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The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) was built by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) on the basis of a 10-Year Implementation Plan running from 2005 to 2015.^[1] GEOSS seeks to connect the producers of environmental data and decision-support tools with the end users of these products, with the aim of enhancing the relevance of Earth observations to global issues. GEOSS aims to produce a global public infrastructure that generates comprehensive, near-real-time environmental data, information and analyses for a wide range of users. The Secretariat Director of Geoss is Barbara Ryan.^[2]

Earth observation systems

Earth observation systems consist of instruments and models designed to measure, monitor and predict the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the Earth system. Buoys floating in the oceans monitor temperature and salinity; meteorological stations and balloons record air quality and rainwater trends; sonar and radar systems estimate fish and bird populations; seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) stations record movements in the Earth's crust and interior; some 60-plus high-tech environmental satellites scan the planet from space; powerful computerized models generate simulations and forecasts; and early warning systems issue alerts to vulnerable populations.

These various systems have typically operated in isolation from one another. In recent years, however, sophisticated new technologies for gathering vast quantities of near-real-time and high-resolution Earth observation data have become operational. At the same time, improved forecasting models and decision-support tools are increasingly allowing decision makers and other users of Earth observations to fully exploit this widening stream of information.

With investments in Earth observations now reaching a critical mass, it has become possible to link diverse observing systems together to paint a full picture of the Earth's condition. Because the costs and logistics of expanding Earth observations are daunting for any single nation, linking systems together through international cooperation also offers cost savings.

Implementation

As a networked system, GEOSS is owned by all of the GEO Members and Participating Organizations. Partners maintain full control of the components and activities that they contribute to the system of systems.^[3] Implementation is being pursued through a Work Plan consisting of over 70 tasks. Each task supports one of the nine societal-benefit or four transverse areas and is carried out by interested Members and Participating Organizations. Governments and organizations have also advanced GEOSS by contributing a variety of “Early Achievements”; these “First 100 Steps to GEOSS” were presented to the 2007 Cape Town Ministerial Summit.

Interlinking observation systems requires common standards for architecture and data sharing. The architecture of an Earth observation system refers to the way in which its components are designed so that they function as a whole. Each GEOSS component must be included in the GEOSS registry and configured so that it can communicate with the other participating systems. In addition, each contributor to GEOSS must subscribe to the GEO data-sharing principles, which aim to ensure the full and open exchange of data, metadata and products. These issues are fundamental to the successful operation of GEOSS.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

GEOSS will disseminate information and analyses directly to users. GEO is developing the GEOPortal as a single Internet gateway to the data produced by GEOSS. The purpose of GEOPortal is to make it easier to integrate diverse data sets, identify relevant data and portals of contributing systems, and access models and other decision-support tools. For users without good access to high-speed internet, GEO has established GEONETCast, a system of four communications satellites that transmit data to low-cost receiving stations maintained by the users.^[8]

At present, GEONETCast seems still in its infancy, yet some tools have already been worked out. The GEONETCast toolbox Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine has been made available and contains tools to access some radar altimetry, vegetation, satellite prediction and maritime information.^[9] Other useful information available through GEONETCast is vegetation and desert locust information provided under the DevCoCast project, which is a subproject of GEONETCast.^[10]^[11]

User groups

The growing demand for Earth observation data and information is the driving force behind GEOSS. The GEOSS Implementation Plan identifies nine distinct groups of users and uses, which it calls “Societal Benefit Areas”. The nine areas are disasters, health, energy, climate, water, weather, ecosystems, agriculture and biodiversity. Current and potential users include decision makers in the public and private sectors, resource managers, planners, emergency responders and scientists.^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]

Related initiatives

GEOSS can be characterized as a contribution towards the establishment of a spatial data infrastructure. It is one of three related initiatives that are the subject of the GIGAS (GEOSS, INSPIRE and GMES an Action in Support) harmonization project under the auspices of the EU 7th Framework Programme.^[16]

