

First Plenary Session of the GEO (GEO-I) - 3-4 May 2005, Geneva, Switzerland

Summary as adopted

GEO-I Summary As Adopted

Agenda

Agenda

Presentations

Terms of Reference for the GEO Executive Committee by Helen Wood, GEO Secretariat Director GEO Executive Committee by GEO Co-Chairs Science and Technical Advice Proposal by Dominique Marbouty, ECMWF User Interface Mechanism GEO Secretariat – Contributions and Funding by Helen Wood, GEO Secretariat Director Secretariat Transition Update by Helen Wood, GEO Secretariat Director Report on 2006 Work Plan by Guy Duchossois, Work Plan Manager The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System: A Progress Report by Patricio A. Bernal, Executive Secretary IOC 2005 GEO Schedule

Videos

GEO Branding

Download here the GEO Branding Guidelines and GEO background language.

Below you can find GEO branding elements for download. Right click the format of your choice and choose "save as"

 

GEO logo

 

GEOSS logo

 

 

World with SBA icons

 

 

GEOSS climate graphic

 

 

GEO Background Language

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GEO is a partnership of governments and organizations that envisions “a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations”. GEO membership includes 104 Member governments and 109 Participating Organizations comprised of international bodies with a mandate in, and/or use of Earth observations. Together, the GEO community is creating a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) that will link Earth observation resources world-wide across multiple Societal Benefit Areas - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sustainability; Disaster Resilience; Energy and Mineral Resources Management; Food Security; Infrastructure & Transportation Management; Public Health Surveillance; Sustainable Urban Development; and Water Resources Management - and make those resources available for informed decision-making.

Below are links to several documents and resources that provide a brief overview of GEO and its activities. As GEO begins its second decade we are looking to deepen our engagement with decision makers in the government, science/research and private sectors, explore the potential value of Earth observations to these sectors, and identify existing gaps in important Earth observation data and information.

GEO Homepage - provides access to detailed information about GEO's eight Societal Benefit Areas and the GEOSS Portal (access to 200-million plus resources provided by GEO's partners).

GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025: Implementing GEOSS - adopted by the GEO-XII Plenary and Ministerial in Mexico City in November 2015, this document articulates GEO's vision and objectives for its second decade. Other key documents can be found here.

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How to Participate in GEO

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a voluntary organization and depends on the interest and energy of the international Earth observations and geospatial communities to reach its goals. There are many ways in which nations, organizations and individuals can contribute to the success of GEO and the establishment and implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS):

Become a GEO Member

Membership in GEO is open to all member States of the United Nations and to the European Commission. Membership in GEO is contingent upon formal endorsement of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan. All members belong to a regional caucus.

The regional caucuses nominate members of the Executive Committee. Many of the caucuses also hold regional consultations or organize symposia and other events focused on the regional implementation of GEOSS. The five regional caucuses and their members are listed here. Membership in GEO does not require compulsory annual dues. Members are encouraged to contribute financial resources, to the greatest extent possible, in addition to the human, intellectual and programmatic resources needed to fully implement GEOSS.

To become a Member of GEO, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org

Become a Participating Organization (PO)

GEO's Member governments welcome the engagement of Participating Organizations (PO). The participation of intergovernmental, international, and regional organizations with a mandate in Earth observation or related activities is essential to the success of GEO and GEOSS. Participation in GEO is contingent upon formal endorsement of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan and approval by GEO Members meeting in Plenary.

Currently, there are 77 Participating Organizations in GEO, which are listed here.

For more information about becoming a Participating Organization, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become/Provide a Secondee to the GEO Secretariat

Members and Participating Organizations are asked to consider providing secondments to the GEO Secretariat, to work under the direction and guidance of the GEO Secretariat Director. These individuals make a significant impact realizing the objectives of GEO and further development and acceleration of GEOSS implementation through the 2012-2015 Work Plan. Secondees also help develop the next generation of technical, programmatic and/or organizational leaders and advocates of GEO when they complete their tenure in Geneva and return to their home country and/or organization. Length of time for secondments is ideally two years.

For more information about providing a secondment or becoming a secondee, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Member of an Implementation Board

The GEO Plenary has established several Implementation Boards to assess progress toward completion of the GEOSS 10 Year Implementation Plan. The Boards identify issues, gaps, and Target objectives that require additional support from the GEO community and design and conduct actions for addressing these issues and gaps. The Boards report each year to the GEO Plenary. Members are expected to make a steady but manageable investment of time, energy and thought into the work of their respective Board. Implementation Board membership is open to individuals serving as Member or Participating Organization Representatives.

Information on current Boards and their mandates can be found here. (link)

For more information about becoming a member of an Implementation Board, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Member of a Working Group

The GEO Plenary establishes Working Groups to address aspects of GEOSS implementation and provide a mechanism for members of the GEO community to engage full in the work of GEO. Working groups provide high-level review, advice, recommendations and support in the ongoing development and implementation of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan. Working groups also actively promote the implementation of GEOSS activities described in the annual Work Plan.

Information on current Working Groups and their mandates can be found here.

For more information about becoming a member of a Working Group, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become Task Coordinator

Task Coordinators are individuals drawn from the Component Leads (see below) involved in a specific Task in the GEO Work Plan. Task Coordinators plan and set the approach for the Task to meet relevant GEOSS 2015 Strategic Targets in collaboration with the Task Team and Component Leads and foster interaction across Components. Task Coordinators look for synergies with other Work Plan Tasks, ensure that Communities of Practice are engaged in relevant Task Components, and represent the Task to the Implementations Boards.

For more information about becoming a Task Coordinator, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Component Point of Contact

A Component Point of Contact (PoC) serves as the single point of contact for all those involved and interested in a Task Component. The PoC facilitates the development of the Component's approach and delivery of results, and reports on progress to the GEO community. The PoC supports coordination of Components at the Task level in collaboration with the Task Coordinator and serves as a liaison with Communities of Practice.

For more information about becoming a Component Point of Contact, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Component Lead

Component Leads work in close collaboration with Component Points of Contact (see below), other Component Leads and contributors to identify key outputs and milestones to help implement GEOSS. Component Leads monitor and deliver progress toward those outputs and milestones, support contributors, and identify gaps and skills needed to support the Component and encourage additional contributions to address these needs. Component Leads communicate with the Component Point of Contact regarding progress made and impediments to implementation of the Component.

For more information about becoming a Component Lead, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Component Contributor

Component Contributors support the implementation of a Task Component through selected activities and projects by providing financial or in-kind resources. Component Contributors assist in recruiting additional Members or Participating Organizations to support the Component, particularly in their own region or discipline, actively engage user communities, and provide advice and information to Component Leads on user requirements and best practices.

For more information about becoming a Component Contributor, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Become a Member of a Community of Practice

Communities of Practice include representatives from GEO Members, Participating Organizations and any other stakeholders that have similar interests or objectives - working closely together as a GEO forum for intelligence and advice for the successful implementation of GEOSS. Each Community of Practice will have slightly different objectives, however common objectives include: identify, gather, and seek agreement on particular user community requirements; provide a forum for cooperation of activities where GEOSS adds value to existing initiatives; identify linkages and opportunities for collaborative strategic and technical projects; and coordinate the delivery of GEOSS Targets to enable the realization of societal benefits.

For more information about becoming a member of a Community of Practice, please contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.

