Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO

1. ID-02 report17 September 2014IDIB meeting, EnschedeGregory GiulianiUniversity of GenevaUNEP/GRID-Geneva

2. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO Started to capture lessons learnt. Sent a questionnaire to ID-02 PoC, leaders, and contributors. So far 12 respondents Available online on the GEOSS Best Practices Wiki: http://wiki.ieee-earth.org/Documents/GEOSS_Capacity_Building%3a_Lessons_learnt Continuous activity

3. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO

4. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 1. What are (or were) your expectations of CB in GEO? • Open/Improve access to data (high resolution images, monitoring systems), models, products, tools more possibilities for education and training opportunities • Strengthen institutional capacity • Low expectation given the technological gaps that exist • Awareness raising on the importance of geoinformation for decision-making • Provide guidelines on CB • Establishment of communities engaged in capacity building for earth observation • Establishment of a resource facility on capacity building • Development of promotion /capacity building material for decision makers • Development of business/marketing support capacity building material for entrepreneurs (start-ups, developing countries) • Implementation of and reporting on capacity building activities in all GEO tasks • Certification or at least categorizing the many, often ad-hoc, capacity building activities in the framework of GEO • Cross-domains trainings • Better coordination with other oingoing efforts (especially UN) • Broaden the capacity of user community to make use, in an efficient and creative way, of RS products. • Make data useable and useful

5. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 2. Do you agree with the currently developed CB strategy, do you think its principles are still valid? • YES but… • still valid, because its principles are quite general. May be these principles could be more precise • better linkage and mutual understanding with other major players are needed about sharing ownership of initiatives. • does not take in account pre-existing programmes and initiatives related to the promotion, development and sustainability of geospatial data infrastructures and that GEO should act more in synergy with its participating organizations. • still is a demand for funding that could allow the implementation of specific projects which have across-agency input and coordination and would pull in existing organizations as well as have an outreach aspect to universities and student groups.  The problem continues to remain that GEO is not a funding source that simply hands out money for projects but the countries each on their own need to see a need for these projects and information, develop their own funded projects, and work back up into GEO for added data, methodology, and resource items to help within the country’s own conceived programs and improvements when using satellite imagery. • means of implementation and stated approach should be more closely followed. • some of the points require sustained funding too, and that aspect is not addressed as a lot of the GEO efforts are still voluntary in nature. Here, encouraging GEO member states to provide dedicated funding to EO awareness raising and CB, as well as subsidising data costs for developing nations could be emphasised. • It is important to keep developing synergies and encouraging cross-fertilization and addressing common challenges across capacity building initiatives (AfriGEOSS is a good opportunity).

6. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 3. What is your assessment of the practical actions carried forward by GEO/within the GEO coordination framework?  • Mostly no opinion, not enough experience, hard to assess • Great progress has been made, both in terms of activities and analysis, as in terms of information gathering • benefited from the services of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters” • People change so frequently within the GEO working groups a lack of continuity is difficult to grasp.  • Projects and data needs have to be home-grown in each country and bloom up allowing the right resources across countries to then be assessable, able to be retrofitted, and usable in a wider, global context.  • Just collecting data at the GEO level has limited new project thinking and ownership and pride and capacity building at the individual country level.  This global collection is the ultimate endpoint to have free and accessible information, but missing or guess work data at the base, country level is still the problem and this capacity base has to be build up and gain ownership at the country level. • GEONETCast is a major success story • AfriGEOSS has a good example of regional empowerment • GEO in its coordination efforts should more actively engage through inter-agency coordination bodies • more regular consultation between all involved parties and major actors • GEO has been providing the necessary cooperation framework, strengthening the linkages among all the key actors for a better exploitation of synergies and a broader access to best practices, both constituting key elements for the consolidation of an effective framework for coordinated capacity building actions. This work seems endless since new initiatives and needs keep showing up, especially in different regions, countries and continents… For the next decade we need to keep up the good work!

7. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 4. What have been the major successes in your view? • sharing of knowledge and big data scientists between producing international institutions and developing countries at low cost • GFOI and SilvaCarbon CB • Establishment of informal / formal communities that work together on promotion of capacity building activities • Level of capacity building activities has increased • Promoting CB initiatives relating to GEO goals and SBAs had a clear impact on CB worldwide. GEONETCast is an excellent examples. • Format and data input resources determined by the initiatives within GEO.  • Improved cross-country work, although still at the fledgling stages.  • It has sourced available satellite data across countries, allowing even some of the poorest countries to have some access to the data and a footprint in developing their own satellite data use offices.  It has allowed others more access to improved data-use processes.  • It has brought together scientists, researchers, and analysts to discover improved measurement and forecast • positive transformations in data access policy (data sharing principles). • Importance of EU research: EnviroGRIDS, GEONETCAB and OBSERVE.

8. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 5. What have been the major gaps in your view ? • Non-participation in many of the developing countries especially in Africa • Funding • More capacity building material/activities is needed for interested professionals that are not at home in earth observation, but interested in using its applications • The resource facility should be expanded • Tasks should give more attention on capacity building and improve reporting • slow adoption of the idea of developing projects from the country-level up into GEO • Many important projects and initiatives should be extended and expanded onto other areas (ICOS, COCOS, EDGAR) • sharing ownership of very relevant CB initiatives implemented by GEO Members • The GEO CB activities is perceived as unfocused • Lack of interaction between individual tasks • More awareness raising • Voluntary nature is often not enough to make progress, and resources/funding for GEO actions are still lacking • GEO could make efforts to rally commercial vendors as well as major purchasers (UN, EU, WB, bilateral donors) to pool resources and efforts for easing licensing and data sharing conditions. • Overall coordination of CB materials and activities which will be hopefully reached through the launch GEOCAB Portal.

9. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 6. General comments? • Development AfriGEOSS will make better address the problems affecting Earth Observation • the aims of capacity building must be realistic • Data provision should be seen as an enabling CB accomplishment • Working toward better stability of the GEO framework, data, resources, training, cross-education while slowly implementing the idea of ground up transitions of projects would improve the success of GEO • There seems to be a gap between goals, principles and practical actions. In my view this is due to a somewhat ambiguous relation between GEO, GEOSS and CB "field-actors" (the ones really making things happen).

10. Views on the evolution of the Task in the current decade of GEO • 7. What measures do you think will be necessary to improve the relevance of GEO as a global player in the CB domain? • A necessary building material and personal capacity of institutions in developing countries • Funding • The model for capacity building via GEO cannot be to ‘make developing countries like us’. Rather, the model will need to be one of sustained enablement , in which internationally accessible infrastructures are used to provide enabling services that can be used to inform decisions and actions. • Overall coordination of CB materials and activities. • Increasing visibility • Individualized projects with countries that allow visiting scientists, researchers and analysts to help build home-grown ideas for projects within countries • Bringing in more of the universities and private sector groups is also necessary as both of these see more in the long-range view of improvements in information for a country. • More active involvement of students and young scientists, as well as development of communication tools inside an expert community can advantage to increase a role of GEO as a global player in the CB domain. • Promote the preparation of training kits (teaching materials for short courses) mirroring the high level structure of GEO (SBA-s or else). • Promote a system of MSc fellowships to create a generation of GEO - knowledgeable specialists, EU programs could be used for this. • GEO should be able to provide “background information / lesson learnt / best practices / success stories”that could be used by each GEO individual member and participating organising to approach  donors • Create GEO CB approaches that answer to higher level objectives (e.g. RIO+2015, or any other global initiative). • coordination with other entities, working together more as One, as a "team", not favouring individual approaches. • keep looking for resources. The private sector involvement in GEO can help on this.

11. (Partial) conclusions A lot of good work has been done. We are on the right track but a lot of efforts remain in order to consolidate coordination and networking between major actors in CB. Give a clear message and clarify relations between different actors Education and private sectors are important Funding is a major issue Better communication GEOCAB portal will be very helpful (lots of expectation, will answer a need)

12. Thank you!earthobservations.orggregory.giuliani@unige.chgregory.giuliani@unep.org