GEOSS Monitoring & Evaluation

1. GEOSS Monitoring & Evaluation

2. 1st GEOSS M&E WG meeting outcomes Agreed on • the final draft of Terms of Reference for the M&E WG • The plan for delivery of the Documents by M&E WG • Approach to GEOSS M&E

3. M&E Working Group - 2009 Expected outputs Support Reconciliation meeting 1 ExCo meeting 1 (01-02 June) ExCo meeting 2 Support Reconciliation meeting 2 (TBC) Review ExCo comments and finalize Docs for GEO VI

4. Targets GEOSS Monitoring & Evaluation Inputs Activities Outputs Outcomes SBAs Contributions from Members & Participating Organizations Progress toward Targets Tasks Task Deliverables Monitoring Task sheets Evaluation

5. Proposed Approach to Monitoring • Monitoring of GEOSS should focus on the monitoring of progress toward the completion of planned activities, outputs (deliverables) of Tasks (including Sub-Tasks). • Collection of information to support monitoring should be through the existing mechanism of Task Sheets. • Reporting of progress should continue to be on a semi-annual basis. • The Task Sheet Template should be modified to: • Allow for the identification of key milestones, with expected dates for achievement of these milestones. • Enable the identification and reporting of quantitative indicators of progress, where these are appropriate and available. • Enable the collection of information on usage of portals • To maximize the value of monitoring for evaluation purposes, efforts should be made to ensure the overarching Tasks contribute in an integrated way to the Targets (reconciliation).

6. Proposed Approach to Evaluation • First evaluation would be based on the Call to Action from the Report on Progress 2007 at the Cape Town Ministerial Summit • The evaluation would address each of the following areas identified as needing emphasis: • Ensure full, open, and timely access to data and relevant products at minimal cost • Observations need to be supplemented, improved, and sustained • In situ networks and airborne systems • The sustained component of space-based observing systems needs to be expanded • Data networks and systems • Modeling and prediction capabilities need to be improved and expanded • A renewed commitment for capacity building and understanding user needs, especially in developing countries • Nature of the evaluation • Make maximum use of data collected during monitoring • Ask additional questions, including contacting users • Focus on outcomes as well as on outputs • What difference has GEOSS made?

7. Proposed Approach to Evaluation • The second evaluation would begin the transition to a regular cycle of evaluating the GEOSS targets • One GEOSS infrastructure target • One GEOSS societal benefit area target • Evaluation of overall (unplanned) GEOSS accomplishments that cross over infrastructure targets and societal benefit area targets • Focus on outcomes as well as on outputs • What difference has GEOSS made? • The third and subsequent evaluations would begin a regular cycle • Two or three infrastructure targets per year (each target would be reviewed every two years) • Three societal benefit area targets per year (each target would be reviewed every three years) • Future ministerial statements would also be included in the scope of evaluations

8. Framework Document and Evaluation Plan

9. Recommendations for the Reconciliation Process • To ensure effective evaluation of the Targets, their definition should be amended to be « measurable » • To be properly monitored the tasks should include intermediate milestones and « measurable » outputs • For the medium-long term, tasks should be better linked to outcomes in a way that can be « measured» • GEOSS Roadmap, as currently presented, would provide limited utility to the M&E WG.