Space Policy 19 (2003) 277–281

ARTICLE IN PRESS

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doi:10.1016/j.spa

The Earth Observation Summit: heralding a new era forinternational cooperation

Richard Ohlemacher*

Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 14th Street and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Room 5811, Washington, DC 20230, USA

Abstract

The world’s first political summit on Earth observation was attended by senior policy makers and expert organizations from a

range of scientific disciplines. Its aim was to improve global cooperation in Earth observation and increase its use as a decision-

making tool for sustainable development and resource conservation. This article presents a brief survey of the progress made in

Earth observation since its birth, along with the specific events driving the convening of the summit. The summit produced a

declaration outlining four key areas requiring support, and an ad hoc group was established to produce a 10-year plan and drive

implementation of policy.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction

As the ‘‘first-ever political summit on earth observa-tion’’ [1] the Earth Observation Summit, held on 31 July2003 in Washington, DC, introduced a new phase ofinternational cooperation in Earth system science andenvironmental decision making. More than 30 nations,with participation from over 20 international organiza-tions and institutions, agreed to work together to forge aglobal, coordinated, and sustained system of earthobservations. With numerous observing efforts alreadyin place around the world for monitoring the dynamiccomponents of the atmosphere, oceans, land, climate,and natural hazards, the planet now has the chance to bemeasured in full. As Conrad Lautenbacher, Adminis-trator of the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration in the United States has outlined indiscussing his vision for a global observation system, theglobal community now has the opportunity truly to‘‘take the pulse of planet Earth’’[2].

2. Evolution—why now?

For well over four decades Earth scientists andexperts around the world have worked to build different

-482-1567; fax: +1-202-482-4116.

ss: richard.ohlemacher@noaa.gov (R. Ohlemacher).

front matter Published by Elsevier Ltd.

cepol.2003.09.001

systems—both space and surface-based (in situ)—toobserve and measure various Earth phenomena. Fromthe birth and development of space-based remotesensing in the 1960s to the Earth system platforms oftoday that monitor the interactions of complex Earthprocesses, Earth system science has evolved rapidly.Now we are witnessing a transition beyond discipline-specific science and technology applications towardsinterdisciplinary approaches to answering science ques-tions that have significant socioeconomic impacts. Weare progressing towards systematic, end-to-end coordi-nated scientific research and emphasis on operationalapplications for decision support for societal benefit.For example, with shifting concentrations and growth ofpopulation, we also see shifts in competition forresources that affect the global economy. As a result,sustainable development has now become a major focusof international cooperation for addressing many of theeconomic issues that arise from the pressing social andenvironmental changes that are occurring across theglobe.The driving force behind the Earth Observation

Summit stems from international consensus that acomprehensive and sustained Earth observation sys-tem—calibrated by relevant measurement standards—isessential to the information infrastructure necessary forsustainable development. It would indeed be the basisfor improving the management of natural resources anduse of the environment that underpins our economies.

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2.1. World meteorological organization and other

observing initiatives

Over the previous four decades, various observingsystems for environmental monitoring have been estab-lished. The World Meteorological Organization’s(WMO) World Weather Watch and the nations thatcontribute to it put in place a network for nationsaround the world to receive daily weather analyses andforecasts. The WMO has played a pioneering role in theglobal coordination of geophysical, hydrological, andmeteorological experiments, thus helping to create theoperational foundations for worldwide monitoring ofthe chemical composition of the atmosphere and ofclimate variability. The Global Observing System of theWorld Weather Watch—with over 10,000 surfacestations around the globe—is focused on weather, butit is also enhanced by some relatively new initiatives,which have helped to create the opportunity for morecomprehensive earth observing.The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), a

program of the Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission (IOC), an agency of the United NationsEducational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) is focused on oceans, but has a weatherand climate component. Its principal components are:

* the coastal sea level network that consists ofhundreds of scattered coastal tide gauges (coveringmostly the Northern Hemisphere);

* the voluntary Vessel Monitoring Ship (VOS) pro-grams that collect marine lower atmospheric andupper oceanic data;

* ARGO (Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceano-graphy) floats that conduct autonomous profiling ofocean salinity and temperature from sea surface to1 km below the surface; plans are in place fordeployment of 3000 floats and 1250 surface driftingbuoys; and

* Satellite altimetry and scatterometry that help todetermine sea surface height showing jets and eddiesin ocean currents and surface winds with high accuracy.

