Gilles OLLIER Head of Sector EUROPEAN COMMISSION Earth Observation DG RTD

1. GEO welcomes FP7 15 September 2006 (Constanta - Romania) Europe and the GEO initiative Gilles OLLIER Head of Sector EUROPEAN COMMISSION Earth Observation DG RTD

2. KEY INITIATIVES FOR EARTH OBSERVATION The EU has a long-standing commitment to meet the challenges of sustainable development. The research policy of the Commission contributes to this commitment through the funding of environmental research, including research dealing with Earth Observation. The observation of the Earth plays a key role in the assessment of the environment and in policy making. GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems):GLOBAL DIMENSION INSPIRE directive: Will provide the regulatory framework to facilitate the exchange of data in Europe. GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security):SERVICE ORIENTED

3. What is driving the GEO initiative? • 3 top science and technology priorities identified at the G8 meeting in Evian in 2003: agriculture, energy andEarth observations • FROM first EO SUMMIT in Washington in July 2003 • CALL FOR A GREATER INTEGRATION OF EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEMS INTERNATIONALLY • DEVELOPMENT OF A “GLOBAL EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS”

4. 9 Societal benefit areas of GEOSS • Reducing loss of life and property from natural and human induced disasters; • Understanding environmental factors affecting human health • and well being; • Improving management of energy resources; • Understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating and adapting • to climate variability and change; • Improving water resources management through better • understanding of the water cycle; • Improving weather information, forecasting and warning; • Improving the management and protection of terrestrial, • marine and coastal ecosystems; • Supporting sustainable agriculture and combating • desertification; • Understanding, monitoring and conserving biodiversity;

5. Main objectives for GEO • GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems): • Acquire observational data from all different EO platforms; • Process data into useful products; • Exchanges, disseminates and archives shared data, metadata and products; • Undertakes activities to continue EO related Research, capacity building and outreach.

6. GEO STRUCTURE • Membership open to all countries of the world • 60 countries (plus the EC) endorsed the GEOSS 10-year Implementation plan and are current GEO members; • Contribution to GEOSS on a voluntary basis (no fixed membership fees) • International organisations are participants • 43 organizations are represented in GEO • GEO Secretariat • Permanent GEO Secretariat is being installed at WMO (Geneva) since autumn 2005 • Governance • Plenary meetings of all members and participating organisations • Executive committee to ensure the fulfilment of GEO plenary decisions00

7. GEO Executive Committee • 12 Members elected for 2 years term • Regional representations: • Africa (2): Morocco; South Africa (chair) • Americas (3): Brazil; Honduras; US (chair) • Asia + Oceania (3): Japan; Thailand; China (chair) • CIS (1): Russian Federation (Chair) • Europe (3): Germany; Italy; EC (Chair) • Elected by regional caucuses

8. GEO Executive Committee • 4 Co-Chairs • Elected by Plenary from Executive Committee members; • 2 from Developing Countries, 2 from Developed Countries: • Zheng Guoguang – China (CMA) • José Manuel Silva Rodríguez – Europe (EC) • Phil MJWARA – South Africa (DST) • Conrad Lautenbacher – United States (NOAA)

9. GEO current status • Rules and Procedures adopted • GEO Committees in place- Architecture and Data- Capacity Building- Science and Technology- User Interface - Tsunami ad-hoc committee • 2006 Work Plan is running • Outline Work Plan for years 2007-2009 issued

10. GEO annual WP (currently 2006 WP) • Key role of the GEO Committees for the implementation of the annual WP- Architecture and Data (33 tasks) • - Capacity Building (19 tasks)- Science and Technology (20 tasks)- User Interface (20 tasks) • Completion of each task by: lead organisations, contributing organisations, and user organisations • Each Committee prepares a report for the GEO plenary

13. ROAD MAP OF THE GEO 2006 WORK PLAN

14. 2007-2009 WORK PLAN • Longer term planning: a 3 year WP • Continuity with the 2006 WP:80 of the 97 2006 tasks are to be continued • 30 new tasks are proposed

15. Example of new tasks • Early warning of slowly developing disasters • Strengthen health observation systems • Environment impact of energy extraction/transport • International weather/climate and Earth-system science initiative • Further use of EO within fishery and aquaculture • Apply Earth Observation to protected areas • Etc….

