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Global Earth Observation

System of Systems

Kathy Fontaine, NASA

W/NV IEEE GRSSGreenbelt, MD

November 1, 2006

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Topics

• Origins• National effort• Integration• Near-Term Opportunities• Architecture and Data Management

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Why GEOSS?

•GEOSS - Global System To Meet Societal Needs – No one organization or country can provide comprehensive

capacity– An integrated international system using remote sensing & in situ

systems– Foundation for sound decision-making: global, regional, & local level

•Social, Economic, & Science Concerns– More than half the world’s population lives within 60 km of the

shoreline, & this could rise to 3/4 by the year 2020 – More than 90% of natural disaster-related deaths occur in developing

countries– 25% of Earth’s biological productivity & an estimated 80-90% of global

commercial fish catch is concentrated in coastal zones– Worldwide agricultural benefits of better El Niño forecasts are

conservatively estimated at $450-$550M/year•Basis For Sustainable Development

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Adoption of Declaration

July 31, 2003 Washington, D.C.

34Nations

20 International Organizations

Earth Observation Summit I

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Adoption of GEOSS Framework

April 25, 2004Tokyo, Japan

43Nations

25 International Organizations

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Adoption of Implementation Plan

February 16, 2005 Brussels, Belgium

60Nations

32 International Organizations

Earth Observation Summit III

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GEO Today – 66 Countries + EC...• Algeria • Argentina • Australia • Bahrain • Belgium • Belize • Brazil • Cameroon • Canada • Central African

Republic • Chile • China • Congo, Republic

of the • Croatia • Cyprus

• Kazakhstan • Korea,

Republic of • Latvia • Luxembourg • Malaysia • Mali • Mauritius • Mexico • Moldova • Morocco • Nepal • Netherlands • New Zealand • Niger • Nigeria • Norway• Paraguay • Philippines • Portugal

• Denmark • Egypt • European Commission • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Guinea-Bissau • Honduras • Hungary • Iceland • India • Indonesia• Iran • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Japan

• Russian Federation

• Slovakia • Slovenia • South Africa • Spain • Sudan • Sweden • Switzerland • Thailand • Tunisia • Uganda • Ukraine • United Kingdom • United States • Uzbekistan

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...and 43 Participating Organizations• AARSE: African Association of Remote Sensing of the

Environment • ADIE: Association for the Development of Environmental

Information • APN: Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research • CEOS: Committee on Earth Observation Satellites • ECMWF: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather

Forecasts • EEA: European Environmental Agency • ESA: European Space Agency • ESEAS: European Sea Level Service • EUMETNET: Network of European Meteorological

Services/Composite Observing System • EUMETSAT: European Organization for the Exploitation of

Meteorological Satellites • EuroGeoSurveys: The Association of the Geological Surveys of

the European Union • FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations • FDSN: Federation of Digital Broad-Band Seismograph Networks • GCOS: Global Climate Observing System • GSDI: Global Spatial Data Infrastructure • GOOS: Global Ocean Observing System • GTOS: Global Terrestrial Observing System • IAG: International Association of Geodesy • ICSU: International Council for Science • IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers• IGBP: International Geosphere-Biosphere Program • IGFA: International Group of Funding Agencies for Global

Change Research • IGOS-P: Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership

• IISL: International Institute for Space Law • INCOSE: International Council on Systems Engineering • IO3C: International Ozone Commission • IOC: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission • ISCGM: International Steering Committee for Global

Mapping • ISDR: International Strategy for Disaster Reduction • ISPRS: International Society for Photogrammetry and

Remote Sensing • OGC: Open Geospatial Consortium • POGO: Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean • SICA/CCAD: Central American Commission for the

Environment and Development • SOPAC: South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission • UNCBD: United Nations Convention on Biodiversity • UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme • UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization • UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change • UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and

Research • UNOOSA: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs • UNU-EHS: United Nations University, Institute for

Environment and Human Security • WCRP: World Climate Research Programme • WMO: World Meteorological Organization

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GEO Organization

Coordination

GEO Plenary

Executive Committee

Director

Management and Coordination Team

Work Plan Team

Expert Communities

Advice & Recommendations

Coordination &Facilitation

Leadership Oversight Implementation Guidance

Guidance and Participation

GEO Secretariat

StandingCommittees

Inputs

Dialogue

Capacity Building & Outreach

Architecture & Data

Science & Technology

User Interface

Tsunami Working Group

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GEO Organization

• Architecture and Data Committee– The Architecture and Data Committee supports GEO in all architecture and data management

aspects of the design, coordination, and implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) for comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observations.

• Capacity Building Committee– The Capacity Building Committee supports GEO in strengthening the capability of all countries,

in particular developing countries, to use Earth observation data and products in a sustainable manner and to contribute observations and systems to GEOSS.

• Science and Technology Committee– The Science and Technology Committee engages the scientific and technological communities

in the development, implementation and use of a sustained GEOSS in order to ensure that GEO has access to sound scientific and technological advice.

• User Interface Committee– The User Interface Committee engages users in the nine societal benefit areas in the

development, implementation, and use of a sustained GEOSS that provides the data and information required by user groups on national, regional and global scales. The User Interface Committee has a specific goal to address cross-cutting issues by coordinating user communities of practice, ensuring continuity and avoiding duplication.

• Working Group on Tsunami Activities– The Working Group on Tsunami Activities supports the coordinating activities of the UNESCO

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and other national, regional, and international initiatives to realize effective warning and mitigation systems for natural hazards, as an integral part of a multi-hazard approach supported by GEOSS.