Secretariat contact
e-mail:    secretariat@geosec.org phone:    +41 22 730 8505 fax:    +41 22 730 8520		address:    GEO Secretariat    7 bis, avenue de la Paix    Case postale 2300    CH-1211 Geneva 2    Switzerland

News Update JUNE 2015 Congratulations and welcome. Zimbabwe becomes the 98th member of GEO Click here to access the GEOGLAM Crop Monitor Report for June UPCOMING MEETINGS EARSeL symposium, accompanied by Temporal Analysis and Coastal Zone workshops, Stockholm, Sweden 15 - 19 June Webinar: Wetlands, biological diversity and the role of Earth observations 18 June Our Common Future Under Climate Change Conference, Paris, France 7 July - 10 July Trusted data services to support climate change research, Paris, France 6 July 9am-2pm Science and the Road to Transformation: Opportunities in the post-2015 global climate regime, Paris, France 6 July 2pm-5pm International Summer Programme: Sustainable Water Management in an era of big data, University of Tokyo 27 July - 7 August The 8th GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium: Towards the Next Decade of GEOSS in the Asia-Pacific Region, Beijing, China 9 - 11 September Research Data Alliance Plenary and Climate Change Data Challenge, Paris 23 - 25 September UNGA high-level plenary Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda 25 - 27 September ISDE 2015: "Towards a One-World Vision for the Blue Planet" Halifax, Canada 5 - 9 October Earth Observation Open Science 2.0, Esrin, Frascati, Italy 12 - 14 October Hackathon, Esrin, Frascati, Italy 15 - 16 October Arctic Circle Assembly, Reykjavik, Iceland 16 - 18 October GEO-XII and 2015 Mexico City Ministerial Summit 9 - 13 November Latin America Geospatial Forum, Mexico 10 - 12 November GEO-XII Plenary & Mexico City Ministerial Summit   GEO short video competition Filmmakers – make a three minute video on how GEO and Earth observations are helping address global and regional challenges. Three finalists will be screened during the Mexico City Ministerial Summit. Competition closes end September.   Organize a Side Event at GEO-XII Plenary Last call for meeting rooms available 9-12 November for Side Events at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hilton Reforma (free of charge).   Register for a booth at the GEO Exhibition together with LAGF A GEO Exhibition booth is a great way to showcase achievements to inform decision making. Due to the fact that the Latin America Geospatial Forum is held at the same time in the same venue, this GEO Exhibition has a larger audience than ever before.   Policy Connections   World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction confirms important role of Earth Observations The Global Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-30 listed development of Earth Observation and its information infrastructure as a priority.   GEO supports 'Our Common Future Under Climate Change' side events in Paris, pre-COP21 Our Common Future Under Climate Change, a four-day International Scientific Conference ahead of the 21st UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris will feature two side events on 6 July supported by GEO and hosted by the International Council for Science (ICSU):   (1) 'Trusted data services to support climate change research' is convened by the World Data System. (2) 'Science and the Road to Transformation: Opportunities in the post-2015 global climate regime' is convened by ICSU.   Integrating Arctic research, Tomayama Conference Statement Scientists, policy makers and indigenous peoples coordinated plans to better understand and plan for changes in the Arctic environment at the Arctic Science Summit Week in Toyama, Japan in April.   Open Data   174 million resources and counting GEOSS now has more than 174 million resources discoverable on its Portal thanks to interoperability arrangements with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (Switzerland), ESA Federated Earth Observation Pilot (European Commission) Chile Geoportal, Geoscience Australia, the National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information in France and Digital Globe (US). Click here for the latest GEOSS brokered capacities report.   Open data policy endorsed at quadrennial WMO Congress The WMO Congress adopted a new policy for International Exchange of Climate Data and Products to Support the Implementation of the GFCS, recognizing the value of GFCS data and products being made accessible on a free and unrestricted basis. A new Secretary General was elected; Petteri Taalas from Finland was elected to a four-year term starting 1 January 2016. He will succeed Michel Jarraud.   World Elevation Data free of charge The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will begin publishing elevation sets with a resolution of 30 meters horizontally. First areas are South and South East Asia, expanding to global coverage.   Landsat data just got better The USGS has improved processing of Landsat data including balancing lighting variance due to time of day or season, improving data consistency and comparability so it is easier to use.   Putting Data to Use   Global Atlas for renewable energy launches pocket-sized tool The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announces the launch of an app available for smartphones which allows users to plan for renewable energy products and help realize global renewable energy potentials. The app accesses the IRENA Global Atlas data catalogue which is part of the energy community portal Webservice-energy.org developed by MINES ParisTech offering services for the GEO energy community and has been enabled for interoperability through GEOSS.   Copernicus Masters University Challenge Students and research associates are invited to submit creative ideas on using Earth observation to meet market needs. The University Challenge is supported by GEO. Along with a EUR 1,000 cash prize, winners will receive a consulting package to develop their business case at an ESA Business Incubation Center, satellite data quota and will present the winning service at the GEO-XII Plenary meeting.   Smartphone app competition winners Smartphone apps using open or crowd-generated data on dark skies, non-native species, allergies and natural hazards are some of the competition winners selected for European Commision funding, for release at GEO-XII in November.   GEO’s capacity building resource portal doubles The number of resources such as training material, best practices and marketing tool kits registered on the GEOCAB portal have doubled since its launch at the GEO-XI plenary in November 2014.   Addressing the challenges of Big Data The engineers building the GEO System of Systems describe how Big Data will impact the digital tool’s infrastructure in a recent paper published in Science Direct.   Country-Level Engagement   Strengthening Senegal's Agriculture policy Senegal's Ministry of Agriculture has been collecting data since 1984 and is now improving data and analysis, consolidating data and creating a model to improve yield forecasting.   GEO’s partners respond to Nepal Earthquake Satellite and in-situ data are provided by participating organizations for an event supersite in response to the magnitude 7.9 Earthquake and subsequent shocks and earthquakes.   Multiple satellite eyes to track algal threat to U.S. Freshwater A $3.6 million research project has NASA, NOAA, EPA and USGS collaborating to analyse ocean color satellite data for early warning on algal blooms in freshwater systems, and public health advisories.   Building Knowledge and Capacity   Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development Participants from 18 African countries as well as international organizations including GEO BON and GBIF attended the event organized by the South Africa National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and made a joint statement referencing the importance of Earth observations for biodiversity.   Workshop on Capacity Building and Developing Countries in Post-2015 GEO A one-day GEO workshop brought together participants for capacity-building on EO including those running programmes for education and producers of data and software tools.   GEO Water Quality Summit in Geneva GEO’s Coastal and Inland Water Quality Working Group summit set out the requirements for water quality observing system components and developed a plan to implement an integrated, global water quality monitoring and forecasting service.   Even small risks can lead to global disasters The GEO Community of Practice on Geohazards has produced a community science position paper on the often overlooked impact of low-probability high-impact geohazards, with support from ESF.   GEO in the Media   World Environment Day, 2015, #WEF2015 GEO Secretariat Barbara Ryan, along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Bertrand Piccard, joined the UNEP campaign Seven billion dreams. One planet. Consume with Care stating: "We dream of a world in which policy makers have easy access to Earth observations for sound decision- making. We pledge to advocate for broad, open data sharing so that all GEO information resources will advance the goals of Eye on Earth worldwide."   Integrating Earth Observations into political decision making Q&A with Barbara Ryan in the GÉANT project's CONNECT Magazine on the challenges of building GEOSS and the future of the System of Systems for Earth observation.     CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