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS),focused on weather and climate components, generallyserves as an intersection between the WMO’s activitiesand GOOS. It also stems from the recognition by theinternational meteorological, oceanographic, and hy-drological communities that the separate existingmonitoring regimes are not adequate for addressingthe present climate uncertainties. Plans are in place for150 GCOS Upper Air Network instruments, and 1000GCOS Surface Network stations.In a similar vein, the Global Terrestrial Observing

System (GTOS) is aimed at understanding how thephysical, chemical, and biological systems function

together. The geophysics, geochemistry, and geo-ecol-ogy communities are coming together on this under theleadership of the United Nations Environment Pro-gramme (UNEP), which adds terrestrial and marineecology to the formula.These plans are augmented by many other system

components of Earth observing, such as seismology(driven by concern for earthquakes), geodesy (focusedon precise measurement of Earth’s surface and shape),geomagnetism (driven by concern for solar flares/stormsthat can damage billions of dollars worth of electricalgrids and communications assets), and volcanology (fordetecting vertical movements on the Earth’s surface andwarning of eruptions) [3].Satellites have become the backbone of observing

systems that monitor and measure environmentalphenomena across the globe, providing continuouscoverage of the Earth 24 h a day, 7 days a week. TheCommittee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS),comprised of space agencies and institutions around theworld that support space applications, has workedsuccessfully for two decades on coordinating improve-ments to space systems in general as well as systemrequirements, exchange of data, user outreach andeducation, and utilization of space technologies.

2.2. Integrated global observing strategy (IGOS)

In 1998 many of the organizations described aboveestablished the IGOS Partnership. The IGOS set out toestablish an integrated Earth observation strategy.Today, several reports are being finalized or commen-cing implementation that are organized by themesaligned to the principal interactions of Earth processesoutlined here (oceans, atmosphere, climate, geophysicalhazards, coasts and coral reefs). IGOS’ principal goalhas been to build upon and harmonize the commoninterests of the major space-based and in situ systems forglobal observation of the Earth. The IGOS Partnershiphas been instrumental in building the consensus for thedevelopment of an integrated Earth observation systemthat culminated in the Earth Observation Summit.

2.3. Converging disciplines and economic benefits

One of the greatest accomplishments of the currentsystems, pioneered and advanced by the WMO and itsmember nations, is the widespread trust that the generalpublic has in weather forecasts. Reliance on thisinformation to make important daily decisions isevidenced by the enormous economic value thatcorresponds to it, and that trust is an important elementfor a more comprehensive earth observing system. Thesevery systems allow us today to forecast weather 5 daysin advance, describe and forecast El Nino to the generalpublic, estimate crop yields, monitor water and air quality,

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and improve airline safety and operations. Now nationsare faced with larger questions about how the Earthfunctions, how it changes, and what the implications arefor society. Governments and decision makers around theworld now understand that these larger science questionsare linked to other pressing social and economic needs ofsociety. The Summit took an unprecedented step bybringing together nations interested in connecting theseparate systems that exist today and developing a morecomprehensive and globally integrated Earth observingsystem (see Fig. 1 for a diagram showing the manyexisting Earth observation pieces).The World Summit for Sustainable Development

(WSSD), held in Johannesburg in 2002, served toheighten the visibility of Earth observing applicationsand related tools in improving decision making andmanagement of natural resources, especially for devel-oping countries. It built upon the many advances overthe past decade following the Earth Summit in Rio deJaneiro, which focused on advancing aspects of theglobal multilateral environmental regime, such as theUnited Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange. WSSD focused on global resource issues, suchas water, that moved attention beyond treaties andagreements on the environment to implementation andimproved trans-boundary management of natural re-sources and sustainable economic development. WSSDemphasized the importance of ensuring that decisionsare based on sound science and the need to build thescience, technology, and engineering capacity of devel-oping countries. This theme was reiterated at the highestpolitical levels by the nations of the G8 and its partnersat its most recent meeting in Evian, France in June 2003.

Fig. 1. [Graphic provided by Dr. Colin Summerhayes, Director, GOO

(Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO) and Dr. Sta

at the IOC.]

At the G8 meeting in Evian France in June 2003,heads of state from the leading economic powers, withsupport from international partners, agreed to an actionplan for sustainable development to advance theobjectives of the WSSD. It had three components andthe first was to take steps to strengthen internationalcooperation on global observation that would includedevelopment of close coordination of global observationstrategies over the next 10 years and the ‘‘production ofreliable data products on atmosphere, land, fresh water,oceans and ecosystems’’ [4].

