GEO and GEOSS…

• GEO is an Intergovernmental Group– 60 Nations – European Commission– 43 Participating Organizations

• With a Single Objective: GEOSS– To establish a global, coordinated, comprehensive

and sustained system of Earth observing systems

• Earth Observation Summit (EOS) I– July 31, 2003, Washington,DC– 34 Countries and 20

International Organizations

• EOS II– April 25, 2004, Tokyo, Japan – 47 Countries and 26

International Organizations

• EOS III – February 2005, Brussels– Nearly 60 Countries, EC and

over 40 International Organizations

EOS III

EOS II

EOS I

EARTH OBSERVATION SUMMIT III : RESOLUTION

• Adopted GEOSS 10-year Implementation Plan

• Endorsed the creation of a Secretariat

• Formally established the Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

EARTH OBSERVATION SUMMIT III :

• Prompted the creation of an international GEO Working Group on Tsunami Activities co-chaired by Thailand, Italy, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

• Issued special communiqué promoting support for Tsunami and Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems

Tsunami Sources in the world(2180 events from 1628BC to 2005) Source: Kong (2005)

Tsunamis 1992 – 2004 : Tsunamis 1992 – 2004 : 14 destructive 14 destructive

tsunamistsunamis

2,000

December 26, 2004Sumatra Island M: 9.0IndonesiaMaximum run-up : 35 mFatalities: 250,000

June 21, 2001South Peru M: 8.3Maximum run-up : 15 mFatalities: 81

2,500

November 26, 1999Vanuatu M: 7.5Maximum run-up : 5 mFatalities: >10

October 4, 1994Kuriles M: 8.1Maximum run-up : 5 mFatalities: 8

Source: Kong (2005)

19 Countries & the EC

Australia Belgium Canada ChinaCroatia France Germany Greece India Iran Italy Japan Netherlands Norway Switzerland ThailandUK US Uzbekistan

Participants into the GEO Tsunami Working Group

17 Participating Organizations

CEOS EEA ESA IOCESEAS ISCGM EUMETSAT ISDR EuroGeoSurveys POGO FDSN SICA/CCAD GOOS IAG IEEE UNITAR WMO

GEO Working Group on Tsunami Activities

Met on three occasions * 1st Meeting 7-8 Sept 05 at IOC Paris

* 2nd Meeting 3-4 Nov 05 at WMO Geneva

* Informal Meeting 23 Nov 05 at APAT Rome

Provided recommendations on * GEO’s Role

* GEO Tasks for 2006

GEO’s Role…

GEO’s Role…

Towards a multi-hazardmulti-purposeapproach

Moreover…

Act as a catalyzer, identify gaps, accelerate processes without interfering or duplicating efforts

Team-up directly with IOC on relevant issues Facilitate the development of high-level stakeholders’

commitments Involve users (cf. GEO User Interface Committee) Help bridge in-situ, airborne and space communities Help ensure sustainability of infrastructure and know-how

GEO’s Activities…

Proposed GEO Tasks for 2006…

Encourage in-situ and space agencies to

(i) systematically record data over regions subject to tsunami risk and (ii) archive data in a user-friendly form easily accessible to all countries

Promote free and unrestricted exchange of

all data relevant to tsunami early warning systems Facilitate the production in coastal zones of high-

resolution near-shore bathymetric maps,

land use/ land cover maps, and

digital elevation models

Harmonize efforts towards the preparation of a “global tsunami hazard map” to support coastal zone monitoring and infrastructure planning & investment.

Promote the cooperation of national and international agencies towards a multi-hazard approach to coastal risk management

Explore possibilities for the development of an international charter on telecommunication systems and disasters

Proposed GEO Tasks for 2006…

Initiate and maintain a dialogue between GEO, the Board of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters and relevant UN agencies to identify mechanisms for strengthening the scope and mandate of the Charter.

Proposed GEO Tasks for 2006…

Following GEO-II, the Working Group on Tsunami Activities may extend its scope from

Tsunamis to All-Hazards

In 2006, the Working Group on Tsunami Activities will contribute to GEOSS by helping:

* Define lead entitie(s) for task implementation * Design detailed strategies* Coordinate and monitor implementation* Review international initiatives (e.g., UK proposal or UNOOSA/DMISCO)* Define GEO's position vis à vis new initiatives

The next meeting of the Working Group will take place on 27-28 February 2006in Geneva