RECENT GEO ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

MEMBERS AND PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

UPCOMING MEETINGS

GEO OPPORTUNITIES

News Update OCTOBER 2015 GEO has 100 Members! Congratulations and welcome to Somalia and Kenya who become the 99th and 100th Member of GEO respectively. GEO is named in the G7 Science Ministers Communiqué. In the Ministers’ summary of main action points of the meeting held in Berlin, 8 and 9 October, the following language was included: "We recognise that the sharing of Earth observation data and information will strengthen science, knowledge, and decision-making in the areas discussed today and in others. We intend to continue to work together through the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to enable policy makers to better address these environmental, health, and socio-economic challenges." UN Heads of State Adopt 2030 Global Goals UPCOMING MEETINGS Call for papers is open for the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) XXIII Congress in Prague from 12–19 July, 2016. Deadline for papers (double blind reviewed) - 30 November 2015; Deadline for abstracts (reviewed by Chairs) - 13 December 2015 ESA is organizing the first Hackathon on open-source toolboxes for Sentinel missions, 12-14 October, in ESRIN, Frascati, Italy, following the community consultation meeting on Earth Observation Open Science 2.0 The Future of the Commons: Data, Software and Beyond, 18 November 2015, Washington DC Geography2050: Exploring our Future in an Urbanized World, 19-20 November 2015 2nd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management (GISTAM) 26-27 April 2016, Rome, Italy; paper submissions by October 30th 2015 Nominations for the IASC Medal Award 2016 International Arctic Science Committee Medals are awarded in recognition of exceptional and sustained contributions to the understanding of the Arctic. Nominations for the IASC Medal 2016 can be submitted to the IASC Secretariat until 31 December 2015 Geospatial World Forum May 23-26, 2016, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Call for papers and workshops is open GEO BON Open Science Conference, July 4–9 2016, Leipzig, Pre-register now Mexico City Ministerial Summit and GEO-XII Plenary   The Group on Earth Observations Ministerial Summit 2015 will take place on 13 November 2015 in Mexico City, hosted by the Government of Mexico, with invitations to Ministers from GEO’s 100 Members and High Level representatives from the 87 Participating Organizations. Side Events at GEO-XII Plenary – Click here for a complete list of the Side Events. Please register in advance! Open sessions include:   Selected Side Events:   Regional relevance   AmeriGEOSS Town Hall, Monday 9 November from 6:30pm to 8pm, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   Copernicus and Latin America, Tuesday 10 November from 5pm to 7pm at the Hilton   AfriGEOSS, Tuesday 10 November from 2pm to 6pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   AmeriGEOSS Presentations, Tuesday 10 November from 9am to 1pm, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   Access to Data & Knowledge and New Technologies   Workshop from Data to Knowledge, Tuesday 10 November, from 2pm to 4pm at the Hilton   Citizen GEOSS, Tuesday 10 November from 9am to 1pm, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   Benefits of Data Sharing (with Reception), Tuesday 10 November from 2pm to 6pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   GEO Global Initiatives   Land Cover: Harmonized Pathways Towards Policy Needs, Monday 9 November from 2pm to 6pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   Sustainable Development Goals: Earth Observations in Service of Global Development, Tuesday 10 November, from 9am to 6pm at the Hilton   Towards Enhanced Biodiversity Observations and Products for User Needs (GEO BON), Tuesday 10 November, from 9 am to 6pm at the Hilton   The GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) Progress and Plans, Tuesday 10 November, from 9am to 1pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   GEO Water Strategy Implementation, Tuesday 10 November, from 11am to 1pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   GEOGLAM Side Event, Tuesday 10 November, from 2pm to 6pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs   Additional information on the Ministerial Summit and GEO-XII Plenary   GEO Short Video Competition open for voting   Latin America Geospatial Forum, sponsored by Geospatial Media: Strengthening Geospatial Collaboration for Sustainable Growth.   Member News and Earth Observations   President of Gabon opens AGEOS The new center for the Gabonese Agency for Study of Earth Observation (AGEOS) was inaugurated on Saturday 29 August.   China launches four Earth observation satellites The satellites will provide photographs to commercial clients while helping with harvest assessment, geological disaster prevention and resource surveys.   China-Brazil Earth observation satellite operational The CBERS_04 Earth observation satellite is the fourth to be developed by China and Brazil in a cooperation agreement signed in 1988. It became operational on 13 July following its launch on 7 December.   Himawari-8 geostationary meteorological satellite managed by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began operation on 7 July capturing Earth images over the Western Pacific region for use in weather analysis, and contributing to prevention and mitigation of disasters.   WMO report on Satellites for Climate Services The report shows uptake of Earth observation data in decision making processes through the Societal Benefit Areas of GEO and materials presented demonstrate the benefits of Earth observations.   The status of topographic mapping in the world The results of a survey of UN-wide, large scale mapping at 1:25,000 by UN-GGIM and ISPRS.   Sustainable Development Goals   The 193 Member United Nations General Assembly formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development along with a set of 17 Global Goals on 25 September.   Earth observation language is included in the final SDG outcome document Paragraph 76: We will promote transparent and accountable scaling-up of appropriate public-private cooperation to exploit the contribution to be made by a wide range of data, including Earth observation and geospatial information, while ensuring national ownership in supporting and tracking progress.   Data in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda At the Financing for Development Conference, held in Addis Ababa in July 2015, Paragraphs 125-128 emphasize the importance of data to achieve sustainable development, stating “Data access is not enough… we need to ensure access to tools to turn data into useful, actionable information.”   Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) Established by the UN Statistical Commission, the IAEG is developing an indicator framework for the monitoring of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals and their Targets. It comprises national statistical offices in open consultation with countries, regional and international agencies, civil society, academia and the private sector. GEO has raised the importance of integrating Earth observations with national statistics to better measure and monitor the SDGs to the IAEG , which is due to submit its recommended indicators to the Statistical Commission on 30 November.   The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) GEO has joined the newly formed, Global Partnership as an Anchor Partner, along with eight Governments (all GEO members: Colombia, France, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, UK and US).  Created as an outgrowth of the UN SDG development process, the Partnership will strengthen country data-ecosystems, fill critical data gaps, improve data literacy and capacity, increase data openness, sharing and leveraging, mobilize and align resources and reinforce and catalyze principles and protocols. The GPSDD is composed of Private Sector Partners, International Agencies (including three GEO Participating Organizations: the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific and FAO), as well as Statistics/Data/Research Organizations, Civil Society and Foundations.   US Department of State Fact Sheet on the Partnership mentioning GEO   The Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) report on the role of geospatial information in the Sustainable Development Goals was issued following a meeting in New York on 4 August.   Eye on Earth Second Summit Abu Dhabi   Eye on Earth Alliance Partner GEO co-sponsors Eye on Earth Summit 2015 The Group on Earth Observations recently joined global experts in science, policy-making, research and technology at the Eye on Earth Summit to address complex issues around data-sharing and informed decision-making for sustainable development.  Dr Philemon Mjwara, GEO Co-chair from South Africa delivered an address and participated on a Panel discussing data supply issues.   Eye on Earth Jason Silva video   Open Data   Research data sharing without barriers – RDA Plenary GEO Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan delivered a keynote address at the RDA Plenary in Paris on 23 September highlighting how brokering methodologies are essential for discovering and accessing Earth observations and how broad, open data policies are good for national economies.   Climate Change   Our Common Future Under Climate Change GEO participated in the International Scientific Conference held at UNESCO Headquarters in July, the largest science forum in advance of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP21) to occur in December in Paris. The GEO Secretariat participated in a Side Event hosted by the International Council for Science (ICSU): “Science and the Road to Transformation: Opportunities in the Post-2015 Global Climate Regime”.  GEO has endorsed the Conference Outcome Statement to be published and distributed during COP21. Read the article and watch the video.   GEO joined hydrology and development experts in a session ‘Let’s talk about water’ at the science, technology and innovation event at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in September in Paris.   Learn more about ‘the climate component of GEOSS’ in the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Special Issue   Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) The YOPP Summit was held at WMO in July with outcomes agreed upon by the Summit Planning Group, including the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS).   GEO Community News   Tribute to Len Hirsch A pioneering force and essential member of the US team that helped establish GEO in 2005, Len Hirsch passed away in June. He will be greatly missed by the GEO community.   GEO BON presents new generation of biodiversity indicators Technical experts from the Convention on Biodiversity  (CBD) met in Geneva in September to present a new generation of indicators integrating Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs).   9th GEO European Projects Workshop in Copenhagen 15 – 16 June The event was held during the design phase of the new GEO Strategic Plan 2016 – 2025 to build momentum and coherence in Europe around plans for the next decade.   8th GEOSS AP Symposium proceedings 220 participants from 27 countries attended the GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium held in Beijing in September.   The GEO Task “Oceans and Society: Blue Planet” held its second Symposium in Cairns, Australia, from 27 to 29 May 2015. The program included presentations, posters, discussion and workshop sessions focussing on the six Blue Planet Components.   International Symposium on Digital Earth The International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) Symposium theme “towards a one-world vision for the blue planet”.   SERVIR global network exchange Best practices shared by the SERVIR community, a joint initiative of NASA and USAID.   CEOS 2015 Strategic Implementation Team Technical Workshop EUMETSAT hosted the 2015 Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) session in Darmstadt, Germany.   European Earth Observation Networks (ENEON) A first workshop was held in September at MINES ParisTech addressed the needs for coordination and collaboration on the detection of gaps and redundancies in the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).   Global High Frequency Radar Meeting The GEO Global HF meeting coincided with the Seventh Session of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Regional Alliances.   GeoBuiz Summit Pre-conference on 9 August featured a wide variety of speakers, including Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan. See two video interviews: video 1 and video 2   GEO’s Scientific and Technical Officer, Wenbo Chu, elected to RDA Technical Advisory Board The Research Data Alliance’s Technical Advisory Board provides technical expertise and advice to the Council, assists in developing and reviewing RDA Working Groups and is responsible for the development, maintenance and evolution of the RDA Technical Strategy. Congratulations Wenbo!   ICIMOD awarded Humanitarian GIS Award GEO Participating Organization, The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, was awarded at the Esri International User Conference in July.   GEO in the Media   Nature: Environmental science: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space GEO BON’s Gary Geller joins colleagues to propose collaboration on a global biodiversity monitoring strategy.   Earthzine highlights knowledge-sharing on the Ocean Color Change Initiative Planktonologists working with GEO's Blue Planet Oceans initiative have produced the first complete piece of research on seasonal changes to microscopic life forms in the Red Sea. The findings can be used to assess oxygen generation and carbon retention and have been shared with the wider scientific community through the ESA learning platform Learn EO!   The Next frontier in agriculture science: Sentinel-2 Agriculture is a key remote sensing application with high temporal and spatial requirements such as GEOGLAM, as outlined in Fruitworld.     CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

