Workshops organized by the IEEE, ISPRS and OGC have been completed. In regional scientific application scenarios, the workshops demonstrate publishing, discovery, and access of complex geospatial data and online processing services using existing OGC standards consistent with the architecture principals of the GEOSS 10 Year Implementation Plan.
Most recently, “The Impact of Climate Change and Variability on Biodiversity and Energy in the Arctic” was demonstrated by Compusult, CIESIN and IMAA-CNR on 19-20 August 2007. The workshop was part of IPY GeoNorth, the First International Circumpolar Conference on Geospatial Sciences and Applications, held in Yellowknife, N.W.T., Canada.
Prior to that workshop, “Sustainable development through Earth Observation, Agriculture,” led by the University of New Mexico, was held at the IEEE/GRSS 32nd International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE) June 29, 2007 in San Jose, Costa Rica. And “GEOSS System and Interoperability – Sahara Dust and Ocean Productivity Over the Mediterranean,” led by Washington University (St. Louis, MO, USA), was held July 22, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS).
Upcoming workshops include: “Earth Observation to benefit Water and Health,” at AfricaGIS07, September 15-16 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; “Regional Decisions for Climate Change,” September 21-22 in Boulder, CO, USA; and “Environment Disaster/Tsunami,” November 14 at the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS) Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Boulder workshop will be held in conjunction with the September 2007 OGC Technical Committee and Planning Committee meetings, which are being hosted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The demonstration will address access to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Data Distribution Centres for data to support regional decision makers considering the predicted effects of climate change. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Corell, Director, Global Change Program at the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Senior Policy Fellow, American Meteorological Society; and co-chair of the Arctic Council climate impact assessment (ACIA). Speaking of the OGC standards that are a critical component of the GEOSS architecture, Dr. Corell said, “Developing the bridge of climate predictions with regional decision makers is a vital step to planning for our future.”
The OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 350 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC website.