Participating organizations

AARSE: African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment
ACCREC: African Climate Change Research Centre
ADIE: Association for the Development of Environmental Information
ADPC: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
Afriterra Foundation
APN: Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research
CATHALAC: Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean
CEOS: Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
CEDARE: Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe
CGMS: Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites
CMO: Caribbean Meteorological Organization
COSPAR: Committee on Space Research
DIVERSITAS
EARSC: European Association of Remote Sensing Companies
ECMWF: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
EEA: European Environment Agency
EIS-AFRICA: Environmental Information Systems - AFRICA
EPI: Environment Pulse Institute
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: Association of the Geological Surveys of the European Union
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FDSN: International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks
GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility
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
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
IHO: International Hydrographic Organization
IISL: International Institute for Space Law
ILTER: International Long Term Ecological Research Network
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
Radiant Earth
RFF: Resources for the Future
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
WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations
WMO: World Meteorological Organization

Societal Benefit Areas

Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs)^[17] are eight environmental fields of interest, all of which relate to climate, around which the GEOSS project is exerting its efforts. These include the categories and subcategories below.

A preliminary hierarchical vocabulary has been created.^{[citation needed]} Currently, the hierarchical vocabulary structuring these societal benefit categories and their subcategories are available only in English. However, translations have been created for French, Spanish and Italian versions by Claudia Cialone and Kristin Stock of the Centre for Geospatial Science (CGS) at the University of Nottingham, UK, with input from a number of people from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy, the University of Zaragoza and the European Union Joint Research Centre (JRC). Translations have also been accomplished for a Slovenian version of the SBAs by the Biotehnical faculty of the University of Ljubljana, SI.

Disaster Resilience

This SBA is meant to increase the system of the earth observation to protect human lives from natural hazards such as tsunami, sea and lake ice, floods, volcanic eruptions, wild fires etc.

Public Health Surveillance

The health SBA is meant to understand and to prevent the environmental factors related to human diseases. Some subcategories included in this concern infectious diseases, respiratory problems, environmental stress, accidental death and injury and so forth.

Energy and mineral resource management

This SBA is concerned with the preservation and the operations related to energetic sources, and their renewability. Some examples of subcategories for this field are: oil & gas exploration, refining and transport operations, renewable energy operations, global energy management etc..

Water resources management

The water topic is inherent to hydrological research, evaluation and management and the impact of humans on the water cycle. The area includes subfields of interest such as global biogeochemistry, fisheries and habitat, telecommunication and navigation, predictions etc.

Infrastructure and transport

This category provides information for Earth observations support for planning, monitoring and management of infrastructure (dams, roads, rail, ports and pipelines) and transportation (air, land and sea).

Food security and sustainable agriculture

This field of concern embraces all those agricultural activities, or related subjects such as grazing systems, the economic trade of agricultural products, for monitoring the global condition of food including the prevention of desertification.

Biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability

This area is meant to disseminate information related to the investigation on the genetic diversity of species and more generally on the natural resources of the different ecosystems and the services available for their conservation.

References

^ "US Environmental Protection Agency". Archived from the original on 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2005-03-15.
^ Group on Earth Observations — The GEO Secretariat Director Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ "European Commission". Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Directions Magazine". Archived from the original on 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers". Archived from the original on 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "GEOSS Registries". Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Reuters". Archived from the original on 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Associated Press". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Information available through GEONETCast" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
^ "Useful data from DevCoCast project". Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
^ "ENDELEO, a useful vegetation map allowing comparison of vegetation over time, part of "Kenyan Forests" DevCoCast project". Archived from the original on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
^ "Global Biodiversity Information Facility". Archived from the original on 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
^ "GEO Energy Community of Practice". Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "Reuters". Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "The Christian Science Monitor". Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^ "The GIGAS Forum". Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
^ "GEO's Societal Benefit Areas" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2020-08-27.

Chuvieco, Emilio (2008) Earth Observation of Global Change: The Role of Satellite Remote Sensing in Monitoring the Global Environment Springer ISBN 9781402063572 page 10
Luzeaux, Dominique; Ruaul, Jean-René (eds) (2013) Systems of Systems John Wiley & Sons ISBN 9781118619803 pg 215-218