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CONTENTSIGOS Strategic Implementation:Project and Partnership
CEOS Analysis Group Activity
CNES Activities in Relation with User Organizations
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---This page
Information on the Preparation of the 11th Plenary
Dominique Fourny-Delloye, CNES CEOS Team
As Chair of CEOS for 1997, CNES (the French Space Agency) will host
the 11th Plenary Meeting which will be held in Toulouse on 19-21 November
1997.
The preparation of this major event in CEOS activities has started
a few months ago in order to welcome the Plenary attendees with appropriate
conditions for a fruitful meeting and a pleasant social environment.
The Plenary will take place in the Toulouse-Labege Diagora Conference
Center including a conference room (maximum capacity 100 persons), a large
demonstration room where coffee breaks will be served, and several smaller
rooms dedicated to secretariat support, e-mail and Internet facilities,
small meetings, etc. During the three days meeting lunches will be served
in the Conference Center.
A significant number of technical demonstrations will be installed
either related to CEOS ongoing activities, like the CEOS Database, the
CILS project, or demonstrations specially set up for the Plenary, for instance
on the use of SPOT imagery, or of POLDER images.
CNES wanted to give the CEOS Participants an opportunity of discovering
the newly open "Cite de l'Espace" where a cocktail party will be offered
by the President of CNES and the Mayor of Toulouse. Visits by small groups
will be proposed prior to the cocktail. A Plenary Dinner is also in preparation,
together with a cultural event, which is being organized, in the historical
part of Toulouse, next to the Holiday Inn Hotel.
CNES having its major technical center located in Touiouse, in the
same area as SPOT IMAGE, CLS, GDTA, MEDIAS-FRANCE and SCOT-CONSEIL, we
propose to organize an optional visit of these facilities on Friday afternoon,
November 21. Those participants who have already been there and who needto fix professional appointments with colleagues based in Toulouse could
take advantage of this free afternoon too.
As usual, the Agenda prepared for this meeting is very crowded and
it will be hard work for the participants during these tow-days and a half.
The 11th Plenary will focus on the Integrated Global Observing Strategy
(IGOS) for which a lot of results have been achieved since the last Plenary
in Canberra. According to the 10th Plenary decisions the Strategic Implementation
Team (SIT) and Analysis Group(AG)were set up,and held their first meeting
respectively in February and March.The Second SIT Meeting will be held
in Oxford(Great Britain)on 29-30 September. An AG workshop focussed on
the implementation of the 6 prototype projects was held in Tokyo on 22-25
July. The third AG meeting is scheduled for 9-11 September in Washington,
DC(USA). Referring to the 10th Plenary decisions CEOSChair had several
discussions with the International Group of Funding Agencies (IGFA) representives
and gave the several presentations about CEOS/IGOS issues during meeting
gathering Global Observing Systems (GCOS,GOOS,GTOS) and their sponsors
(WMO,UNEP,FAO,ICSU,IOC). A"scoping paper"was produced by CEOS together
with IGFA,and CEOS intend to convene in early 1998, is in preparation.
Another important issue will be placed on the Agenda concerning the
concept of dialogue partners,which is being discussed by CEOS Secretariat.
The Plenary will have to determine the further steps to be taken with this
action item which will be carried out further by the new CEOS Chair for
1998,the Indian Space Research Organization (ISORO).
The CNES Team is working actively in order to give CEOS Plenary attendees
the possibility to make a success out of their 11th Meeting. They are also
aiming at giving the participants a good overview of the Toulouse area,
which is a very interesting region in France for its technological development
as well as for its historical and cultural background.
Meeting Calendar
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