3. The way forward

At the Earth Observation Summit, Ministers andleaders from international organizations, such as theWMO, UNESCO, World Climate Research Programme(WCRP), CEOS, and IGOS shared perspectives onfilling gaps in observations and improving products andservices to meet societal needs. Several Cabinet officialsand other senior government staff represented the USA.Colin Powell, Secretary of State, Donald Evans,Secretary of Commerce, and Spencer Abraham, Secre-tary of Energy hosted the event and provided remarks,along with the Administrators of NASA, EPA, andNOAA. Ministerial representatives, including Ministerof Research Madame Haign!ere from France, DeputyMinister of Research Possa from Italy, and othersprovided their views on European priorities. Minister ofForestry and Natural Resources Djombo from theRepublic of Congo also provided remarks outliningpriorities from the developing country perspective.

S (Global Ocean Observing System) Project Office at the IOC

n Wilson, Senior Scientist at NOAA/NESDIS and US representative

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3.1. Earth observation summit declaration

The Declaration of the Summit was important indemonstrating the resolve and accord among nations tostep forward and affirm the need for timely, quality,long-term, global information as a basis for sounddecision making. It clearly states the purpose ofmonitoring continuously the state of the Earth forimproved understanding and enhanced prediction ofEarth system processes, and to further implementenvironmental treaty obligations. In summary, it out-lines four key areas that require support:

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Improved coordination of strategies and systems forobservations of the Earth and identification ofmeasures to minimize data gaps.

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Coordinated capacity building to involve and assistdeveloping countries to improve and sustain theircontributions to observing systems, as well as accessto data and products.

(3)

Congruent with national policies, the exchange ofobservations recorded from in situ, aircraft andsatellite networks in a full and open manner atminimum cost.

(4)

Preparation of a 10-year Implementation Plan,building on existing systems and initiatives [5].

3.2. Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

The Declaration also established an ad hoc GEO andcommissioned the group to proceed, accounting for theexisting activities that have been discussed in thisarticle.1 It met for the first time during the 2 daysfollowing the Summit to organize and continue the

he members of the GEO are Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil,

da, China, Denmark, Egypt, European Commission, France,

on, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan,

ico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic

ongo, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa,

n, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, UK and USA.

icipants in it (and at the Summit) are Association pour le

loppement de l’Information Environnementale (ADIE),Central

rican Commission for the Environment and Development (SICA/

D), Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), European

re for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), ESA,

pean Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological

llites (EUMETSAT), Global Climate Observing System (GCOS),

al Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Global Terrestrial Obser-

System (GTOS), Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partner-

(IGOS-P), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC),

national Council for Science (ICSU), International Geosphere-

phere Program (IGBP), International Group of Funding Agencies

Global Change Research (IGFA), UN Food and Agriculture

nization (FAO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and

ural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Environment

ramme (UNEP), United Nations Framework Convention on

ate Change (UNFCCC), World Bank, World Climate Research

ramme (WCRP) and World Meteorological Organization

O).

discussions initiated at the Summit itself. The groupembraced the concept of inclusiveness found in theDeclaration and discussed the importance of cohesionthrough coordination and integration within nationsalso. The GEO re-emphasized that other interestedgovernments are welcome to join in this initiative, andalso invited the governing bodies of international andregional organizations sponsoring existing Earthobserving systems to endorse and support the workand to facilitate participation of their experts inimplementation.The group agreed to an ambitious schedule of work,

which calls for a framework document outlining the 10-year plan to be ready for the second ministerialconference on Earth observations to be held in Tokyoin May 2004, and the actual draft plan to be available bythe third ministerial conference to be hosted by theEuropean Union during autumn 2004.The group elected four co-chairs for GEO: Vice

Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher (US Navy Retired),NOAA Administrator, of the United States; DirectorGeneral Achilleas Mitsos of the Directorate General forResearch of the European Commission (EC); and Mr.Akio Yuki, Deputy Minister of Education, Culture,Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. Thegroup also established a fourth co-chair, from SouthAfrica, to represent the developing country perspective.They will announce their representative in the nearfuture. The nominees were elected unanimously andwithout objection.

3.3. Framework and plan

Discussion focused on the fundamental elements ofthe 10-year plan such as the purpose, the benefits, thearchitecture, the challenges, and the next steps. Thegroup was especially interested in ensuring that existingsystems, both in situ and space-based, are effectivelyincorporated into the future program of Earth observa-tions and that the resulting system or systems fullyaddresses user needs. The group emphasized that theconcept should incorporate a complete end-to-endscope—from requirements to delivery of services, butthat initial plans may focus principally on observationalelements.

3.4. Global monitoring for environment and security

Representatives from the EC and the European SpaceAgency (ESA), discussed the European initiative,Global Monitoring for Environment and Security(GMES), which is jointly funded through the EC andESA. The program is intended to deliver policy-relevantservices to end users, including urban mapping services,forest and land use change mapping, water pollutionrisk management, forest fire and flood management,

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crop monitoring, coastal zone management, and icemonitoring. GMES will be an essential pillar of thecoordinated and sustained global Earth observationsystem.

