antonio bombelli – gtos sec

Antonio Bombelli – GTOS Sec

GTOS Steering Committee 4th SessionParis, UNESCO HQ30 Nov - 2 Dec 2009

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The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a global initiative to coordinate national andinternational efforts in environmental monitoring. GEO is a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations and provides a framework within which its partners can develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments.

GTOS & GEO

The GEO implementation plan is conceived to build GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) by contributing to the 9 GEO Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs): 1. Disasters2. Health3. Energy4. Climate5. Water6. Weather7. Ecosystems8. Agriculture9. Biodiversity

GTOS & GEO

Currently GTOS is involved in 16 tasks/subtasks of the last GEO 2009-2011 WorkPlan, addressing 4 out of the 9 GEO SBAs:

Climate (4)

Ecosystems (2)

Disasters (2)

Biodiversity (1)

GTOS & GEO

Task/Subtask Title Level of involvement

GTOS andpanels involved

AR-09-03a Global Terrestrial Observations Leader & POC GTOS SecretariatTCO and TOPC

DA-09-03a Global Land Cover Leader & POC GOFC-GOLDGTOS Sec

CL-09-03b Carbon Tracking Leader GTOS SecDI-09-03b Implementation of a Fire Warning System

at Global LevelLeader GOFC-GOLD

GTOS SecEC-09-01c Regional Networks for Ecosystems Leader GOFC-GOLD

GTOS SecUS-09-03b Forest Mapping and Change Monitoring Leader GOFC-GOLD

TCO, GTOS SecAR-09-01a Enabling Deployment of a GEOSS Architecture Contributor GTOS SecAR-09-01c GEOSS Best Practices Registry Contributor GTOS SecAR-09-02a Virtual Constellations Contributor GOFC-GOLDBI-07-01a Biodiversity Observation Network Contributor B-GTOSCB-09-03a Building National and Regional Capacity Contributor GOFC-GOLDAR-09-03c Global Ocean Observation System Contributor C-GTOSCL-09-03a Integrated Global Carbon Observation (IGCO) Contributor TCODA-09-01b Data, Metadata and Products Harmonisation Contributor GTOS SecDI-06-09 Use of Satellites for Risk Management Contributor GOFC-GOLD

GTOS SecEC-09-01a Ecosystem Classification and Mapping Contributor GTOS Sec

GTOS role in GEO Tasks: an overview

AR-09-03a: Global Terrestrial Observations

This task aims at developing intergovernmental mechanisms to coordinate terrestrial observations needed for climate studies and forecasting. UNFCCC/SBSTA encouraged GTOS to implement a joint framework mechanism on terrestrial observing systems for climate. Reports on 13 Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) in the terrestrial domain were published and submitted by GTOS to the 30th Session of SBSTA (June 2009).

GTOS contribution to the GEO Tasks

AR-09-03c: Global Ocean Observation System This task aims at enhancing and improving the coordination of ocean observations and modelling initiatives. C-GTOS is in the steering committee of the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice, designed to bridge observations of the land and sea components of the coast.


DA-09-03a: Global Land Cover GOFC-GOLD is contributing with a technical sourcebook on and procedures for monitoring measuring and reporting on reducing GHG emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD) in support of the UNFCCC process.


CL-09-03a: Integrated Global Carbon Observation (IGCO)


This task supports the development of improved global carbon observing networks. GTOS contributed to the initiation of the GEO Carbon Community of Practice and to the writing of the GEO Carbon Report for an integrated global carbon observations strategy.

Task CL-09-03b: Forest Carbon Tracking This task is instrumental for the post-Kyoto climate-change mitigation agreements. GOFC-GOLD formulate validation procedures and accuracy assessment for the remote sensing of forest area and carbon stock estimates.


DI-09-03b: Implementation of a Fire Warning System at Global Level GTOS supports the FAO co-lead initiative on Global Fire Information Management System (GFIMS) to disseminate active fire and burned area information products. GOFC-GOLD co-lead the development of a system for global early warning of wildland fire disaster.


US-09-03b: Forest Mapping and Change Monitoring GOFC-GOLD contributes to the development of new techniques for forest monitoring using remote sensing data, and evaluates methods and validation, including new uses of SAR for forest monitoring.


Convergence of scope

GEO was conceived to respond to the urgent and growing need for globally coordinated earth observations.GTOS was conceived to provide terrestrial observations in support of sustainable development. GEO recognizes GTOS as a GEO Participating Organization because it has a mandate in earth observations and related activities.GTOS recognizes the importance of GEO as a unique coordinated initiatives on global earth observation system of systems, essential to avoid duplication and create synergies. Questions for GEO Sec:what is the level of recognition of GTOS as a leading actor in terrestrial observations needed to implement the GEO work plan?

GTOS and GEO relationships

At time of the last GTOS Strategy GEO did not exist!

