# Presentation: 929466

## MOVING GEOSSFORWARD

- MOVING GEOSSFORWARD

- VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. US Navy (Ret.)
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and AtmosphereNOAA Administrator
- October 19, 2005

## From Observations to Benefits

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
The GEOSS initiative focuses on integration of data, for short and long-term purposes, on an international scale.  
The view of the slide is from an integration perspective and is designed to show there are two areas of likely integration benefit: at the collection level, geospatially; and within the data management system, where we transform raw data into useable information to meet user needs. The view also emphasizes the point that our mission goals are the recipients of data and/or information sets to meet their requirements.
Integration is both vertical and horizontal....

## Linking Observations to Benefits

- More than half the world’s population lives within 60 km of the shoreline, and this could rise to 3/4 by the year 2020
- More than 90% of natural disaster-related deaths occur in developing countries
- 25% of Earth’s biological productivity and an estimated 80-90% of global commercial fish catch is concentrated in coastal zones
- Worldwide agricultural benefits of better El Niño forecasts are conservatively estimated at $450-$550M/year

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
The need for better observations is easily illustrated when you consider the Earth’s demographics. 

## Disaster Response

- Due to advanced warning provided by NOAA during Hurricane Katrina:
- A mandatory evacuation was put in place for New Orleans 24 hours before landfall
- The President declared a state of emergency prior to landfall, enabling Louisiana to use Federal resources before the hurricane hit

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
Natural disasters also serve to underline this point.  This image, from the GOES series of U.S. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, shows Hurricane Katrina about to make landfall in New Orleans.  Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the U.S. within memory, but how much worse would it have been without early warning?  Satellite observations are invaluable in the effort to minimize damage to lives and property due to natural phenomena.

## Space-based Observing SystemsOperational Environmental Satellites 

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
Along with GOES, these are the operational environmental systems of the world.  They comprise the backbone of GEOSS, tying together and validating in-situ observations.  There are many other Earth observing satellites, from research agencies such as NASA, JAXA and ESA, that provide valuable observations and advance our capabilities – but now more than ever, we understand that new technologies must be transferred into ongoing operational status to truly serve society.

## U.S. Contribution to GEOSS

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
Of course, successful implementation requires not just international collaboration among the many stakeholders, but also internal, interagency collaboration in each nation.  In the United States, we have created a U.S. Group on Earth Observations to coordinate Earth observation activities and policies across over 15 government agencies and 3 White House offices.  One early outcome of the U.S. interagency effort is the recently published Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observing System.  U.S. GEO will periodically assess the multi-year U.S. plan, and continue to formulate U.S. positions and inputs into the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, taking into account the full range of U.S. policies and interests.  A number of our international GEO partners have also taken strides for better internal collaboration, including Japan.

## Vision for the Future

- Moving towards the vision:
- Establish a governance structure  (international and domestic)
- Identify near-term opportunities and begin development of implementation plans
- Develop a common system architecture
- Integrate existing systems and capabilities
- Identify and address gaps
- Improve capabilities through research and innovation

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
Note that we have accomplished the first steps through the establishment of GEO and USGEO.  GEO-I took place in May in Geneva, where the Secretariat is now headquartered.  In September, GEO gained an Executive Director – Jose Achache, who many of you know from his leadership at ESA.  GEO-II will convene in Geneva on December 14-15.  The challenge is to keep the process moving forward, both internationally and within each country and agency.  (You could mention GEOCAST as one initiative, if desired.)

## Broad Participation

- Participation by user community is critical to ensure that priorities are properly aligned with needs

- For more information, including how to join GEO:*  *http://www.earthobservations.org

- International Astronautical Congress 2005

**Notes:**
There are many tasks and roles to be filled in creating a Global Earth Observing System of Systems.  Governments and international organizations can’t do this alone.  The private sector, technical and scientific community, academic community, users, and others all have an active role to play for GEOSS to be successful. The private sector perspective will be highlighted in the panel following this one.  We need to work cooperatively to define appropriate roles, in order to serve the public interest.  It is particularly important for the user community to communicate their needs, and GEO has a standing User Requirements and Outreach Subgroup for that reason.  No one knows better than the users what information is of the greatest value.