GEO-XII Plenary Documents, Statements & Presentations

 

Documents

• GEO-XII draft report
• Agenda (Plenary Document 1)
• Recognition and Statements from New Members (Plenary Document 2)
• Review of Applications for Observer Status (Plenary Document 3)
• Approval of the Draft GEO-XI Report (Plenary Document 4)
• Summary Assessment of Progress – Targets and Tasks (Plenary Document 5)
• Report of the Sixth and Summative Evaluation of GEOSS Implementation (Plenary Document 6)
• Monitoring and Evaluation (Plenary Document 7)
• Implementation Boards Considerations (Plenary Document 8)
• The Value of Open Data Sharing (Plenary Document 9)
• Data Management Principles Implementation Guidelines (Plenary Document 10)
• Presentation by theImplementation Plan Working Group (IPWG) of the GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025: Implementing GEOSS (Ministerial Document 4) and Reference Document (Plenary Document 11)
• Transition Plan (Plenary Document 12)
• Appointment of the Programme Board (Plenary Document 13)
• Revised Criteria for Observers, Participating Organizations and Moratorium (Plenary Document 14)
• 2016 Work Programme (Plenary Document 15)
• Proposed 2016 Budget (Plenary Document 16)
• Updates to Rules of Procedure (Plenary Document 17)
• 2015 Report of the Executive Committee (Plenary Document 18)
• 2014 Financial Statements and Report of the External Auditor (Plenary Document 19)
• Interim Report on Income and Expenditure (Plenary Document 20)
• Mexico City Declaration (Ministerial Document 3)
• Mexico City Ministerial Programme (Ministerial Document 1)
• Mexico City Ministerial Summit Agenda (Ministerial Document 2)
• GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025 as approved at GEO-XII (Ministerial Document 4)

 

Press release - Mexico City, 13 November, 2015: GEO Commits to unleash the power of open data to address global challenges

 

Statements by Member Countries and Participating Organizations:

Armenia Australia Canada Chile China Colombia Croatia Ecuador European Commission Finland Germany India Iran

Israel Japan Korea, Republic of Madagascar Russian Federation South Africa Spain Sweden United States Zimbabwe CEOS CODATA COSPAR

ECMWF EEA ESA ESIP EUMETSAT EuroGeoSurveys Future Earth GBIF GCOS GSDI ICIMOD IEEE IIASA

INCOSE IOC ISPRS ITC POGO UNEP UNOOSA WCRP WDS

A combination of all GEO-XII statements can be downloaded here for quick searches on a specific topic

Presentations

Presentations can be downloaded from here

 

Mexico City Ministerial Summit Documents

 

Documents

• Mexico City Declaration (Ministerial Document 3)
• Mexico City Ministerial Programme (Ministerial Document 1)
• Mexico City Ministerial Summit Agenda (Ministerial Document 2)
• GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025 as approved at GEO-XII (Ministerial Document 4)

 

 

Opening Remarks by Carlos Moedas - Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, European Commission

Opening Remarks and Closing Remarks of GEO Co-Chair Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, People's Republic of China

 

Press release - Mexico City, 13 November, 2015: GEO Commits to unleash the power of open data to address global challenges

 

Statements by Member Countries and Participating Organizations:

