Transcript Opportunities for GEO & GCOS Rob Koopman GEO Secretariat 6th GCOS Cooperation Mechanism Board WMO – 27/09/2010 © GEO Secretariat.

Opportunities for GEO & GCOS
Rob Koopman
GEO Secretariat
6th GCOS Cooperation
Mechanism Board
WMO – 27/09/2010
© GEO Secretariat
GEO, the Group on Earth Observations
An Intergovernmental Organization with 82 Members
and 58 Participating Organizations
U.S. Department of State, Washington DC
July 31, 2003
© GEO Secretariat
GEOSS - Global Earth Observation
System of Systems…
 Coordinate and Sustain Observation Systems
 Provide Easier & More Open Data Access
 Foster Use through Science, Applications and Capacity
Building
… to answer Society’s need for
informed decision making
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A Global, Coordinated, Comprehensive and
Sustained System of Observing Systems
GEOSS
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GEO Strategic Target on Climate:
Achieve effective and sustained operation of the global climate observing
system and reliable delivery of climate information of a quality needed for
predicting, mitigating and adapting to climate variability and change,
including for better understanding of the global carbon cycle.
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the full implementation of the Global Climate Observing System as the climate
observing component of GEOSS, …., including closure of critical gaps, to
ensure the availability of all the climate and climate-related observations needed
to support GEOSS;
promotion of data sharing as well as coordination of data management and
exchange systems;
contributions to major advances in the monitoring and prediction of climate on
seasonal, interannual and decadal time scales, including the occurrence of
extreme events;
strengthened GCOS support for the assessment role of the IPCC and the policy
development role of the UNFCCC;
enhanced efforts for data rescue and digitization.
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GEO & GCOS: a consistent message
• GCOS, WMO, IOC, ICSU and UNEP are GEO Participating
Organisations
• Large overlap between GEO Members (81 countries +
European Union), WMO Members (183), ISCU National
Members (121), UN Member States (192), IOC Member
States (138)
Consistency of the “messages” broadcast
by these initiatives is not “nice to have”,
…… it is MANDATORY for credibility
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GEO & GCOS: a consistent message (2)
• The GEO 10-Year Plan represents the consensus of its Members and
Participating Organisations on the way forward in Global Earth
Observations
• GEOSS is effectively built from in-kind contributions from its Members
and Participating Organisations, which are aligned towards the common
objectives 10-Year Plan.
• The alignment is facilitated by a matrix of concerted actions (SBA and
cross-cutting tasks”) and associated targets to focus international
collaboration and harmonisation: the GEO Work Plan.
• Increasingly, the objectives of the 10-year plan and the Tasks in the
Work Plan are used as requirements for funded government tenders
(European Commissions 7th Framework Programme)
A Consistent “message” pays off, literally
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GEO advantage
• GEO as a group is modelled on a lean and flat governance
model: a Ministerial Summit, and a Plenary (supported by
its Executive Committee).
• Short path to decision making
• Very high political leverage
GEO,
A “tool” worth using!
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Dual use of this tool
to convince
to implement
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Convince
• The IGOS – P themes have been integrated into GEOSS
(Communities of Practice) because the access to high-level
governance was considered an opportunity.
• In the run up to Beijing 2010, the Data Sharing Task Force
(DSTF) formulated an Action Plan for Governments,
Participating Organisations and GEOSS as a whole.
DSTF: Example of success in applying the
political leverage
Post IGOS-P “gap closing”: needs further
work
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Convince (2)
The road to Data Sharing success cannot easily be copied ‘as
is’: the DSTF acted on a specific mandate from Plenary, in
response to the Cape Town Summit Declaration, and the
task force has broad participation.
Nevertheless it can be worthwhile to work along a similar path.
For example: sustaining observation systems is also
explicitly mentioned in Cape Town declaration. The
equivalent of the DSFT Action Plan could be a priorities and
actions statement (including indirect actions) for sustaining
networks at risk. GCOS (and GTOS, GOOS) already have
related objectives in their individual terms of reference.
Could a broad, concerted action within the flat GEO
environment achieve more than the individual
programmes?
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Implement: The GEO Work Plan (1)
• The Final update of the 2009-2011 GEO Work Plan has been submitted
for endorsement at the GEO-VII Plenary in Beijing
• The next GEO Work Plan will cover 2012-2015. Ministerial Summits are
scheduled for (2010,) 2013 and 2015. The end of this Work Plan period
also marks the due date for achieving the GEOSS Strategic Targets.
Drafting starts ‘now’
For GCOS (and WMO, ICSU, UNEP, IOC, but also WCRP, GOOS,
GTOS, and other POs and Members and the wider Climate
community) ->
The GEO 2012-2015 Work Plan ->
Communicating the Consistent Message
on the way forward
© GEO Secretariat
GEO Work Plan (2)
• Apart from Political Leverage, working “within (the) GEO (Work Plan)”
also provides benefits in terms of:
• cross-cutting support functions:
– Vast momentum for Data Sharing
– Data Management & Architecture, Quality Assurance,
Harmonisation, Integration
• broad platforms:
– Integration of Carbon Observations
– Carbon Community of Practice
– Forest Carbon Tracking Initiative
Use GEOSS to optimise Efforts/Benefits Ratio
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Conclusions
1) Optimise the 2012-2015 Work Plan to achieve GEOSS benefit:
– Revisit task deliverables in the light of the Strategic Target(s)
– Revisit tasks and interaction with communities to ensure consistency
throughout the climate domain,
– Revisit task descriptions with new contributors in mind
2) lead/initiate new actions within GEOSS, extracting further benefits,
e.g.:
– Seek allies for a concerted high-level action on sustaining (endangered)
networks, starting with the GxOSses and their sponsors
– Promote independent peer review as fundamental component of GEOSS
data management
3) Connect to the cross-cutting functions and other initiatives
– E.g. use GEOSS architecture and data sharing initiatives to work towards the
“promotion of data sharing as well as coordination of data management and
exchange systems”
– Capacity Building and programmes involving trainings in Africa
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Thank you!
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© GEO Secretariat
GEOSS for AFRICA: examples
GEONETCast, CBERS,
SERVIR, Sand and Dust
Storm Warning System,
AEGOS, Wildland Fire
Early Warning System,
Puma, AMESD and
GMES Africa, BIOTA,
TIGER, SoDa, MERIT,
African Protected Areas,
ClimDev Africa,
ChlorOGIN, etc etc.
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GEO Data Sharing Principles
• Full and Open Exchange of
Data, recognizing Relevant
International Instruments
and National Policies
• Data and Products at
Minimum Time delay and
Minimum Cost
• Free of Charge or minimal
Cost for Research and
Education
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“GEO Model”
GEOSS Common Infrastructure
Standards and Interoperability
Data Sharing Guidelines
Transverse activities
Voluntary
Consensus-based
High-level visibility
Harmonisation
Collaboration
10yr Plan
Contributed
Contributed
Contributed
Contributed
Activities
Contributed
Activities
Activities
Activities
Activities
© GEO Secretariat