16. How are we organised in Europe? Setting up of a European Geo High Level Working Group (HLWG) • The Commission provides a secretariat for and chairs the HLWG • Role of the HLWG: to develop a European convergent approach within GEO • Example: European position on the GEO 2007-2009 WP - Next meeting 11th October 2006

17. EUROPEAN PARTICIPATION IN GEO • Membership • Europe provides 21 of the current GEO membership of 58 countries + European Commission & 7 of the current 43 GEO participating organisations • GEO Secretariat • GEO Secretariat is supported significantly by European countries and the European Commission (1,8 M€ in 2005-06) • Governance • European members participate to the Plenary meetings and Executive Committee meetings (Co-chaired by European Commission) • Committees • Europe co-chair capacity building, S&T, and User Interface Committees. Also active in the Architecture & Data Committee

18. GEO 2006 WP EUROPEAN INPUT FOR THE ANNUAL WP

19. EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTION TO GEO 2006 WP • EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS • Organisations well committed to the GEO tasks (ECMWF, EUMETSAT, ESA, EEA, etc….) • EUROPEAN COUNTRIES • Large number of institutions contributing at various level (effort still needed to take into account existing national initiatives) • EUROPEAN COMMISSION • FP6 projects relevant to GEO 2006 WP (SPACE/GMES, ENV, INFSO) • - Need still to be properly linked to the GEO tasks • - Commission started to contact the projects • - New FP6 projects structured to produce GEO deliverables • - FP7 organised towards GEO

20. GMES fast track servicesto be implemented by 2008 • Information for Crisis (Emergency) Management • Land Monitoring Services • Marine Core Services • Proposed GMES Pilot Atmospheric Services(2009 ?)

21. The GMES Marine Service chain

22. LAND MONITORING (Gmes Fast Track Service) • Project GEOLAND:GMES Integrated Project on Land Monitoring and Vegetation • Objective:to develop and demonstrate a range of reliable, affordable and cost efficient European geo-information services, supporting the implementation of European directives and their national implementation, as well as European and International policies. • to integrate existing technologywith innovative and scientifically sound elements into sustainable services. • Partners: http://www.gmes-geoland.info/TEAM/all.php 56 from Italy, Belgium, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, UK, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Russia and Switzerland COORDINATOR:Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschafts- und Landnutzungsforschung Total Costs:12 M€ - EC Contribution: 9.2 M€

23. Emerging diseases in a changingEuropean environment EXAMPLE: INTEGRATED PROJECT EDEN SOCIETAL BENEFIT AREA OF GEOSS: REDUCING OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM NATURAL AND HUMAN INDUCED DISASTER • EDEN selected for study a range of diseases that are especially sensitive to environmental changes • EDEN integrates research between 42 leading institutes from 23 countries • EDEN organised and linked by a series of integrative Activities including biodiversity monitoring, environmental change detection, disease modelling, remote sensing and image interpretation • Specific links with third world • Coordinator: Dr Stéphane de La Rocque (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement à Paris – FR) • Total Costs: 15 M€ - EC Contribution: 11 M€

24. ASCABOS (SSA) : ASupporting Programme for CapacityBuilding in the Black Sea Region towards Operational Status of Oceanographic Services • Communications, data and information exchange are the key elements of the operational ocean monitoring and forecasting networks, defined in the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). • Development of observing and closely related operational forecasting system in the Black Sea region requires the exchange of significant data and information volumes. • ASCABOS is designed to strengthen the communication system ensuring flexible and operative infrastructure for data and information exchange between partners and end users. • Project status – Expected starting date: autumn 2005 – duration 2yrs - Cordinator/contact: Bulgarian Institute of Oceanology

25. GEONETCast Concept • Utilisation of existing dissemination infrastructure provided by environmental satellite operators; • Provision of environmental satellite and in-situ data and products to Users on a worldwide, operational basis; • Established in the GEO context to provide a dissemination component of the GEOSS; • Lead organisations are EUMETSAT, NOAA, and WMO;

26. EU INTEREST IN GEONETCast • Through its involvement in GEO, the EU will have the possibility to use GEONETCast for distributing and broadcasting data products generated within GMES and other European Earth Observation initiatives • GEONETCast would be a useful tool to support the EU policy towards developing countries • Opportunity to demonstrate European capability in technology initially developed through EUMETcast (EUMETSAT)

27. EUMETCast Coverage

28. Funding aspects of GEO GEO is not a funding institution The GEO secretariat has limited resources available to support the basic organisational activities of GEO The development of GEOSS must be supported by the participating organisation GEO has already started to impact on funding agencies plans involving Earth Observation activities (European Commission FP7)