Armenia Australia Canada Chile China Colombia Croatia Denmark

Estonia Finland France India Iran Japan Korea, Republic of Norway

Romania Russian Federation South Africa Sweden Zimbabwe CEOS COSPAR IEEE

IHO INCOSE ISPRS OGC UNEP UNOOSA WMO

News Update FEBRUARY 2016 GEO has 102 Members!   Congratulations and welcome to Uruguay as the 101st GEO Member and to The United Arab Emirates as the 102nd GEO Member. GEO Ministerial Summit in Mexico City outcomes UPCOMING MEETINGS February 1 – 2 TIGER workshop 2016: Looking after Water for Sustainable Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Bringing together the African communities for water resources management and Earth Observations to discuss the launch of the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions, the publication of the open-source Water Observation Information System and approval of the 6th Sustainable Development Goal for Water and Sanitation February 2- 3, GEO Programme Board, Geneva February 10 – 12, GIM International Summit Update a closer link between society’s needs and geospatial solutions. March 1 – 3 Research Data Alliance 7th Plenary, Tokyo, Japan. A working meeting that brings together data scientists, librarians, computer and domain scientists, policy makers and strategists. March 2 – 4, Global Climate Observation: the Road to the Future, GCOS Open Science Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. First event of its kind. Registration by 15 February. March 8 – 9 GEO Executive Committee Meeting, Geneva, Switzerland. March 10, Data to Decisions: valuing the societal benefits of geospatial information, Paris, France, organizing committee – GEOValue community, in collaboration with OECD, NASA and USGS. Registration closes Feb 8. March 16 – 17, InterMET Asia 2016 conference, Singapore. Featuring expert sessions dedicated to specific weather affected areas. See all meetings here GEO Programme Board   The Programme Board, held in Geneva, Switzerland, 2 - 3 February 2016, has elected three Co-Chairs: John Matuszak, Senior Policy Advisor - U.S. Department of State (US); Tim Haigh, Manager - Information Resources, European Environment Agency (EEA); Pengde Li, Deputy Director-General, National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (China) For the first time, Participating Organizations elected as Observers to the Executive Committee are CEOS, GOOS and WMO   GEO-XII Plenary and Ministerial Summit   The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) held its twelfth Plenary session and fourth Ministerial Summit in Mexico City from 11 to 13 November 2015 with commitments to share data on Earth observations at a time of exponential data growth, human development and climate change. Read more...   Participating Organizations gain prominence in GEO through new arrangements that enable them to play a larger role in the next decade of GEO.   GEO-XII Plenary documents, Statements and presentations and Mexico City Ministerial Summit documents.   GEO-XII Side Event on SDGs.   GEO's Global Agricultural Monitoring programme GEOGLAM held its first Advisory Committee meeting.   The Value of Open Data Sharing white paper prepared for the GEO Plenary by the ICSU Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) shows how shared Earth Observation data brings a multitude of environmental and economic benefits.   GEO and UN-GGIM organized a Land Cover Side Event focusing on harmonized pathways towards policy needs. Data providers and users of land cover data attended and key outcomes, background material and all presentations can be accessed at the event website.   GEO-XII Side Event on AfriGEOSS highlighted the importance of collaboration in Africa in order to use Earth observations to address societal needs. Participants highlighted projects and initiatives they are undertaking.   COP-21 Paris Agreement   195 Member states signed up to the Paris Agreement on climate change adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) on Saturday 12 December. It will be open for one year for signature on 22 April 2016 -Mother Earth Day.   GEO is referenced in the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice SBSTA document circulated prior to COP-21, see paragraphs 8, 19 and 30.   GEO Members, Participating Organizations and the GEO Secretariat participated in various aspects of COP-21 including:   GEO Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan participated in a round table discussion hosted by the U.S. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Climate Services a Global Public Good: Transboundary Collaboration, Science and Data innovation.   Director Ryan was also a panelist in a session hosted by the Nordic members with the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) titled Trust but Verify towards a comprehensive Global Observation, Information and Verification System on Greenhouse Gases.   UNFCCC: SBSTA documents Submissions from Observers, SBSTA 43 1 – 4 Dec.   UNFCCC LPAA: Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change adaptation.   UNFCCC: The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), partnered by the World Bank; WMO and UNISDR came together to launch the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative - to mobilize $100m by 2020 in a trust fund.   UNFCCC: Launch of the UNFCCC Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) Engagement Platform.   CEOS: New Climate Chapter for CEOS Database. Content links to existing comprehensive information on Missions, Instruments and Measurements of CEOS agency EO mission and includes information on Essential Climate Variables (ECVs).   CEOS: CEOS Earth Observation Handbook. The CEOS Earth Observation Handbook presents the main capabilities of satellite Earth observations, their applications and a systematic overview of present and planned CEOS agency Earth observation satellite missions and their instruments.   ESA: Why is soil moisture an essential climate variable.   ICSU and CODATA: "Open Data in a Big Data World" – the publication authored by four organizations led by CODATA/ICSU includes guiding principles on open access to big data.   ICSU: The International Council for Science and Climate Change, 60 years of facilitating climate change research and informing policy. Highlighting the scientific community’s contributions to the development of climate science and ICSU’s role in facilitating collaboration to inform policy. GEO has a one-page description and is referenced for its coordinating role with GCOS.   UNEP: The Adaptation Gap 2014 complementary to the annual Emissions Gap report. Assessment of the gap bringing emissions down to the levels required by 2020.   WMO: The Global Carbon Budget 2015, said that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and industry increased by 0.6% in 2014, with a total of about 9.8 Gigatonnes of carbon emitted to the atmosphere. This is 60% above emissions in 1990, the Kyoto Protocol reference year.   WMO: Satellites for Climate Services, Case Studies for establishing an architecture for climate monitoring from space published by WMO and the European Commission Joint Research Center. Case studies from around the world show satellites can provide a critical baseline for many climate services.   Sustainable Development Goals   GEO has committed to undertake a significant new initiative to integrate Earth observations and geospatial information in the design and implementation of national processes to measure and monitor progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus will be on GEO creating collaborations between the national GEO community and the National Statistical Officers in individual countries to maximize the potential contributions of Earth observations and geospatial information to their efforts to measure progress toward the specific indicators. The final decision on the number, type and formulation of the indicators in the final proposal of the set of global indicators will be taken by the IAEG-SDG Members. The UN Statistical Commission will review the proposal and submit it to ECOSOC and UN General Assembly for adoption.   GEO is working closely with the UN Statistics Division and the UN Global Geospatial Management Initiative (UN GGIM) to develop this dialogue on a global basis, beginning with a session on "Geospatial Information and Earth Observations: Supporting Official Statistics in Monitoring the SDGs", to be held during the 47th Annual Meeting of the UN Statistical Commission on 7 March 2016.   Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data   GEO continues to contribute to the GPSDD initiative through the participation of the following community members:   Interim Steering Committee: Barbara Ryan, GEO Secretariat Director; John Matuszak, USGEO; Data Principles and Policies: Catherine Doldirina, European Commission (co-facilitator); Simon Hodson, CODATA Data Collaboratives: William Sonntag, USGEO Architecture: Stefano Nativi, Italy   GEO news from Members and Participating Organizations   African Union: an Group on Earth Observations supports Africa Space Policy and Strategy.   China: an International Symposium on Earth Observation for the Silk Road, organized by the International Society for Digital Earth in China highlights the use of EO technology for the Belt and Road Initiative.   European Commission: Sentinel-2 data has been opened online.   Mexico: Dr. Julio A. Santaell-Castell was appointed President of INEGI by its Governing Board and the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto.   South Africa: Science Forum South Africa (SFSA) Science Diplomacy Awards Committee awarded GEO with the SFSA Science Diplomacy Award in the category recognizing "an international science partnership which has made an outstanding contribution to advancing global sustainable development".   United States: USGEO Program’s new draft Common Framework for Earth Observation Data clearly makes reference to GEO Data Management Principles.   United States: Department of the Interior launches new, interactive web tool to show effects of 16-Year drought in the Colorado River Basin, following the White House Roundtable on Water Innovation.   US and EU: Jason-3, a U.S.-European satellite mission, was successfully launched on 17 January to track the rate of global sea-level rise and forecast the strength of tropical cyclones.   Belmont Forum: the Belmont Forum has for the first time adopted an Open Data Policy and Principles. GEO is mentioned as a partner in the implementation of the e-infrastructure initiative.   GCOS: released its report Status of the Global Observing System for Climate (GCOS-195) which was submitted to the 43rd session of the SBSTA, at COP-21. The report can be downloaded here.   International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) closed at the end of 2015 after almost three decades of coordinating international research on global change. Its work is continued by activities in Future Earth, a Participating Organization in GEO.   ITU: at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) held in Geneva from 2 to 27 November 2015, a the GEO community need to preserve the 5350-5470 MHz frequency range, which is of high importance to the Copernicus Sentinel-series satellites and other Earth observation (EO) missions of GEO Members were incorporated into the WMO position. The use of this radio frequency band was not modified.   POGO: featured in Science magazine’s article New sensors promise better picture of world ocean health.   UNECE: GEO contributed to a Task Force on the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Geneva on December 10.   UNGGIM: Greg Scott of UN-GGIM is awarded Geospatial Ambassador of the Year 2015.   Publications   The Remote Sensing Handbook (CRC Press) is three volumes with contributions from 300 leading global experts. The handbook is a reference for remote sensing students, professors, scientists, professionals practitioners and experts. The technical handbook includes up-to-date examples of successful projects and case studies, and explains in detail, state-of-the-art space-borne, air-borne and ground-based remote-sensing systems.   Spatial Data Infrastructures in Africa: A Gap Analysis, coauthored by UNEP, UNIGE, UNECE and GEO Secretariat (Journal of Environmental Informatics).   Climate Change and Satellites, Knowledge for action, see article by Barbara Ryan and Andre Obregon, GEO Secretariat p.170 (Thales Alenia Space).   GEO in the news – GEO-XII Plenary and Mexico City Ministerial Summit   GEO-XII Plenary and 2015 Ministerial Summit, IISD Reporting Services.   Live coverage of GEO-XII, Earthzine, including the following: • "Environmental intelligence starts with our ability to take the pulse of the planet" NOAA Administrator and GEO Co-chair Kathryn Sullivan and • "Science is fundamental to every decision we make" Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell   European Commission to open Global Earth observation Data   WMO Meteoworld - The Power of Shared Earth Observations.   Free Data from USGS Proves Its Worth for Observing Earth.   South Africa: Minister Naledi Pandor – Group On Earth Observations Fourth Ministerial Summit.   US, Mexico sign deal on sharing satellite data directly.   Making a case for open data, p.7 OpEd, Geospatial World, December 2015 by Prof Arup Dasgupta   GEO in other news   COP’s Half full, Geospatial World November, p52 article quotes GEO Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan   Down to Earth With: GEO Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan, Earth Magazine, 18 December, Barbara Ryan interviewed by Terri Cook on her career and on GEO   Group Pushes for Using Earth observations in Decision Making, EOS magazine, 29 December Barbara Ryan interviewed by Randy Showstack, at the American Geophysical Union.   The GEOSS Portal is featured in the Geneva Data Portal, a collection of information managed by the United Nations agencies, International Organizations and NGOs based in Geneva.   NASA spinoffs: Bringing space tech to Earth, GCN magazine, 7 January, citing GEOGLAM and the Rice Decision Support System.   UAE becomes Group on Earth Observations member, Trade Arabia, 17 January.     CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

