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in print
The 12th CEOS Plenary, meeting in November 1998 in Bangalore, received
reports from the Chair of SIT and the six prototype projects as well as
a report by a representative of the Global Observing Systems Space Panel
(GOSSP). In
a formal resolution, CEOS re-affirmed participation in the IGOS Partnership
and recognized the need to further the
progress already achieved through SIT and to continue to contribute
at levels consistent with the goals of IGOS. The
Plenary endorsed in general a proposal outlined in a paper by the incoming
CEOS Chair, Tillmann Mohr of EUMETSAT, to restructure IGOS activities along
the lines of broad themes. It recognized GOSSP as an important contributor
to the formulation of requirements for IGOS and agreed that the CEOS Chair
should appoint two or three experts as CEOS observers to GOSSP. The CEOS
Chair was tasked to lead a delegation, including the previous and next
CEOS chairs and the SIT Chair, to upcoming IGOS Partnership Meetings. The
Plenary agreed to continue SIT
as an ad hoc group during 1999, participation being open to CEOS Members
who commit to contribute to IGOS activities. Thanking Brian Embleton for
his efforts as SIT Chair, the Plenary appointed Robert Winokur of NOAA
as SIT Chair and Jean-Louis Fellous of CNES as Vice-Chair, charging them
to provide a detailed progress report and recommendations in time for the
13th Plenary.
Specifically, SIT was tasked by Plenary to:
The IGOS Partnership at its second meeting, November
10, 1998, held in conjunction with the CEOS Plenary in
Bangalore, requested SIT to coordinate and develop an IGOS space component
strategy in time for the November
1999 CEOS Plenary. A comparable in situ component strategy will be
coordinated by the G30S Sponsors. SIT was also asked to review and evaluate
the six IGOS prototype projects, with the Partners agreeing that projects
and future IGOS activities should be brought under the Partnership framework.
An IGOS Projects Definition Team, chaired by Dr. Ghassem Asrar of NASA,
was constituted to define guidelines and mechanisms for IGOS activity definition
for consideration by the Partners at their next meeting in June 1999. IGOS
Partners, at this meeting, also discussed and outlined steps for IGOS outreach
activities and set up an IGOS Partners Liaison Group to support the preparation
of future Partnership Meetings and coordinate day-to-day Partnership activities.
The fourth meeting of SIT was held in La Jolla, California,
January 14-15, 1999, with SIT Principals meeting to review progress to
date, take an objective look at the IGOS process, making changes as appropriate
to get on an implementation track. The six prototype project leaders or
their representatives were invited to participate. SIT Principals had been
asked to come prepared to respond to the requirements put forth by the
projects. Dialogue on the projects and their future resulted and SIT Principals
took an action to provide formal agency commitments in writing for collation
and iteration with project leaders who will in turn provide a time line
for estimated completion of the IGOS portions of their projects. Ghassem
Asrar elaborated and secured SIT support on his task force's draft criteria
for transitioning current projects and selecting future IGOS activities.
In responding to the November 1998 CEOS Plenary charge, SIT accepted the
task to undertake development and implementation of the IGOS space component
strategic plan with an initial draft expected in
the Summer 1999 time frame. SIT discussed and adopted the broader thematic
approach proposed by CEOS Chairman, Tillmann Mohr, to cluster projects
and activities, with "oceans" adopted as a prototype theme to be pursued
as an example for discussion at the June 1999 IGOS
(to be continued on Page 5)