Group onEarth bservations

Discussion Paper

on a Framework

————

Dr. Ghassem AsrarAugust 1, 2003

Our Common Vision

• Comprehensive: meeting the needs of a variety of science and applications disciplines

• Coordinated: multinational satellite, suborbital and in situ observing capabilities strategically coordinated via agreed standards and data exchange

• Sustained: long-term, continued financial and in-kind support from funding authorities

An international comprehensive, coordinated and sustained Earth observation system

Benefits to All Countries

• Water Management

• Agricultural Efficiencies

• Aviation Safety

• Coastal Management

• Disaster Management

• Scientific Understanding of the Earth System

• Reducing Loss from Disasters

• Supporting Sustainable Development

Near-term Long-term

Challenges In Creating Such a System

• Data policy - assuring full and open data exchange and access

• Observing scope - achieving the needed spatial, temporal and spectral coverage

• Data quality - producing calibrated data sets in useful formats from multiple sensors and venues

• Cost - acquiring sufficient resources to deploy observing systems and manage the resulting data and information

• Security - assuring safe operations and peaceful uses of observing systems

• Complexity - creating a system equal to the task of delivering useful information about the very complex Earth system

Building on Current Successes• WMO World Weather Watch

• International constellation of polar and geostationary operational environmental satellites

• International research satellites, including the Earth Observing System

• A wide variety of international atmosphere, ocean, continent, and polar region in situ observing networks

• Discipline-oriented coordination efforts – Observing (e.g., GCOS, GTOS, GOOS) – Research programs (e.g., World Climate Research Program,

International Geosphere/Biosphere Programme)

Discussion on a Framework for Progress

• Creation of a decadal implementation plan requires a framework

– Architectural dimension: What should a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observing system look like?

– Organizational dimension: Who will participate, and how will our efforts be orchestrated? (to be discussed later in the agenda)

Architecture

• Observing systems– Start with existing systems, enhanced with

coordinated calibration and data exchange – Plan future national contributions with the

“challenges” (above) in mind• Seek to fill known gaps in today’s systems

• Align programs with nations with common interests

– Strategically invest in new technologies to close gaps and reduce the cost of future observing capabilities

Architecture

• Data Integration

– Design and agree on common protocols, policies, formats, standards and metadata

– Define data products at various levels, and strategies for producing and managing them based on science and applications requirements

– Assure the information architecture incorporates appropriate interfaces with user components external to the architecture (demand-side systems)

Next Steps

• Two principal deliverables:– Framework Document by Spring 2004 – Ten-year Implementation Plan by end of 2004

• Key objectives to be addressed:– System requirements– Inventory of relevant observing systems– Data model– Gap analysis– Approach to addressing observing deficiencies– Assess cost of alternatives– Mobilize the required resources

Terrestrial

Airborne

Near-Space

LEO/MEO Commercial Satellites and Manned Spacecraft

Far-Space

L1/HEO/GEO TDRSS & CommercialSatellites

Dep

loyab

le

Perm

an

en

t Coordinating Earth Observing

Systems

Forecasts & Predictions

Aircraft/Balloon Event Tracking and Campaigns

User Community

Vantage Points

Capabilities

Turning Observations into Knowledge Products