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Earth Observation Summit
Ron Birk, David Steitz, and Marshall Shepherd, Ph.D.
Representatives of the international community will convene
on July 31st, 2003 for an Earth Observation Summit in Washington
D.C. The Summit marks the start of international collaboration
on an international, comprehensive, integrated, and sustained
Earth observation system. The Secretaries of Commerce, Energy
and State are hosting the Summit. The Summit is supported through
interagency collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture,
Interior, Transportation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the White
House Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Management
and Budget, and Office of Science and Technology Policy. The
United States is hosting ministers from the G-8 and other countries
interested in establishing an Integrated Earth Observation System.
Senior executives of multilateral organizations, multilateral
development banks, foundations, and international
science organizations are planning to attend the Summit.
The U.S. Government began planning for the Earth Observation
Summit in early 2003. The event was endorsed at the G-8 summit
held in Evian, France in June 2003. The G-8 nations recognized
that humanity has entered a new era where human ingenuity must
now be applied to develop a deeper understanding of the earth’s
complex systems. Socio-economic forces of global development
and change present serious challenges to world leaders, decision
makers, and institutions—challenges that require advancing our
existing earth observation systems to a new level. The G-8 have
established earth observations as one of the top three science
and technology priorities.
The Earth Observation Summit calls on all participating countries
to support:
-- the exchange of earth observations recorded from in situ,
aircraft, and satellite networks in a full and open manner with
minimum time delay and minimum cost;
-- the concept of an Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS)
that is international, comprehensive, and sustained, and that
will meet the collective requirements for observations, minimize
data gaps, and maximize the utility of the system;
-- the establishment of an Intergovernmental Ad Hoc Working
Group (IAHWG) to prepare a 10-year implementation plan for this
system (available within one year for discussion and subsequent
adoption); and
-- the identification of strategies to improve observing systems
in developing countries and advance the capacity building of
local scientific expertise.
Information on the Earth Observation Summit can be obtained
from Richard Ohlemacher, Policy Advisor, Office of the Under
Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce (telephone: 202-482-1567;
fax: 202-482-1041; email: [email protected]) or visit
www.earthobservationsummit.gov.
About the Authors
Ron Birk is Director of the Applications Division and Marshall
Shepherd is Science Communications Manager of Earth Science
Enterprise.
David Steitz is a Public Affairs Officer at NASA Headquarters.
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