GEO now is a reality.

The new GTOS strategy shall endorse the GEO initiative. Up to know the mechanism for GTOS to contribute to GEO is simple:

i. GTOS contributes to and checks the GEO WPii. GTOS see what GEO tasks are relevant to its mandateiii. GTOS carry on its activities relevant to a GEO tasks in the frame of

the GEO mechanism (Task team, task plan, task sheet update, etc.)

Question to the GTOS SC:Do we need to define an agreed strategies for GTOS in working within the GEO framework to contribute to the implementation of GEO-Tasks?Should we create an ad hoc strategy/mechanism for interactions between GEO and GTOS?

How GTOS contributes to GEO

GTOS sponsors are also GEO members: should the relationships between GTOS and GEO be fully endorsed by GTOS sponsors? How the GTOS relationships with the conventions fit GEO? What is the GTOS position respect to GEO and the Convention? In the middle?

Problem of costs: (voluntary) participation in GEO often require additional resources (time, financial, personnel, travels)…

Any other issues?

GTOS and GEO – other issues

GTOS role in GEOBON

The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network was formed as a result of a process which had GTOS involvement from the start. Bob Scholes (at that time the B-GTOS chair) was appointed by GEO to the Implementation Planning Task Team for the GEOSS with the task to flesh out the Biodiversity Societal Benefit Area and the Ecosystems Societal Benefit Area.

GTOS SC 4th SessionParis, UNESCO HQ30 Nov - 2 Dec 2009

GEOSS in its 2007 workplan called for a GEOBON planning task (BI-07-01). The call was directed at, and taken up by, DIVERSITAS and NASA.The B-GTOS chair represented both GTOS and DIVERSITAS in the process.An Interim Steering Group was formed (with many members from GTOS team + marine people). The ISG drafted a Concept Document, from which an IP was developed and a descriptive paper was published on Science (Scholes, RJ et al 2008 Towards a global biodiversity observation system. Science321,1044-5).

This led to the GEOBON initiative.

GTOS role in GEOBONGTOS SC 4th SessionParis, UNESCO HQ30 Nov - 2 Dec 2009

A GEOBON SC formed in January 2009 (chair B. Scholes). The execution takes place via working groups that are developing IP and thinking about products: �

1. Genetic level (Tet Yahara and Daniel Faith)

2. Terrestrial Species Monitoring Programmes (Henrique Pereira)

3. Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring (Rob Jongman)

4. Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring (Ian Harrison)

5. Marine Ecosystem Monitoring (Jan de Leeuw and Carlo Heip)

6. Ecosystem Services (Hal Mooney)

7. In-situ / Remote-sensing Integration (Simon Ferrier)

8. Informatics and Portals (Hannu Saarenmaa and Eamonn O Tuama)


GTOS was involved in GEO since its start and potentially occupies a key position within the GEOBON network: it is the acknowledged coordination point for international land cover mapping and monitoring projects. However GTOS does not yet have a developed biodiversity area.

Possible future GTOS niche:1. Develop a ‘biodiversity relevant’ land cover interpretation, following the principle that all land cover legends should follow the LCCS specifications 2. A second key issue for biodiversity is fragmentation and connectivity (decide which minimal set of metrics to chose) 3. Take note of the global ecosystem maps under development in GEOSS task EC-09-01a: Ecosystem Classification and Mapping.


Other potential GTOS contribution 1. A global ecological interactions database. This would take the conceptual form of ‘Species A was observed to interact in way X with species B’, along with the time, place and identity of the observer. Such a database does not yet exist in shared form anywhere, and is not planned by any of the key players. 2. A community database (also called a plot database). This would contain species that are observed to coexist at a given location and time.


Other potential GTOS contribution on Biodiversity Be fully engaged on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Not only with geospatial data and other biodiversity related information at

- Ecosystem level (maps, LCCS, fragmentation and connectivity, ecosystem vulnerability, bdv indexes, etc.)

and- Species level (rare species, invasive species, change of

habitats, database on georeferenced species, etc.)

but also at the conceptual level, defining:- post 2010 biodiversity targets- biodiversity indicators, etc…

GTOS role in BDV: IPBES?GTOS SC 4th SessionParis, UNESCO HQ30 Nov - 2 Dec 2009

B-GTOS some question…

B-GTOS Draft Strategic Document on Biodiversity?

What is the importance for sponsors to have a B-GTOS?(high, we believe…)

What is your vision on B-GTOS: continue/leave?(continue, we believe, but… as an activity or panel?)

Do you see any conflicts/overlaps with GEOBON? Or do you envisage synergies?

Other issues?

antonio bombelli – gtos sec

Documents

gtos contribution

geo sbas

earth observations geo

geo tasks6ar

geo tasks7da

geo tasks8cl

global initiative

global land covergofcgold