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Natural & Human Induced

Disasters

Human Health & Well-Being

Energy Resources

Climate Variability &

Change

Water Resources

Weather Information,

Forecasting & Warning

Ecosystems

Sustainable Agriculture & Desertification

Oceans

Societal Benefit Areas

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What is GEOSS?

GEOSS will be a system of systems that is• comprehensive, by including observations and

products gathered from all components required to serve the needs of participating members;

• coordinated, in terms of leveraging resources of individual contributing members to accomplish this system, whose total capacity is greater than the sum of its parts; and

• sustained, by the collective and individual will and capacity of participating members.

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GEO Work Plan

• First version in 2006– 96 tasks to be completed in 2006

• Second version in 2007– Still 96 tasks, some combined from last

year– Covers 2007 – 2009– Plan to be accepted formally in

November in Bonn, Germany.

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US Response - USGEO

• “ …to develop and begin implementation of the U.S. framework and 10 year plan for an integrated, comprehensive Earth observation system to answer environmental and societal needs,

– including a U.S. assessment of current observational capabilities,– evaluation of requirements to sustain and evolve these capabilities

considering both remote and in situ instruments, – assessment of how to integrate current observational capabilities

across scales, and – evaluation and addressing of data gaps”

• “…to formulate the U.S. position and input to the international ad hoc Group of Earth Observations (GEO) as formed at the Earth Observation Summit on July 31, 2003.”

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National Context

National Scienceand Technology Council

Environment & NaturalResources Committee

Subcommittee on Global Change Research

Ecological SystemsSubcommittee

Subcommittee onDisaster

Reduction

Subcommittee onWater Availability &

Quality

Air Quality ResearchSubcommittee

Toxics & Risk AssessmentSubcommittee

Subcommittee on Oceans(also reports to Committee on Science)

US Group onEarth Observations (USGEO)

Subcommittee on Healthand the Environment

(also reports to Committee on Science and Commission onHomeland and National Security

Biodiversity and EcosystemInformatics Working Group

Interagency Working Group onEndocrine Disruptors

Interagency Working Group onMercury

The US GEO Comprises Federal Representatives

from 15 Member Agencies and three White House

Offices

ScienceCommittee

Homeland & NationalSecurity Committee

TechnologyCommittee

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USGEO Structure

USGEO

Science & Technology

Capacity Building & Outreach

User Interface Architecture & Data Mgmt.

Executive CommitteeCo-chairsExecutive SecretaryWorking Group Leaders

Planning and Integration

Disaster Global Land Sea Level Drought Air Quality

US

GE

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orki

ng

Gro

ups

NT

OT

ask

For

ces

June 9, 2005

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Strategic Plan

• Improve Weather Forecasting• Reduce Loss of Life and Property

from Disasters• Protect and Monitor Our Ocean

Resources• Understand, Assess, Predict,

Mitigate, and Adapt to Climate Variability and Change

• Support Sustainable Agriculture and Combat Land Degradation

• Understand the Effect of Environmental Factors on Human Health and Well-Being

• Develop the Capacity to Make Ecological Forecasts

• Protect and Monitor Water Resources

• Monitor and Manage Energy Resources

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Emphasis on Integration

• Planning, Policy, and Management Integration– Interagency– Intergovernmental

• Societal/Applications (Issue Specific) Integration– 9 societal benefit areas– Observation systems, Earth system models,

Decision support systems• Scientific Integration

– Disciplines (atmosphere, solid earth, et. al.)– Earth system processes (weather, climate, et. al.)– Physical domains (land, oceans, et. al.)

• Technical/Systems Integration– Architecture– Standards and interoperability– Intra-system integration (satellite, airborne, surface)

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Planning, Policy, and Management

U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing

Space Policy: Civil Agency Implementation

Plan

December 12, 2003

Implementation Plan Working Group (IPWG)

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Societal Benefits

Integration of systems … into solutions … for applications of national and international priority.

21The dynamic Earth is a complex system of systems.

Science

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Technical and Systems

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IEOS Near Term Opportunities

A. Data Management System for Earth Observations

B. Improved Observations for Disaster Warnings

C. Global Land Observation System

D. Sea Level Observation System

E. National Integrated Drought Information System

F. Air Quality Assessment and Forecast System

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Results and Benefits

• Rapid, timely integration of data, products and predictive models among systems helps first responders.

• Leveraged data management activities across all Federal Agencies improves accountability and efficiencies.

• Ease of use of data between and among Agencies advances regional and global understanding.

• Increased efficiency needed to handle the exponential increase in data volumes that will occur over the next decade.

• Increased opportunities for interdisciplinary work.

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From a Regional View To a Global Analysis

US IEOS Integrated Earth Observation System Vision:

Enable a healthy public, economy, and planet through an integrated, comprehensive, and sustained Earth observation system.

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Goals

• Enable increased interoperability across existing data management systems

• Identify and address integration gaps in data management systems

• Utilize community standards for data and metadata

• Enable integrated measurements, data, products, and predictive models

• Examine the need for future data management requirements

Starting with Near Term Opportunities and expanding to all IEOS data management systems, Architecture & Data Management seeks to:

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Near-Term Opportunities

Drought

Air Quality

Disaster Monitoring

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Key Architecture and Data Management Challenges

• System of systems reference architecture

• Interoperability

• Standards

• Technology• Discovery, search, access• Disciplines and platforms• Policies• Participation!

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Final Thought

• The vision for GEOSS and IEOS is to realize a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed via coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information.

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Questions?

• http://earthobservations.org

• ftp://ftp.wmo.int/Projects/GEO/

• http://usgeo.gov