CEOS NEWSLETTER No.11
page 2
CONTENTS
Establishing an IGOS Partnership
Dr. Harald Arend, ESA
Dr. Brent Smith, NOAA
At its 11th meeting in Toulouse in November 1997 the CEOS Plenary adopted
a Resolution on the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS), which
'reaffirmed that an IGOS has multiple ownership' and 'endorsed the development
of a partnership framework in which CEOS and other entities can participate.'
Further, the Plenary Resolution invited the Strategic Implementation Team
'to undertake immediate working level contacts with G3OS (GCOS, GTOS, GOOS)
Directors and other interested partners, e.g. WCRP and IGBP, towards continuing
development of a partnership for an IGOS.'
In light of this mandate and in fruitful cooperation with the
G3OS Sponsors, represented by ICSU, an IGOS working meeting was convened
in Paris on 26 March 1998. This meeting, hosted by ESA, aimed at the preparation
of the first formal IGOS Partners Meeting in June 1998. The March meeting
brought together representatives of CEOS, GCOS, GOOS, GTOS, ICSU, IGBP,
IGFA, UNEP and WCRP and was held in a very constructive spirit. Participants
agreed to the initiation of a two-phased approach for a joint IGOS strategy
document, the development of guidelines for the Partnership and corresponding
mechanisms, an enhanced role of the Global Observing Systems Space Panel
(GOSSP) within the IGOS Partnership, and a process for the identification
and conduct of IGOS projects.
Based on these fruitful results the first "IGOS Partners Meeting" was
hosted by ICSU in Paris on 6 June 1998. In addition to CEOS, IGFA and the
G3OS Sponsors (FAO, ICSU, UNEP, UNESCO-IOC, WMO), the meeting was attended
by GCOS, GOOS, GTOS, IGBP and WCRP. The meeting achieved the formalization
of the IGOS partner-ship concept and its major results can be summarized
as follows:
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Participants agreed that IGOS is a process that can help ensure that resources
are addressing the highest priority observational needs, taking into account
the missions and plans of space agencies and the up-to-date requirements
of major international user programs.
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The attendees endorsed the IGOS initiative and agreed to work in partnership
towards establishing a common agenda for the implementation of an IGOS.
An Executive Summary has been produced for a consolidated portfolio of
the Partners' IGOS documents. A comprehensive IGOS strategy document will
be prepared that will pull together elements of the CEOS space component
strategy document currently in production as well as elements of the strategy
document developed by the G3OS Sponsors.
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Given the heterogeneity of global observations, participants agreed that
the IGOS Partnership should be based on the principles of best efforts,
maximized synergy, and minimal additional financial obligation.
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Attendees agreed to work towards an 'exchange of letters' to initiate the
IGOS Partnership. An accompanying common Annex will include the corresponding
overall principles, objectives and activities.
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The meeting unanimously supported GOSSP in an expanded role within the
IGOS Partnership. The revised GOSSP will meet as soon as practicable.
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The participants agreed to develop a document outlining the mechanisms
for the identification and conduct of IGOS projects.
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Attendees agreed on a positive joint response by CEOS and FAO to the invitation
to organize an IGOS workshop at the UNISPACE III Conference in Vienna in
July 1999.
In order to further progress the establishment of the IGOS Partnership,
the major next steps within CEOS will include:
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The submission of the finalized Annex to the IGOS Partnership exchange
of letters to CEOS Members for endorsement, with letters attaching the
Annex subsequently to be sent to IGOS partners by the CEOS Chairman. This
is planned to be undertaken prior to the 1998 CEOS Plenary.
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The hosting of the next IGOS Partnership meeting in conjunction with the
1998 CEOS Plenary at Bangalore, India. The tentative date for this event
is the evening of November 11, 1998.
IGOS Panel at Tromso Symposium
Dr. Brent Smith, NOAA
A plenary-level session addressed the topic "Toward an Integrated Global
Observing Strategy" at the 27th International Symposium on Remote Sensing
of Environment, June 9, 1998, in Tromso, Norway. Co-chaired by CEOS Chair,
K. Kasturirangan of ISRO and by Arthur Dahl of UNEP, the session addressed
IGOS from a number of perspectives.
Dr. Kasturirangan opened the session with a presentation on "CEOS and
the Integrated Global Observing Strategy," identifying efforts underway
since the 1995 CEOS Plenary in Montreal to develop an integrated approach
to satellite and in-situ observations. He recounted creation of the IGOS
Strategic Implementation Team (SIT), and development and implementation
of a set of six IGOS prototype projects by CEOS member space agencies in
partnership with intergovernmental and international scientific user organizations.
Dr. Dahl, discussing "IGOS from the Perspective of the Global Observing
Systems and their Sponsors," presented a complementary view to that of
the space agencies, identifying the efforts of the Global Climate, Ocean,
and Terrestrial Observing Systems to develop and implement operational
systems intended to provide routine long-term data sets for a variety of
uses. He placed special emphasis on the need to respond to the particular
information requirements of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
and of multilateral envi-ronmental conventions such as those on climate
change, biological diversity, and desertification.
Dr. David Williams, EUMETSAT, addressed "The Concept of an Integrated
Global Observing System." In outlining principles, struc-
(to
be continued on Page 3)
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