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CONTENTSIGOS Strategic Implementation:Project and Partnership
CEOS Analysis Group Activity
CNES Activities in Relation with User Organizations---This page
News from the Working Group on Information Systems and Services
The CEOS Information Locator System CILS
News from the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group
Information on the Preparation of the 11th Plenary
CEOS Activities in Relation with User Organizations
Jean-Louis Fellous Chairman of CEOS, CNESWhile a good deal of consultation with user organizations has taken place since 1990 when CEOS first created a participant category for the major international user organizations, such consultation has received an immense boost in the last few months, thanks to the active role of my predecessor as the CEOS Chair, Gerard Brachet*, who had placed the reinforcement of the relationships between CEOS and these partners on his top priority agenda.
- User organizations have obviously a major role to play in the development
of an integrated global observing strategy. As a matter of fact, an IGOS
would have little to offer without the active involvement of the international
user organizations - on an equal footing and from the beginning -in its
definition, planning and future implementation.
CEOS has a lot to learn in strengthening its links with the many partner organizations, currently designated by the word "Affiliates" in the CEOS Language. Many occasions were used in April, May and June to meet with these partners. On April 18, Gerard Brachet visited Julia Marton-Lefevre, Executive Director of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), the parent body of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). ICSU has a primary role and devotes permanent attention to the issues of science in developing countries, of open access to scientific data and information for scientists world-wide, and of interdisciplinary scientific collaboration. It is quite essential that CEOS maintains and develops its relationship with this unique representative of the science community at large.
* Jean-Louis Fellous was nominated as Chair of CEOS on July 15, 1997, taking over from Gerard Brachet, who was appointed Director General of CNES on July 10.
The Chairman also attended the meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Executive Council in Geneva on 17 June, 1997, where he was offered the opportunity to present CEOS and IGOS. With its long experience in coordinating contributions from the National Weather Services and other global observation activities, the WMO is in a unique position to contribute to the development of an IGOS. As a parent body of the WCRP, it also has experience of collaboration with the international scientific community.
Defining and developing the three global observing systems for the climate, ocean, and terrestrial communities is the task of GCOS, GOOS and GTOS respectively. These "G3OS" have various sponsoring bodies, and the Chairman of CEOS attended a meeting of GTOS on May 14 in Rome at FAO, as well as a GOOS Sponsors meeting on June 24 at IOC/UNESCO in Paris, where he presented the IGOS concept. A wide exchange of views took place on these and other opportunities, where the prominent role and action of user organizations in making it possible to develop an integrated global observing strategy were emphasized. Such exchange will continue, and CEOS has kindly been invited by Arthur Dahl from UNEP to participate in the G3OS Sponsor Group meeting he will be hosting in Geneva in mid-September.
A closer partnership is also being strengthened with the International Group of Funding Agencies (IGFA) for Global Change Research, which has helped produce an IGOS "Scoping Paper" that will serve as the basis for further discussions on the implementation of an IGOS. Upon an invitation by Gerard Brachet, an informal dinner took place in Paris on June 24, where all participants-users, space and in situ observation funding agencies- perceived
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Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment Need for an integrated suite of remote (and directs of the ocean for real-time assimilation, interpretation, and application. The project will provide a regular, global depiction of the ocean circulation, from climate down to ocean eddy scales,consistent with the measurements and appropriate dynamical and physical constraints.
Partners:GOOS/GOCOS/WCRP OOOPDC, CNES, ESA, NASA, EUMETSAYT, NOAA, NASDA
Upper Air Measurements With ground-based radiosonde observations and omega sondes being reduced with a likely impact on numerical weather production models, there is a need for in situ and satellite data of tropospheric winds and profiles of temperature and specific humidity.
Partners:WMO, NOAA, EC, NASA, CNES, EUMETSAT, ECMWF
Long-Term Continuity of Ozone Measurements
Need for a long-term strategy for continuity of stratospheric ozone observations to include space and ground-based measurements of total ozone and vertical profiles; ground-based measurements of both ozone and spectrally resolved surface UV;space-based full daily global coverage total ozone;and vertical profiles of ozone, other species, and temperature.
Partners:WMO/IPCC,ESA, NASA, EUMETSAT, CNES, NOAA, NASDA, ASI, CSA/AES
Global Observation of Forest Cover
Monitoring of forest cover and its changes is essential to variety of issues including land cover change, biodiversity, and renewable energy resource. What is needed cover from optical and microwave satellites.
Partners:GCOS/GTOS TOPC, IGBP LUCC, CSA/CCRS, FAO, INPE, ESA, EC, NASA, CNES, EUMETSAT, ASI, NASDA, NOAA
Long-Term Ocean Biology Measurements
With multiple ocean color sensors either in operation or planned for development,a coordinated strategy is needed to support data needs for scientific studies of ocean biogeochemical and ecosystem processes.
Partners:GOOS, IOC, NASDA, NASA, CSA, ESA, EC, NOAA, CNES, WGISS, WGCV
Disaster Managements Support
Earth observation satellite data is not being fully utilized to support disaster prediction, prevention,relief and recovery. A coordinated efforts needed to develop tools to assist emergency management authorities to quickly locate,and use satellite data products in disaster management.
Partners:NOAA, EC, BNSC, ASI, STA/NASDA, NASA, CSA/CCRS, CNES, ETA, WCRP, WMO, WGISS
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