News Update APRIL 2016 Welcome aboard!   The 36th Session of the GEO Executive Committee welcomed new organizations to GEO: European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JBGIS), Mountain Research Initiative (MRI); as well as the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) as an Observer. See also EARSC is now a GEO Participating Organization! Arctic Observing Summit 2016 – What happens in the poles doesn’t stay in the poles. UPCOMING MEETINGS April 17 – 22, European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2016, Vienna, Austria. April 20 – 22 Fourth High Level Forum on United Nations Global Geospatial Information, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. April 26 – 27, 2nd International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management (GISTAM), Rome, Italy. April 26 – 27, GeoBuiz Summit, Maryland, US. April 27 – 29 AfriGEOSS Symposium, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. May 2 – 4 GIS for users of EO for decision making, Geneva, Switzerland. May 2 - 4, GEO Work Programme Symposium, Geneva, Switzerland. May 4 Open Data driving Sustainable Development for business, government, civil society, Cape Town, South Africa. May 9 – 13 ESA Living Planet Symposium, Prague, Czech Republic. May 16 – 17 International Symposium on Earth Observation for one belt and one road, Beijing, China. May 23 – 26 Geospatial World Forum, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. May 23 – 27 Sustainable Innovation Expo at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), Nairobi, Kenya. May 25 – 26, International Symposium and Workshop on Impact of Geospatial Information on Society and Economy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. May 26 – 27, 42nd G7 summit, GEO targeting Science Ministers and Heads of State communiqué. May 30 – June 3, Fourth edition of European Space Solutions, The Hague, The Netherlands. May 31 – June 2nd 9th GEO European Projects Workshop (GEPW), Berlin, Germany. See all meetings here Earth Observations for the Africa We want   The AfriGEOSS symposium 27 – 29 April attracts participants from across the continent and beyond - African Heads of State adopted the Africa Space Policy and Strategy, at the 26th African Union (AU) Summit held in January, 2016. In the resolution of adoption, the Heads of State called on AfriGEOSS, GEO’s coordination programme for Africa, to work to mobilize the Earth observation community to contribute to the implementation of the Space Policy and Strategy. For more information and to register for the AfriGEOSS symposium click here.   What happens in the poles doesn’t stay in the poles   Arctic Observing Summit 2016 - The Arctic changing fast and needs an observing system that harnesses indigenous knowledge – according to The Arctic Observing Summit 2016 Statement. GEO presented at the Third Biennial Arctic Observing summit, held in Fairbanks Alaska in March Article: What happens in the poles doesn’t stay in the poles Statement: See the Statement on the GEO Cold Region Initiative (GEOCRI). White Paper: See the GEO-co-authored White Paper Advancing Arctic observing within the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) through a focus on Community-Based Monitoring. Videos GEO Secretariat Director Barbara Ryan describes the importance of international and national strategies for sustained support of long-term Arctic observing: https://youtu.be/92i8tpErSG0?t=1h22m GEO expert on Cold Regions, Dominique Berod summarizes discussions on international collaboration on Arctic Observations in the context of Global Observing Initiatives: https://youtu.be/tDdrKGhl_4Q?t=1h18m   Open Data   Earth Data Available At No Cost. Earth imagery from a Japanese remote sensing instrument operating aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft since late 1999 is now available at no cost.   Take part in the Data Revolution – endorse the report ‘Open Data in a Big Data World’, attend the Digital Earth Summit, international Data Week or the international Open Data Conference.   USGS Partners with European Space Agency to deliver data. Landsat and Sentinel combine to deliver data in a practical way.   New assets for GEOSS from China GEOSS and the Arctic Data Archive System bring the running total to around 200 million data sets.   GEO Earth Observation Capacity Building resource facility Portal - organizations supporting GEOCAB Portal signed an MOU.   Earth as Art: A Fusion of Science and Art from USGS.   Earth Observations for the 2030 Development Agenda   Supporting Implementation of the 2030 Agenda Through Knowledge, Data and Information. GEO UN and IO roundtable outcomes.   Geospatial Information and Earth Observations: supporting official statistics in Monitoring the SDGs side event at the 47th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission 7 March in New York.   IAEG forms geospatial information subgroup at the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators meeting in Mexico City, 30 March – 1 April. The proposal was supported by GEO Members Mexico, Philippines, Senegal and Sweden.   GIS for users of Earth observations for decision making on the Sustainable Development Goals - GEO, UNOSAT and Esri to host a 3 day conference on May 2 – 4 in Geneva, Switzerland. Work Programme attendees are kindly invited to the reception hosted by ESRI - GIS for a Sustainable World Conference Symposium (Campus Biotech, Geneva). If you would like to attend this reception, please register here   Early Warning Crop Monitor confirms conditions in southern Africa continue to deteriorate for food production. GEOGLAM’s second edition of this monthly tool reveals food insecurity in several countries   The latest Early Warning Crop Monitor and Monthly Crop Monitor (for March 2016).   Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals - A Preliminary Atlas: The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Economic Forum have released a new report.   Global Forest Initiative operations highlighted on International Day of Forests. Measuring forests and carbon stocks using Earth observations.   Mountain Forests and the Sustainable Development Goals: The Mountain Research and Development(MRD) is seeking papers that assess experiences of how to manage forests so that they can provide services that analyze the state of mountain forests as well as those that help identify future research or policy in support of sustainable mountain forestry.   Geospatial Information and the Sustainable Development Goals, Deliver2030 website editorial Alvin K. Leong, Fellow, Pace Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies. A description of the kinds of contributions Earth observations can make to the SDGs.   Marine Biological Diversity was debated at the 1st Session of the Preparatory Committee regarding the Law of the Sea Convention on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.   Member and Participating Organization News   China: 35 global change/earth sciences Journals will share research. Journals have issued a common understanding to publish data openly.   Israel: Free access to Israel Meteorological Service Data. From 2012, the Israel Meteorological Service started to provide free access to real-time data and historical observations. A recent article shows that new funding frameworks based on free and open access can provide a wide range of benefits to public and private sectors.   US: Blue Economy Study demonstrates the value of Earth observations for Ocean Enterprise. The first study to look at business aspects of Earth observation measurements in oceans and water bodies.   US: NASA Sea Level Change website keeps track of sea level change and its causes from space. Find out about how NASA satellite observations help our understanding of this complex topic.   EARSC: European Earth Observation company of the year award, through ConnectinGEO, Entry deadline: 15 May 2016.   EC: ERA-PLANET launched to promote use of Earth Observations in policy-making. Designed to strengthen EO in coherence with Copernicus and European contributions to GEOSS.   IRENA Celebrates its 5th Anniversary. 4th April marked the 5th anniversary of IRENA’s formal creation as a fully-fledged intergovernmental organization.   OECD: report on Water Governance in Cities was launched at the Cities and Water Conference, in the Netherlands in February. Read the report on line or Download it for free through the OECD I-Library (Username: gov-oecd2016 - Password: oecd2016-ilibrary).   WMO: Hotter, Dryer, Wetter: WMO Statement on the status of the global climate in 2015. The year 2015 will stand out in the historical record of the global climate in many ways. Modern records for heat were broken: 2015 was a record warm year both globally and in many individual countries.   Opportunities and training materials   The GEO Secretariat is calling for expressions of interest for a short-term Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.   The following training activities relate to the GEO Work Programme, Community Activity - 32:   GlaSS training material on the use of EO data for lake water quality allows students and professionals in fields as aquatic ecology, environmental technology, remote sensing and GIS to learn about the possibilities of optical remote sensing of water quality, by using the Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites and Landsat 8. The material has been registered in the GEOCAB Portal.   CODATA is holding an International Training Workshop in Big Data for Science in Beijing 4 – 17 July. Applications should be submitted by 18 April.   The CODATA-RDA Research Data Science Summer School Trieste, Italy, 1-12 August. The first full introductory course is supported by ICTP and from The World Academy of Science, as well as CODATA and RDA.   GEO in the news   South African corn withers amid worst drought on record, Reuters/Financial Times, 10 February (requires you to be signed into the FT website). Synopsis: South Africa’s farmers are battling the worst drought on record, as crops fail and livestock perish. And it is not just South Africa. The whole southern African region has been hit by an intense drought since early 2015 that was brought on by the El Niño weather phenomenon. Countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar will also be in need of food aid, says GEOGLAM, a group that works with international organisations to monitor crop conditions in countries at risk of food insecurity.   Combining citizen and satellite biodiversity data, EC Research and Innovation website, 11 March, mentions EU BON.   Free Data Proves Its Worth for Observing Earth, A comprehensive articulation of the worth of free EO data, USGS blog, updated March 2016: Free data for earth observation) is a public good - along with public education, public roads, and public parks.   Conmemoran mañana el centenario del Observatorio de Izaña (Tenerife). La Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) conmemora este año el centenario del Observatorio Meteorológico de Izaña, ubicado en la isla de Tenerife a 2.373 metros de altitud, en un acto que se celebrará mañana en el propio Observatorio de Izaña.     CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

