IMPLEMENTING GEOSS
G20 calls for GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring initiative (GEO-GLAM)
First proposed by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and various research centers in G20 countries, the Global Agricultural Monitoring initiative was launched at the Paris meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers in June 2011. The initiative forms part of the G20 Action Plan on Food Price Volatility, which also includes the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) initiative led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Continued…
How ACRE recovers historical weather data
The International Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) Initiative both undertakes and facilitates the recovery of historical observations of the weather over the terrestrial and marine areas of the Earth’s surface. These observations are vital for underpinning three-dimensional (3D) global weather reconstructions (reanalyses) spanning the last 200-250 years. Continued…
The GEOSS workshop series turns its focus to societal benefits
GEOSS Workshop XLIII on “Sharing Climate Information and Knowledge” was held on 23 September at NCAR Center Green in Boulder, Colorado, USA, concluding a week of related meetings organized by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and partner organizations. Continued…
ISPRS symposium explores advances in environmental monitoring for health
The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Technical Commission VIII Working Group 2 (Health) organized an international symposium on “Advances for Geospatial Technologies for Health” in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA on 12-13 September 2011. Continued…
GEO UPDATE
Colombia becomes 88th GEO Member
The Government of Colombia joined GEO on 29 August. It will be represented by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies and by the Geographical Institute Augustin Codazzi.
Preparations advance for GEO-VIII Plenary in Istanbul
The agenda and other documents for November’s meeting of the GEO Plenary have been distributed to GEO Principals. Information on logistical arrangements has been posted on the GEO-VIII website
GEO Committees hold September meetings
The four GEO Committees met individually as well as in a joint session during the week of 12 September in Salzburg, Austria. The meetings were hosted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Austria. The following articles provide brief summaries of each meeting; the meeting reports will be posted on the GEO website when available.
CBC addresses transition to new Work Plan
At its September meeting in Salzburg, the Capacity Building Committee (CBC) assessed the progress being made on the Tasks that it supports, reviewed the Work Plan Progress Report covering the period since the Beijing Plenary, and discussed the draft 2012-2015 Work Plan that will be submitted to the GEO-VIII Plenary in November. Continued…
STC addresses Tasks, performance indicators, management transition
The GEO Science and Technology Committee (STC) met on 12-13 September for the 17th time since it was established in 2006. The meeting reviewed updates on the STC-led Tasks ST-09-01 on “Catalyzing Research and Development (R&D) Resources for GEOSS” and ST-09-02 on “Promoting Awareness and Benefits of GEO in the Science and Technology Community.” Continued…
UIC focuses on the importance of user engagement
The 19th meeting of the GEO User Interface Committee (UIC) discussed the importance of ensuring that the issue of user engagement is fully addressed by the new Work Plan’s Implementations Boards on Institutions and Development and on the Societal Benefits. Continued…
ADC sprints to Plenary
The 17th meeting of the Architecture and Data Committee (ADC) addressed preparations for the GEO-VIII Plenary, including the planned demonstration of the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) and responses to the Monitoring and Evaluation Report and the 2012-2015 Work Plan. Continued…
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium to be held in India on 23-25 January 2012
The Fifth GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium, which was postponed earlier this year due to the natural disasters that struck Japan, has been rescheduled for January in Ahmedabad, India. The theme will be “GEOSS Initiative towards Green Growth in the Asia-Pacific Region,” and the technical sessions will cover the Asian Water Cycle Initiative, the Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network, Forest Carbon Tracking, and Ocean Observation and Climate, and Agriculture and Food Security. The Symposium website will be available shortly.
Abu Dhabi to host Eye on Earth Summit from 12 to 15 December 2011
The Eye on Earth Summit will bring together senior policymakers and global thought leaders with the world’s leading environmentalists and specialists in data gathering, management and sharing. Continued…
Second Asia/Oceania Meteorological Satellite Users’ Conference
This GEO-sponsored conference is being organized by the Japan Meteorological Agency from 6-9 December in Tokyo. Its goals are to share experiences on application techniques among satellite data users, advance satellite observation technologies and promote synergetic development related to meteorological satellites. For more information please visit the conference website
4th International Conference on GEographic Object Based Image Analysis
GEOBIA 2012 will be held 7-9 May 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is been jointly organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Further details can be found on the conference website
Symposium on leveraging satellite applications for global change
UNITAR and WMO will host a Symposium on “Leveraging Satellite Applications for Global Challenges” in Geneva on 11-12 October 2011. In addition to providing the first Geneva-based briefing on the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, the Symposium will explore lessons learned regarding the use of satellite imagery for case studies on natural disasters (Pakistan flooding) and human security (South Sudan). Further information is available here