Group on Earth Observation GEO Ice User Requirements

1
Group on Earth Observation (GEO)Ice User
Requirements

• M. Manore
• Canadian Ice Service

2
Background

• Earth Observation Summit Washington, July 31,
  2003
• ministerial-level meeting
• 34 nations other organizations
• Ad-Hoc Group on Earth Observation (GEO) formed
• Goal
• develop an international 10-year implementation
  plan for a system for comprehensive,
  coordinated, sustained Earth observations
• space, aircraft, in-situ observations - System
  of Systems (GEOSS)
• based on user requirements
• build on existing systems
• international education and outreach
• free, open, and timely exchange of data with
  minimum of costs
• Target draft implementation plan Spring 2005
• Draft Framework Document Tokyo, April 2004

3
Structure

• International, voluntary, initially incoherent,
  panicked
• Meetings for coordination
• Baveno (Oct)
• Cape Town (Feb)
• Secretariat U.S. lead with international
  participation
• Working Groups - international co-chairs
• International Cooperation
• Architecture
• User Requirements and Outreach
• Data Utilization
• Capacity Building

4
GEO Socio Economic Benefit Areas

• 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 resource management through
  better understanding of the water cycle
• Improving weather information, forecasting, and
  warning
• Improving the management and protection of
  terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems
• Supporting sustainable agriculture and combating
  desertification
• Understanding, monitoring, and conserving
  biodiversity

5
Ice Requirements

• Currently included within marine parameters
• Ice and marine requirements from existing
  inventories e.g.
• WMO - weather, NWP
• WCRP - climate
• GOOS physical oceanography
• CEOS Hazard Management marine and ice hazards
• consistent with ice operations requirements
• bias towards open ocean scales, vs. operational
• UR Working Groups still struggling
• defining scope of themes
• specific technical requirements, gap analysis to
  follow

6
Next Steps

• process for validation of requirements
• request to Data, Information and Customer Support
  Committee to establish an action item
• define role for IICWG
• validate operational requirements (clear mandate)
• opportunity to exercise our experience and
  credibility within the GEO process, e.g.
• support continuity of SAR
• define in-situ, airborne requirements
• promote and exercise open data exchange
• other?