News Update JULY 2016 GEO has 103 Members!   Congratulations and welcome to Mongolia. Examples of how Earth observation data and information are being used for better decision making are visible in an interactive story map UPCOMING MEETINGS 30 July - 7 August 2016, The 41st Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) will be held in Istanbul (Istanbul Congress Center). 11 - 13 September 2016, “SciDataCon 2016: Advancing the Frontiers of Data in Research” conference will take place at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, Denver, Colorado, USA, as part of International Data Week (11-16 September 2016), convened by CODATA, the ICSU World Data System and the Research Data Alliance. 12 - 14 September 2016, United Nations / Austria Symposium on Integrated Space Technology Applications for Climate Change.Organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Government of Austria -with the support of the European Space Agency (including Keynotes on their Climate Change Initiative and Copernicus programme by Mr. Aschbacher) - the Symposium will be held at the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. 14 - 16 September 2016, “GEOBIA 2016: Solutions & Synergies” will take place at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente, in Enschede, The Netherlands. 26 - 30 September 2016, “The 66th International Astronautical Congress: Making Space Accessible and Affordable to all Countries” will be held at the Expo Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico. 3 - 6 October 2016, iPRES 2016,13th International Conference on Digital Preservation, Bern - Switzerland. 10 - 11 October 2016, ConnectinGEO Workshop on Gap Analysis and Prioritization will be held in IIASA Laxenburg, Austria. 12 - 13 October 2016, ENEON Plenary Workshop will be held in IIASA Laxenburg, Austria. 18 - 20 October 2016, The International Conference & Exhibition on Advanced Geospatial Science & Technology (TeanGeo 2016) is scheduled to take place in Tunis, Tunisia. 24 - 28 October 2016, The 11th International Conference of the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE 2016) will be held in Kampala, Uganda. 28 November - 1 December 2016, Pacific Islands GIS & RS User Conference 2016 theme for this year is "Improved Data, Improved Maps". It will be held in Suva, Fiji. See all meeting here GEO-XIII Plenary   The GEO-XIII Plenary and related events will take place at the Park Inn in St Petersburg, Russian Federation, 7-10 November, 2016.   GEO 37th Executive Committee Meeting   The 37th GEO Executive Committee Meeting was held in Geneva from 6 - 7 July – eight new Participating Organizations have joined GEO, which now has 103 Participating Organizations! Welcome to: Association of Geospatial Industries (AGI); African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education-English (ARCSSTEE); Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN); Global Flood Partnership (GFP); Humanitarian Open Street Map (HOT); Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS); World Ocean Council (WOC); and World Health Organization (WHO)   GEO Work Programme Symposium and Programme Board   The GEO Work Programme Symposium was held in Geneva from 2-4 May with more than 143 attendees   The second Programme Board was held 5-6 May to manage the GEO Work Programme with the main outcomes available here   AfriGEOSS Symposium in Zimbabwe   The first AfriGEOSS symposium explored the critical role of Earth observations across Africa, with 110 participants from 23 countries and regional associations   GEOSS Updates   New data providers were brokered in the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) including the Arctic Data System (ADS), the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) and the UNOSAT Flood Portal   Carbon monitoring: GFOI Web Application to Help Countries Develop National Forest Monitoring Systems through launched REDDcompass, a web application to help countries develop national forest monitoring systems and procedures to measure, report and verify associated greenhouse gas emissions   G7: The G7 Environment Ministers and the G7 Science and Technology Ministers have included several Statements relating to GEO/GEOSS and the importance of Earth observations in addressing global challenges (open science, climate change and oceans) in their respective Communiques issued at the conclusion of their 2016 meetings held in Japan in May   Landcover: Summary of the key points and outcomes of the Rotterdam Land Cover workshop held in May   GEO Cradle: Establishing a network and data hub for Earth observation in MENA and the Balkans   GPSDD: Call for Proposals on Collaborative Data Innovations for data production, dissemination and use, primarily in low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries , for sustainable development generally and linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular.   Member News   Australia: ESA and Australia's national geological survey, Geoscience Australia, today agreed to cooperate to ensure data from the EU’s Sentinel satellites are accessible in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific   Chinese Academy of Sciences and CSIRO: Research has looked at historical information on ocean temperatures in an effort to correct bias   European Commission: Open innovation, open science, open to the world, European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, featuring GEO at pages 68 and 69   Copernicus Masters 2016 calling all innovators: competition seeks applications leveraging data from space, until 25 July   Japan: ASTER: substantial increase in orders of Earth observation images as a result of free and open data policy   Morocco: Africa’s first High Frequency Radar System operational in Morocco, named SeaSonde, the system produces information about currents and waves   United States: Landsat thermal band for evapotranspiration and water-use mapping for improved water management   Participating Organization News   Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF): The Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on Earth and CAFF is measuring the effect on plants and animals   EARSC: Carried out a survey on Public Service Bodies using EO data and services to construct a complete and accurate picture of the public organisations in Europe that use EO data and services, documenting key aspects such as their involvement in, and awareness of, Copernicus and their engagement with external EO providers   UNEP: Report mapping Multilateral Environmental Agreements to the SDGs   UNGGIM: The Addis Ababa Declaration on Geospatial Information Management Towards Good Land Governance for the 2030 Agenda was issued at the High level forum held 20 – 22 April 2016, Ethiopia.   WCRP and GCOS:Established an International Data Prize, awarded annually to honour achievements in (climate) data product generation, data management, data preservation, data monitoring, and other data relevant activities by an early- to mid-career researcher. Nominations of suitable candidates should be forwarded to WCRP and GCOS), and must be received by 1 October 2016.   World Bank: Earth Observation for Water Resources Management: Current Use and Future Opportunities for the Water Sector   GEO in the news   New tool to fight food insecurity, Meteoworld, WMO   News from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), leading the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) Earth observations for the Africa We Want, Meteoworld, WMO   Earth observations to support ecosystems, International Innovation magazine, 9 June, 2016. Nine images show how satellite imagery can contribute to better decision making for the benefit of society   The 15th Global Spatial Data Infrastructure World Conference, GSDI 15 welcomes Ed Parsons as a keynote speaker   GEO: unleashing the power of Earth observations to address global challenges, Open Science EU (pages 76 - 78)   GEO Secretariat Director visit to China’s MOST   AfriGEOSS in the news   African remote sensing   The Herald, Zimbabwe   GIS café     CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

