CEOS NEWSLETTER No.14

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Report from the 13th CEOS Plenary and 4th IGOS Partnership Meetings
Way Ahead of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Way Ahead for the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)  ---This page
The Ocean Theme of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)
The Terrestrial Carbon Observation Initiative (TCO)
The Terrestrial Carbon Observation Initiative (TCO)  (continued from page 4.)
Report from the 13th CEOS Plenary and 4th IGOS Partnership Meetings (continued from page1.)
Working Group on Calibration and Validation Planning for Working Group on Calibration and Validation Planning for 2000
Working Group on Information Systems and Services: An Update and Some Issues to be Addressed
CEOS Sets up Ad Hoc Working Group on EO Education and Training
Disaster Management Support Ad Hoc Working Group
Comision  Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE)
International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG)
A Note from the Incoming Chair

The IGOS concept was fully endorsed in 1999 by all the Partners: the G3OS and their sponsors co-ordinating the in situ component, CEOS agencies developing the space component, and the global change research programmes and funding agencies, helping to increase the scientific understanding. In this context, the CEOS 13th Plenary held in Stockholm (November 10-12, 1999) decided to continue the Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) as a senior level, advisory body within CEOS which should remain the oversight and implementing arm for IGOS space activities.

SIT tasking for the year 2000
The tasking of SIT is to implement IGOS actions with a specific responsibility for the space component including integration across themes. The first task of
SIT is to implement and develop the IGOS space component through:

• reviewing the recommendations from the theme teams and responding to key deficiencies raised;
• structuring and assembling space agency responses to the IGOS requirements;
• identifying and acting on IGOS theme implementation issues (including gaps and overlaps) requiring resolution;
• serving as an initial focus for integrating the space component with the in situ component, and,
• providing an assessment of progress in implementing the IGOS themes.

The second task of SIT is to co-ordinate CEOS agency activities with regard to IGOS by:

• promoting and assisting in a more integrated, collective response from space agencies;
• helping prepare CEOS representatives for the IGOS Partnership meetings, including the development of common positions, and,
• addressing, as appropriate, data and information dissemination and CAL/VAL issues with the respective CEOS working groups.

SIT's third task is to develop, implement, and review strategies for outreach and education through:

• informing and developing materials about CEOS contributions to IGOS;
• initiating proposals for IGOS Partner consideration, and,
• working, together with IGOS Partners, with the international conventions for climate change, biodiversity, and others.

The Ocean Theme
The Ocean Theme serves as a pathfinder for the theme concept and will therefore allow experience to be gained on the practical implementation procedures.
The Ocean Theme Team is still in the process of refining its interim report but changes are expected to be additions and not modifications of those recommendations already stated in the draft document presented in Stockholm. The key issues addressed by the Ocean theme concern:

• a long term continuity challenge for ocean observations;
• a knowledge challenge through scientific and technology developments;
• the establishment of data services with products and associated quality control, and,
• the development of awareness directed toward relevant bodies at national and international level as well as toward the general public.

Therefore the Agencies are invited to start preparing the wording of their commitments to the Ocean Theme, within the timeframe of the SIT 6th meeting (to be held on March 26, in Cape Town, South Africa) so as to resolve their relative roles and contributions to the space component, based on a "best efforts" approach.
These should include :

• confirmation and timing of missions already planned;
• phasing of the decision process for proposed missions using known technology;
• process (structures, decision, timing) for transitioning research instruments into operational instruments;
• plans for the development of new technologies, products or missions;
• plans for the development of data bases, and,
• awareness and outreach.

The Carbon Cycle Theme
The newly established "Carbon Cycle" Theme, with particular attention to the sub-theme "Terrestrial Carbon Cycle", that GTOS, together with FAO, have accepted to lead, will be the subject of preliminary discussions with the team leaders during the SIT 6th meeting, which will also tackle the topic of the ocean carbon cycle as derived from the Ocean theme report.The 7th meeting of SIT will meet on June 6, in Geneva, just before the next IGOS Partnership meeting.

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