Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy Ret.

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The Benefits of an Earth Observation System

• Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S.
  Navy (Ret.)
• Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
  Atmosphere
• January 28, 2004

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Presentation Overview

• Benefits of Earth Observations
• Social Needs
• Economic Needs
• Science Needs
• Timeline of Events Intergovernmental Process
• Update
• Future Plans
• Opportunities for Industry

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Evolving World - Evolving Needs
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Social Benefit Interest Areas

• Human Health and Well Being
• Natural and Technological Hazards and Disasters
• Agricultural Efficiency, Including Food, Fiber
  and Biofuels
• Air Transport and Air Quality Management
• Water Quality and Quantity Especially for
  Agricultural and Human Uses
• Coastal and Ocean Management
• Ecosystem Management
• Land Management
• Carbon Management
• Energy Management
• Built Environment Including Waste Management

• Processes/Systems
• Atmospheric and Water Chemistry
• Weather and Climate
• Land and Ocean Biogeochemistry
• Solid Earth and Solar Processes

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Linking Observations to International and
Interstate Commerce
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Linking Observations to Health Ecosystems

• Harmful Algal Blooms in the Gulf of Mexico
• Satellite Imagery
• Impact Evaluation
• Field Samples
• Bulletins to state and local managers

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Linking Weather and Coastal Observations to
Socio-Economic Needs

• Derivatives
• Insurance

• Risk Management
• Utilities

Hurricane Isabel
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Goal Data to Information
High Performance Computing, Communication and
Visualization Standards and Interoperability
Value and benefits to citizens and society
Predictions

• Science Models
• Oceans
• Ice
• Land
• Coupled
• Atmosphere

PolicyDecisions
Data
ManagementDecisions

• Monitoring and Observations
• Remote Sensing
• In situ

Observations
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES
IMPACTS
Earth Science Enterprise Strategy NASA, 2003
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Linking Observations to Human Health

• ESA Initiative Solving the Ebola Enigma

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Linking Observations to Human Health Cholera
AVHRR
AVHRR-SST
TOPEX-SSA
SeaWiFS-Chl-a
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Linking Observations to Agriculture

• Drought is estimated to result in average annual
  losses to all sectors of the economy of between
  6-8 billion

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Addressing Science Needs

• Science is common denominator to addressing
  socio-economic needs
• Scientists require comprehensive, sustained, and
  high-quality data
• Many observational gaps in oceans, carbon cycle
  and other physical and biological process
• Example Climate

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Earth Observation Summit
U.S. Department of State, Washington DC July 31,
2003
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What Led to the EO Summit?

• June 01 President Bush Announcement
• 25M in observing systems and capacity building
  in developing countries
• August 02 World Summit on Sustainable
  Development
• Call for strengthened cooperation and
  coordination
• June 03 G8 Summit
• Importance of Earth Observations
• Plan to strengthen international cooperation

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Ad hoc Group on Earth Observation (GEO)

• Washington DC-August 2003
• Four co-chairs selected (U.S. co-chair)
• Five working groups established
• U.S. co-chair of each group
• Architecture-USGS
• Capacity Building-USAID
• Data Utilization-NOAA
• International Cooperation-State
• User Requirements and Outreach-EPA
• Secretariat established

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GEO-2 November 2003

• Hosted by European Commission in Baveno, Italy
• Added 4 membersnow 38 Nations
• 3 new intl organizationsNew Total 24
• Agreed to build Earth observing system based on
  existing systems
• Agreed to focus on societal benefits
• Framework document due April 2004

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Upcoming Meetings

• February 04 GEO-3 South Africa
• Finalize framework for plan
• Continue work on 10 year planGEO Report
• High-level Communiqué
• April 2004 GEO-4 and EOS-II Tokyo
• EOS-II approve Framework for plan
• Review progress

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Draft Calendar
Earth Observation Summit-1 July 31United States
Initial GEO MeetingAugust 1-2
GEO-2 Italy November 28-29
Earth Observation Summit-2Japan
SG Co-Chairs Mtg South Africa
Document Milestones GEO Secretariat
Meetings GEO Meetings planned GEO
Meetings notional Significant Events
Complete10-Year Implementation Plan
Earth Observation Summit-3Europe
2003
2004
2005
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U.S. Government Activities

• Aligned with GEO structure
• Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
  (CENR) lead
• Interagency Working Group on Earth Observations
  formed
• OSTP, NASA and NOAA co-chairs
• 15 Participating USG Agencies
• GEO parallel teams formed
• Develop U.S. input to the 10 year implementation
  plan
• Develop and begin implementation of the U.S.
  Framework and 10 year plan

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Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
(GMES)

• European contribution to GEO
• Focus European environmental policies
• International and national regulations and
  conventions
• Sustainable development
• Civilian focus
• Targets all sectors
• Objective Bring environment information to
  people who need it
• Links data to information providers to users
• User-driven

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Public-Private Partnerships

• Industry, Academia, and Nongovernmental
  Organizations Involvement Essential to Success

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Government Role

• Engage Industry and Listen to Its Ideas
• Develop Understanding of Industry Requirements
• Help Identify and Prioritize Activities
• Structure Program to Best Meet Needs
• Update Industry on National and International
  Activities
• Execute Programs for Earth Observations Research
  and Development and Operations

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Industry Role

• Industry as Builder and Maintainer
• Research to Operations to Data Utilization
• Address Gaps
• Develop Systems
• Data Management and Supercomputers
• System Maintenance

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Industry Role

• Industry as User
• Marketable Services Ties to Sectors
• Urban Planning
• Mining
• Transportation
• Energy
• Agriculture/Forestry Management
• Coastal Management
• Tourism
• Insurance
• Construction

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Key Area Data Management and Information System
Maintenance

• Capacity to exchange, store, and disseminate data
  and information
• Data Management to match investments in satellite
  and in situ sensors
• Common policies, standards, and formats
• 24/7 system to meet needs of policymakers,
  industry, and public
• Sustained infrastructure

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Summary

• Political Will National and International
• Drivers Societal, Economic, and Science Needs
• Government as Enabler
• Secretary Evans 103m Commitment
• Public-Private Partnership Necessary
• Beneficiaries Humankind

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Backup Material
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Participating Countries

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Belize
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Egypt
• European Commission
• France
• Gabon
• Germany

• Greece
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Portugal
• Republic of Congo

Republic of Korea Russian Federation South
Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Ukraine U
nited Kingdom United States
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Participating Organizations

• Central American Commission for the Environment
  and Development (SICA/CCAD)
• Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
• EUMETNET
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather
  Forecasting (ECMWF)
• European Space Agency (ESA)
• European Organization for the Exploitation of
  Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
  Nations (FAO)
• Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
• Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS)
• Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership
  (IGOS-P)
• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

• International Agency for the Development of
  Environmental Information (ADIE)
• International Council for Science (ICSU)
• International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP)
• International Group of Funding Agencies for
  Global Change Research (IGFA)
• Partnership for Observing the Global Oceans
  (POGO)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
  Change (UNFCCC)
• United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs
  (UNOSA)
• World Bank (IBRD)
• World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)