3.5. Other issues

The group also focused on several specific issuesrelating to costs and benefits and how the future systemswould meet requirements, both for near-term and long-term purposes. The GEO agreed that subgroups shouldbe formed for: (1) system architecture; (2) user require-ments and outreach; (3) data utilization; (4) capacitybuilding; and (5) international cooperation. The groupalso established a secretariat to support the GEO andthe work of the subgroups.Recognizing the objective of the Summit to address

developing country needs, the group also took a look athow to connect countries and regional centers that arenot yet involved at scales beyond the local level.Achieving exchange of metadata across scales fromlocal to national to sub-regional to regional may requirenew approaches not yet tried. The group looked at howCentral American nations have organized themselvesunder the Central American Commission for theEnvironment and Development (SICA/CCAD). Thecommission has demonstrated considerable progress inaddressing regional issues in Meso-America and intendsto broaden its scope to include Caribbean countries andshare methodologies more widely. Central Americangovernments have developed significant capacity for useof Earth observations through interactive 3D visualiza-tion of data from NASA research satellites for use insupport of management and policy decisions.The delegates from Gabon conducted a presentation

on activities in Africa that are aimed at networkingcountries from the local to regional to national scales.The delegates discussed progress in gathering, distribut-ing, and archiving information related to meteorology,and other environmental phenomena for the benefit ofseveral African countries. They intend to expand theeffort to other regions in Africa, in conjunction with theAssociation pour le D!eveloppement de l’InformationEnvironnementale (ADIE).

4. Conclusion and implications

With the Earth Observation Summit, Earth observinghas entered a new era, harnessing the world’s scientificand technical knowledge to provide products andservices that will help to protect our planet and improvethe quality of our lives. The Summit received anoverwhelming response from nations and organizationsall around the world and attracted an enormously

talented group of experts across the disciplines of scienceand governance. Clearly, the goodwill demonstrated bythe Summit and its Declaration has created a richlandscape for the global community to reach the nextlevel of Earth observation for the very first time. Thispositive demonstration of international cooperationharbors enormous potential for continued significantreturns on investment—from the 3-day local weatherforecasts of a decade ago to the 6-month El Ninoforecasts of today. Now that the framework is there tobuild upon, we can begin to imagine the returns from anenhanced global network that connects existing systemsand provides truly global Earth information to bothnational leaders and citizenry alike. Combined datafrom satellites, aircraft, and distributed surface basednetworks will help to finally piece together the puzzle ofplanet Earth and fill-in the ‘‘blind spots’’ of ourunderstanding of the complex air/sea/land interactions.These improved data inputs will feed improved outputsfrom the various prediction models of climate, floodprediction, crop forecast, transportation routing, energyuse, and their economic impacts on society.Indeed, in his remarks to the Ministers and other

leaders at the Earth Observation Summit, Secretary ofCommerce Donald Evans quoted Sir Isaac Newton,who wrote of ‘the great ocean of truth that is still to bediscovered.’ Secretary Evans then stated: ‘‘Sheddinglight on the Earth’s dynamic complexities will change onfull participation from all areas of global society—including partnership with academia, industry, and civilsociety. While the schedule is ambitious, the nations atthe Earth Observation summit demonstrated clearlytheir will to proceed and build what could be the nextgreat legacy for humankind. A comprehensive EarthObservation System can bring some of these truths tolight.’’

References

[1] Economist Newspaper, Flying Blind, Interview with Conrad C.

Lautenbacher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and

Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, July 24, 2003, New York.

[2] Lautenbacher CC. Three imperatives for an integrated earth

observation system, Remarks to the World Meteorological

Organization Congress, Geneva Switzerland, May 2003.

[3] Mooers CNK. Monitoring Systems, Global Geophysical, The

Earth System: physical and chemical dimensions of global

environmental change. In: MacCracken, Michael C, Perry JS,

editors. Encyclopedia of global environmental change (ISBN 0-

471-97796-9), Vol. 1. Chichester: Wiley, 2002. p. 3–5 [T. Munn,

Editor-in-Chief].

[4] 2003 G8 Summit website, Summit documents, Science and

Technology for Sustainable Develpment—A G8 Action Plan,

at http://www.g8.fr/evian/english/navigation/2003 g8 summit/

summit documents/science and techno a g8 action plan.html.

[5] Earth Observation Summit website, under ‘‘Summit Outcome’’,

Declaration, at http://www.earthobservationsummit.gov/declaration.

html.