News Update DECEMBER 2016 GEO now has 103 Member governments and 106 Participating Organizations, congratulations to three new organizations for officially joining:   International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER) Logistic Management Institute (LMI) Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)   GEO-XIII Plenary and GEO 38th Executive Committee Meeting, St Petersburg, Russia   2017-2019 GEO Work Programme approved. Programme Board - Recommendations for the functions, duties, members and observers to the Programme Board were approved. Commercial Sector - Sub group reinforces further engagement. Statements - read Member and Participating Organization Statements to GEO-XIII Plenary.   ISS sends message to GEO during GEO-XIII Plenary.   Investments in open Earth observation data set to grow - Government investments in satellite and in situ Earth observations make up around 65 percent. Companies not only contribute in terms of hardware; they also stimulate provision of services.   Welcome to the Thirteenth GEO Plenary, by Barbara Ryan, Secretariat Director, GEO.   All presentations: available here. All photos are available here.   NEW! Blog "Observations"   UNFCCC Earth Info Day and open Earth observation data - ICOS represents GEO at the UNFCCC COP 22 in Marrakech.   GEOSS   New look GEOSS Portal for better access to Earth observation data – a complete transformation unveiled.   First GEO DAB API virtual workshop – protocols to build GEO DAB software applications shared with participants from across the world.   Climate   GEO supports the Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREP) to enhance access and use of data and information to help communities build climate resilience.   Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness fact sheet: Launching New Public-Private Partnership and Announcing Joint Declaration on Leveraging Open Data for Climate Resilience.   SDGs   Geospatial Information, Key to Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, commissioned by DigitalGlobe and produced by Geospatial Media & Communications, supported by knowledge partners GEO and UN-GGIM.   Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.   GEO Commitments page. Data Architectures. Earth observation for SDGs toolbox. Marketplace.   Draft paper framework for understanding SDG interactions, ICSU, 2016.   Earth observation and geospatial information are enablers for the SDGs – video interview with GEO Secretariat Director, Barbara Ryan.   Biodiversity & Ecosystems   New tool to visualize marine life unveiled by NOAA Administrator: Ecological Marine Units developed through GEO BON presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.   New paper published on the policy forum of the Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation summarises conditions for a collective engagement of space agencies.   Remote sensing of species dominance and the value for quantifying ecosystem services by Stephanie Pau and Laura Dee.   Urban   Atlas of the Human Planet 2016, published to coincide with Habitat III, based on GEO’s Global Human Settlement Layer.   Regional GEOs   GEONETCast-Americas 50 stations across 12 countries in the Americas and still expanding.   Survey on Earth Observation Capability for the African Union – contribute to the AU Space Programme Earth Observation Capability Audit.   An inventory of the African private EO and Geospatial industry, published by AARSE, the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment in cooperation with EARSC supported by the European Commission and Spacetec Partners.   Video demonstration of some of the capabilities of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) portal.   GEO Community   Partnering for a more accessible future: Belmont Forum and the Group on Earth Observations, Erica Key, Executive Director, Belmont Forum Secretariat.   Leveraging Earth Observations for a food secure world from Satellite to soil. Barbara Ryan’s talk at the Royal Society in June.   ASREN Accredited as a Partner Organization for the Group on Earth Observations, Abu-Ghazaleh.   Call for papers   International Journal of Digital Earth Special Issue, Arctic and High Altitude Mountain Cold Regions: Sustainable Earth Observations and Climate Change.   Opportunities   H2020 EO Big Data Shift, call for proposals exploiting Big Data to a downstream service industry.   H2020 Africa Remote Sensing, call for proposals for Earth observation services for the monitoring of agricultural production in Africa.   H2020 Climate Services, call for proposals exploiting the added value of climate services.   US call for proposals for the GEO Work Programme 2017-19.   Call for nominations for the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC), a scientific expert advisory group to the Global Ocean (GOOS) and Global Climate (GCOS) Observing Systems and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP).   Upcoming events   See GEO's website for upcoming events.     To subscribe to the GEO newsletter please write to secretariat@geosec.org   CONTACT STAY CONNECTED

see GEO-XIII outcomes pages

News Update APRIL 2017 GEO now has 104 Member governments and 109 Participating Organizations, congratulations to four new organizations for officially joining:   CI: Conservation International Earthmind GODAN: Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund Read the Press Release on how these organizations plan to work with GEO. GEO Plenary-XIV: save the date, 25-26 October, 2017 in Washington DC.   The GEO Work Programme Symposium will be held in Tshwane, South Africa on 12 and 13 May 2017. See the meetings page for more information.   GEO Data Providers Workshop, Florence, Italy, 20-21 April, 2017 More than 95 organizations engaged in discussions on provision of open EO data. New datasets in the GCI include ICIMOD and ESA Climate Change Initiative. GEOSS users and Data Provider Workshops to benefit from GEOSS enhancements.   GEO Programme Board 6th Programme Board, May 23-24, Athens. Members' views on the first GEO Programme Board of 2017 from Japan, Ghana and Canada.   Observations Blog Sanctuaries for biodiversity monitoring, Frank Muller Karger Development Seed, “a timely conversation” at the Data Providers Workshop, Ian Schuler Understanding changes in cold regions, Yubao Qiu Atlas of the Human Planet assesses vulnerabilities to disaster, Martino Pesaresi Multi-hazard Early Warning at Global Scale, Eliot Christian GPSDD announces funding for data projects, Claire Melamed Mapping and monitoring settlements in South Africa, Naledzani Mudau, SANSA EO for ecology in CAR, Padou Lambert Open Geospatial Standards, Mark Reichardt GEO Value at the AGU, Francoise Pearlman Farewell to Giovanni, Alex Held CBD COP-13, Laetitia Navarro MY GEOSS, Max Craglia Building a Great Green Wall Across Africa, Nabil Khatra   SDGs New report illustrates how EO supports Sustainable Development through Case Studies.   Climate UNFCCC SBSTA Information Note references GEO, paragraphs 32-34 within the section on key partners alongside GCOS, IPCC, WCRP, and WMO.   Disaster Risk Reduction New Zealand Government thanks ChinaGEOSS, CODATA and IRDR for their help following the Kaikoura Earthquake. GEO is part of the Marketplace at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) Cancun, Mexico May 22-26, come and talk to us. Opportunities for lightning talks are available.   Biodiversity GEO handbook on Biodiversity Observation Networks downloaded more than 74,000 times. A new map of global ecological marine units, an environmental stratification approach, booklet launched at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting in Boston, by USGS and Esri.   Regional GEO The 9th GEOSS Asia Pacific Symposium. AfriGEOSS Symposium, 13-15 June, Sunyani, Ghana, register now. China ready to release massive amount of geographic data to the public.   Commercial Sector Global Geospatial Industry Outlook Report launched at the Geospatial World Forum, 2017, which had almost 3,000 participants .   Announcements Vacancy notice: GEO Secretariat Director (2018-2020). Vacancy notice: Strategic Communications and Social Media Specialist. Copernicus Masters, 2017: applications are open, apply by 30th June. OECD brochure on Earth observation for decision making. EU Polar Net Survey. CODATA is accepting submissions for sessions and papers (by 30 June) for the CODATA 2017 Conference, 'Global Challenges and Data-Driven Science', 8-13 October, 2017.   GEO in the Media The Ocean Enterprise, GeoConnection International, p26-28 March, 2017 High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes, Nature Journal, EO data, more accessible and investments to rise, GIS Professional magazine (p28-29) GEANT to advance Earth observation communication networks as part of GEO 2017-2019 Work Programme, GEANT p30-31   Fact-based evidence to tackle global environmental challenges, Impact Publication (p72), January, 2017 Open access to data crucial for a sustainable future, Impact Publication, (p12) March, 2017 Global Push for Earth Observations Continues, Directions Magazine, April 2017 Global Push for Earth Observations Continues, GEOConnexion, April, 2017 GEO Secretariat Director Ryan on the Geospatial Media Hall of Fame   Upcoming meetings   Visit our event pages here   To subscribe to the GEO newsletter please write to secretariat@geosec.org   CONTACT STAY CONNECTED