Global Earth Observation moves ahead

September 28, 2004

The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) met this week to agree important elements of a groundbreaking 10-year Plan that will pave the way toward building a global Earth Observation System. Over the next decade, this system will revolutionize our understanding of the Earth and how it works. With benefits as broad as the planet itself, this initiative promises to make peoples and economies around the globe healthier, safer and better equipped to manage basic daily needs. The aim is to create an observing system as interrelated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects providing the science on which sound policy and decision-making can be built. The 10-Year Plan is set to be adopted at the 3rd Earth Observation Summit in Brussels next February - the highlight in a nine-day public “Earth & Space Week” devoted to raising awareness of the important role that Earth observation & space play in our society.

“The self-interest for the global community is clear,” said Achilleas Mitsos, Director-General for Research at the European Commission, and one of the four Co-Chairs of the GEO, “We are talking about nothing less than the future prosperity and security of the citizens of our world, so we must build in the following months a robust, workable and sustainable plan for the next decade. The European initiative on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) will form an important contribution.”

The devil’s in the detail

In the run up to the Third Earth Observation Summit, the GEO convened for a special session on 27-28 September in Brussels to discuss and finalise key aspects related to the issue of governance and the 10-Year Plan. As with most international agreements, a successful consensus on the issue of how the Plan will be governed is critical to it being carried out successfully by all parties. The GEO plans to meet again in late November in Ottawa, Canada to finalise the Plan actions.

Earth & Space Week Announced

On the occasion of the GEO special session, Mitsos, in his role as one of the four GEO Co-chairs, officially announced that the European Commission with the collaboration of the European Space Agency (ESA) will host the first “Earth & Space Week” from 12-20 February 2005 in Brussels. Earth & Space Week will feature a broad spectrum of activities - from ministerial-level events like the Summit and an International Conference on Cooperation in Space to a major public Earth & Space Exposition. The week is designed to stimulate an awareness, understanding and appreciation of how Earth observation and Space initiatives help to improve the quality of life on our planet.

Source: European Commission, Research Directorate


Rank 1 /5 (1 vote)
Tags

Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created 2 hours ago | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

NASA sees wide-eyed cyclone Jasmine

Cyclone Jasmine's eye has opened wider on NASA satellite imagery, as it moves through the Southern Pacific Ocean.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created 18 hours ago | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

NASA sees Giovanna reach cyclone strength, threaten Madagascar

Tropical Storm 12S built up steam and became a cyclone on February 10, 2012 as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead. Residents of east-central Madagascar should prepare for this cyclone to make landfall ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created 18 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Political leaders play key role in how worried Americans are by climate change: study

More than extreme weather events and the work of scientists, it is national political leaders who influence how much Americans worry about the threat of climate change, new research finds.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 68

Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago

(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (13) | comments 14 | with audio podcast report


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Anonymous briefly knocks CIA website offline (Update 2)

The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was briefly inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.

Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'

A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...