Data Exchange Principle

SATELLITE DATA EXCHANGE PRINCIPLES IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL USE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

At the Eighth CEOS Plenary meeting held in Berlin in 1994, the following data provision principles were adopted, with EUMETSAT abstaining.

Resolution on Principles of Satellite Data Provision in Support of Operational Environmental Use for the Public Benefit*

RECOGNIZING that CEOS agencies are actively involved in supporting national, regional, and international operational environmental efforts for the public benefit, as well as pursuing other uses of Earth observation satellite data;

RECOGNIZING the investments made in particular by governments and international agencies in support of operational environmental efforts for the public benefit;

RECOGNIZING that both satellite and nonsatellite data have potential economic and social value, that both forms of data are important to operational environmental activities, and that the sustained acquisition, processing, and supply of data involve investments and costs;

RECOGNIZING that, in various national and international contexts, the sustainability of the observing systems and the end-to-end services to the users is a prerequisite to full operational environmental use for the public benefit;

RECOGNIZING that data provision should take into account the benefits of expanded data use, as well as investments and costs;

RECOGNIZING that Earth observation data, especially satellite data, are essential to governments and public authorities and relevant international organizations in fulfilling certain mandates, such as the protection and preservation of human life, the Earth, and property from the effects of natural disasters, severe weather, and environmental emergencies, and support for improved environmental management;

RECOGNIZING more than 100 years of cooperation within the international meteorological community in the free and unrestricted exchange of basic meteorological data;

ANTICIPATING the emerging operational requirements from global observing systems, such as the Global Climate Observing System, the Global Ocean Observing System, and the Global Terrestrial Observing System;

RECOGNIZING the value of user feedback to improve responsiveness of data suppliers;

RECOGNIZING the existence of various legal regimes for data provision and different policies for pricing and data ownership;

ANTICIPATING the potential benefits of compatible policies and mechanisms for data provision in obtaining access to data for operational environmental use for the public benefit;

REAFFIRMING the commitment of CEOS members to the general principle of nondiscriminatory access to data;

RECOGNIZING the common goal of providing data for operational environmental use for the public benefit from all appropriate missions;

RECOGNIZING also that the constraints of mission operations and of available resources may require different mechanisms for data provision for different programs;

CEOS members endorse the following principles relating to data provision in support of operational environmental use for the public benefit and agree to work toward implementing them to the fullest extent possible within available resources.

Criteria and priorities for data acquisition, processing, distribution, preservation, archiving, and purging should be harmonized to take into account the needs of users of data for operational environmental use for the public benefit.
Real-time and/or archived data for operational environmental use for the public benefit should be made available on time scales compatible with user requirements and within agency capabilities.
CEOS data suppliers should provide (e.g., through the CEOS International Directory Network) easily accessible information about the data and related mission parameters, including quality assessments, supporting ancillary information, and guidance and aids for locating and obtaining the data.
Recognized standards, to be defined and developed in common, including those generated by CEOS Working Groups, should be used to the greatest extent practical for recording/storage media and for processing and communication of data sets.
To optimize the use of data for operational environmental use for the public benefit, CEOS Members should establish appropriate data provision mechanisms.
Programs should have no exclusive period of data use except where there is a need to provide for data validation. An initial period of exclusive data use should be limited and explicitly defined. The goal should be release of data in some preliminary form within three months after the start of routine data acquisition.

DEFINITIONS

Data provision

Distribution of data among CEOS agencies and dissemination of data by CEOS agencies to the user community.

For the public benefit

The pursuit of social and equitable objectives, directed by government or public authority.

Nondiscriminatory

All users in a clearly defined category obtain data on the same terms and conditions, and the categories are defined in such a way that all potential users will be included in categories with access to data.

Operational environmental use for the public benefit

Use of data to provide a regular environmental service for the public benefit;

Carried out by public national or international Earth observation agencies, or other entities designated by governments or public authorities, to support public benefit mandate;

Examples include use of data to carry out a mandate of environmental observation and prediction or missions relating to environmental management or regulation.

Real time

Making data available by direct broadcast or immediately after acquisition and/or initial processing.

Sustainability

Long-term availability (supported by an appropriate replacement strategy), affordability, and capacity to adapt to evolving user needs.

Data Exchange Principles

SATELLITE DATA EXCHANGE PRINCIPLES IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL USE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

Resolution on Principles of Satellite Data Provision in Support of Operational Environmental Use for the Public Benefit*

DEFINITIONS