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EARSC Workshop: Brussels 31st, May 2007

EARSC Symposium: Brussels, May 31st, 2007
“In-situ monitoring and Earth observation in the framework of GMES and GEOSS”

Earth Monitoring is at a turning point world wide. The awareness of the risks inherent to an uncontrolled development of human activities has led to environmental protocols, to the setup of new partnership, such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the European GMES initiative (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security), and to develop synergies between available capabilities internationally. GMES has already gathered substantial momentum through the actions of the European Union and European Space Agencies and through the wide ranging participation of European industry. This encompasses in-situ, airborne and spaceborne sensor deployment, ground infrastructures and data processing, value added data production and interpretation, up to extending aid for Environment and Security decision-making.
GMES is a complex undertaking and the process of developing applications for new end users, many of whom may be decision makers or policy makers in the public and private sectors, requires research and the availability of multiple operational sources of data and information. Equally important are the conditions under which data and/or applications are made available to users, requiring that issues such as the timeliness, continuity, and stability of data, reliability of access, viability of data formats and processing, intellectual property rights, and operational cost-effectiveness be addressed satisfactorily. All of these elements come into account for most data access and use techniques, in particular in-situ and remote sensing.
It is by now well recognised that the proper monitoring of our planet will require the use of both in-situ and remote sensing techniques. While those approaches are operationally very different, they have each an essential role to play in any serious plan to monitor a site, a region, a country or the Earth as a whole. Unfortunately this synergy is neither yet realised nor fully appreciated, in part because of the different technologies involved and skills required to operate them, in part because of the resilience of traditional working practices, in part also because of arguments linked to training, to the need to implement new tools and models, and to many other aspects.
The objectives of the workshop are:
* first: to bring together experts from the two sides to increase mutual knowledge of their communities
* second: to quickly reassess the importance of in-situ and remote sensing techniques in Global Earth Monitoring
* third: to explore the mechanisms of synergy between in-situ and RS and to evaluate its impact.
* fourth: to foster the development of those techniques and their exploitation at European level.
The presented workshop will be an opportunity to draw on the experience gained through the industry and other stakeholders as European Union and European Space Agencies
Target Audience: Industry, Research centres and Space Agencies, European Union Agencies involved in GMES and GEO representatives.
Format: Round panels for discussion
Venue: May 31st, 2007, Brussels
Sponsors: Industry and Space Agencies
Sponsorship fee for Industry – 500 Euros
Tentative Programme
PROGRAMME
MORNING
: 9h – 13h
1. Sensors and sensors integration
a. Architectures: OSIRIS
b. Automated applications
c. Technologies
d. Sensor web SANI
e. R&D and Standards
f. Transition technologies: ad hoc networks, proxy sensors INTERRISK
2. Implementation
a. In-situ
b. Mobile
c. Airborne
d. High Altitude
e. Read out
f. Examples
i. Tsunami
ii. Nuclear
iii. Oceanography
iv. Air/Water Pollution
AFTERNOON: 14h – 17h
3. Data Policy
4. Integration of in-situ, space and other sensors
a. Meteorology and air pollution
b. Meteorology and oceanography
c. Other applications: water management, risk management,…
5. ROUND TABLE: ”Technology Roadmap: what’s next”