GMES users – Advices for GEO

GMES users – Advices for GEO Herbert Haubold Michael Nyenhuis ISRSE Workshop: Building a User-Driven GEOSS: Methods to Capture, Analyse and Prioritize User Needs, Sydney, 10th Apr 2011

Contents • GMES in a nutshell • Users in GMES • Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

GMES in a nutshell • GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a programmatic framework to establish a European Earth observation capacity • An end user-focused programme of services for environment and security • Joined-up information for policy-makers, scientists, businesses and the public • Europe’s response to the global need for environment and climate monitoring • Main focus so far on space observations, but the European Environment Agency (EEA) is currently tasked with coordinating the in-situ observation component of GMES

GMES in a nutshell • GMES aims at developing operational services, following the example of meteorology, but for other domains such as: • emergency management • air quality monitoring • land monitoring • ocean and sea ice monitoring

Sea surface temperature Sea level Source: myocean website

UV Radiation Surface CO2 Source: macc website

Relation of GMES to GEOSS • GEO/GEOSS mentioned in EC GMES policy documents • GMES to be the main European contribution to GEOSS • GEO data sharing principles as a driver, among others, for GMES data policy • GEOSS to be an important element of a GMES „international cooperation strategy“ • Some GMES projects are registered as GEO resources, but details on the links still need to be developed • GMES is a prime framework in which to realize a strategic European GEO approach

GMES User Federations • User Federations established in most of the first and second GMES phase projects • Objectives • Involve users in service configuration • Consolidation of users • Building user awareness • Tasks • Collect & analyze user needs and feedback • Harmonize user requirements • Foster networking with other user groups • Limitations • User federations only within the frame of projects • Since projects were often led by service providers, user federations did not have an adequate frame to articulate the users’ views

GMES Network of Users (GNU) • The GMES Network of Users (GNU) is a coordination and support action under the 6th EU Framework Programme • Oct 2007 – Sep 2010 • Around 22 consortium members (major players in EU environmental monitoring) • GNU does not relate to a particular topic, but addresses the cross-cutting issues of GMES.

GMES Network of Users (GNU) • Motivation / goals: • Less fragmented environmental GMES user communities • Independent and unfiltered user statements • A mouthpiece for the views of GMES users of national/regional (i.e. subsidiary) level • Aggregated and differentiated users' appraisals of GMES products • Investigate and improve user-provider relations to enable efficient communication

The recent GMES Regulation (Sept 2010) contemplates : A GMES Committee A User Forum as the dedicated body to advise the EC on: The definition and validation of user requirements Coordination of the GMES programme with public sector users The GMES User Forum

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO GMES users: Lessons learnt & advices for GEO The following largely builds on the results of the GNU project – credits to the whole GNU consortium !

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO • Data integration • GMES users are not only interested in the data source, but mostly in useful data sets • Integrated products using complementary data from different sources (in-situ; satellite; statistics; models) are required • GEO as an opportunity to achieve coordination of multiple data sources and to develop integrated products (cross-cutting aspect of GEO & concept of Societal Benefit Areas) • Data access • The easy access to data proved to be critical for the uptake of GMES services/products by users • The GEO Portal is not only the front-end of GEOSS but also a unique selling point of GEOSS • The Portal needs to serve the expectations that are raised by GEO

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO • User involvement • Top-down approach (‘service providers’  users) has been followed largely • The GMES User Forum, with public sector users appointed by MS is an important step towards a more coherent approach to involve users in service/product development • A clear need for user support, e.g. training, awareness raising, showcasing and dissemination finally became clear within GMES • GEO follows both: a top-down and a bottom-up approach • A coherent, participatory user engagement process needs to be developed for GEO (if not yet there) and communicated in detail • Users to be involved in service design and validation • E.g. key users represented on UIC and other bodies • Influence of users on the development of GEOSS needs to be demonstrated

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO • Transparency • GMES was/is caught in its complex structure (politics; funding; data access rights) • GEO shows similar degree of complexity • GEO needs to be very explicit in communicating its objectives and working practices and penetrate more the national communities • Needs vs. requirements • Difference between those terms is important: needs relate to what users need to do their work; requirements are the technological expression of needs • Users need to be asked for user needs that have to be translated into requirements • Differences in the used terminology need to be taken into account

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO • Beyond users and providers • In GMES, role of users and providers increasingly overlapping (value chain consideration) • Similar situation within GEO, esp. regarding bigger organizations (intermediate users) • Addressing both providers and users may facilitate ‘user’ engagement • Need to mainstream GMES and GEOSS data sets in enabling monitoring and reporting systems and show users real gains through improvement of their work, practical applicability and reliability

GMES users – Advices for GEO