# Presentation: 817244

## EARTH OBSERVATIONS for the WORLD'S PEOPLE

- Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., U.S. Navy (Ret.)
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
- Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration   |  NOAA
- June 19, 2007  |  24th IOC Assembly

**Notes:**
Thank you Patricio.  Good afternoon colleagues and friends, and thank you for allowing me to present to you as a Co-chair of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO).  I am honored to have this opportunity to meet with you again at this 24th IOC Assembly.
Last year when we met, I described the progress of GEO toward its 10 year implementation plan and the key role of the IOC in that plan.  I also congratulated the IOC on its leadership to generate international action to address tsunami events and a multi-hazard approach to all disasters. Your work has been vital to build observation systems that protect health, lives and livelihoods through end-to-end warning systems and improved communication.
As Members of the IOC, you are aware of the critical economic and societal benefits of observations.  But Earth observations could have further applications if our leaders, colleagues, friends and family more fully understand their importance.  Some of the topics you will cover in the course of these next two weeks demonstrate our dependence on data and information generated by the oceanographic community around the world.  Yet we must demonstrate how the work of GEO and the IOC benefit our countries in the areas of finance, agriculture, health and tourism.
When you return home from the IOC, please reach out within your own governments and other communities to help people take notice when observations touch our lives.  Let us help you do this -- invite your Ministers to join us in South Africa in November for the GEO Ministerial Summit.  It will be an opportunity to promote the GEO vision, enabling our leaders to protect the world’s people through investment and commitment to a sustained and integrated Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). 

## Developing a Strong Observing & Communication Infrastructure

- Developing a Strong Observing & Communication Infrastructure

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
I am not going to describe GEO or GEOSS today; I hope that you already know about this effort, but if not I encourage you to go to the website and familiarize yourself with the concept and the organization.  One key point to keep in mind is that it is an “end-to-end” concept, meaning that it is not just about data, but the delivery of useful information for meaningful decision making. 
In order to deliver services to address the basic needs of society such as protection from hazards, drought, food shortages, health, and shelter, we need to continue developing a strong observing and communication infrastructure, comprised of core elements; as well as continue performing core operations.  Through IOC, observing capabilities are integrated to improve our understanding of global and regional ocean processes. IOC’s capabilities are a critical part of GEOSS.   GEOSS is based on the systems and people already at work, and aids in synthesizing data systems so we can address additional needs.

## Innovative Observing Platforms Integrated

- CORMP
- Coastal Ocean Research And Monitoring Program

- PORTS®
- Physical Oceanographic Real Time System

- PORTS®
- Houston/Galveston Satellite Overview
- Benefits from data = $15.6M

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
GEOSS helps decision makers use data in a way that touches each of our lives.  Ocean and earth observation systems integral to GEOSS provide tangible economic benefits.  Studies show that national institutions providing weather, climate, and water observation services to their citizens contribute an estimated $20-$40 billion dollars each year to their national economies. 
In the United States, industries as varied as shipping, energy, tourism and fisheries all benefit from data collected from sea level gauges, Deep-Sea Pressure Sensors, seismic stations, satellite images and other platforms.
Energy consumption is also significantly linked to weather and climate.  In speaking with Samuel Bodman the United States Secretary of Energy, I learned that his agency recognizes GEOSS as the key to optimizing energy production, use and distribution in the 21st century.  In the US alone, energy costs could be cut by a potential $1 billion annually.  At no additional cost, industry could construct buildings using 50% less energy.
Regionally, we use these observation systems to understand our most valuable resources. The Carolina Coast is one of the most ecologically diverse and economically important systems in the U.S.  The ocean, atmosphere and land interact dynamically here creating a rich environment. Since 2000, the Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program (CORMP) has been collecting and providing coastal observational data to establish baseline oceanographic and environmental conditions, predict and verify long-term trends and identify linkages among coastal ocean ecosystem components. A recent analysis of the CORMP showed that “The value-added information provided by CORMP researchers, modelers, and partnership activities is crucial to maintaining coastal ecosystem health, improving maritime safety, conserving and protecting critical coastal environmental and ecological resources, and fostering sustained, environmentally-sound, economic growth of the coastal Carolinas region.” 
In the Gulf of Mexico, accurate water level forecasts are of vital importance, as its waterways play a critical economic role for a number of industries including shipping, oil and gas, tourism, and fisheries.   In fact, recent reports show direct and indirect economic benefits in the range of $14 to $15 million derived from the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) installation at Houston/Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico.  In addition, improved ocean observation systems in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to enhance the reliability and accuracy of hurricane forecasting.  But as you know these estimates are likely to be the lower bound of the economic impact of real-time data since not all uses of oceanographic data can be quantified. 

## Economic Impacts of Drought

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
Drought and rainfall patterns have tremendous impact on our national economies.  Many regions and countries experience the devastation of drought – the Horn of Africa, Brazil, Australia, and the United States.  In the United States, drought is estimated to result in average annual losses to all sectors of the economy of between $6-8 billion. This slide depicts the changes in North American drought conditions every month over the last three years. Through investments in observations we can reduce those losses and empower farmers to maximize productivity.  
Agricultural sector benefits from weather services are about 15 to 1– farmers get about $15 of value out of every dollar spent on forecasting the weather. 
Today Earth observations are used widely to access production and resource conditions at a point in time, but we need to move beyond the snapshot.  Secretary Johanns of the US Department of Agriculture has told me of the value to agriculture in taking earth observations further through expanded monitoring and predictive models.  “It is a fact of history the more we understand about the world around us the more we can improve the world and our own lives, the more people we can feed, the more natural resources we can protect, the more diseases we can combat, the more lives we can save from disasters.” 
The North American Drought Monitor (NA-DM) is an excellent example of GEOSS working.  NA-DM is a cooperative effort between drought experts in Canada, Mexico and the United States to monitor drought across the continent.  Although all three countries have active climate and drought monitoring programs, until recently coordination has been limited because of policy and methodological differences.  The NA-DM program was designed to overcome these limitations and provide assessments of drought across the continent on a monthly basis.  This effort could be expanded to include the entire hemisphere. 

## Mitigating Health ConcernsAfrica Regional Health Benefits

- Mitigating Health ConcernsAfrica Regional Health Benefits

- Weekly Cases in Niger from 2001 to 2003

- Rainfall and Malaria
- Weekly Cases in Niger from 2001 to 2003

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
For science to be sound and valuable for public health, we need more than instant assessments -- we must incorporate Earth observations into models that can be used to forecast and prevent or mitigate health concerns before they become a crisis.  Precipitation and other geophysical parameters have significant impacts on health; therefore we in the observation communities have an important role to play in health. 
I have had several interesting meetings lately with the public health community to explain the benefits we can provide.   Mike Leavitt, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, told me that public health challenges often transcend geographic barriers due to geophysical processes.  And these challenges are being met head on by GEOSS. There are opportunities to strengthen decision making in the areas of disease, famine, drought, drinking water quality, air quality, and heat waves, among other health areas.  We can use new tools, technology, and information to assist in the effort to provide more prevention, early warning, preparedness, and more rapid problem solving, rather than reactive surveillance and response.  Earth observations and monitoring can provide days, weeks, and even months of lead time in health areas. 
In Niger, for instance, there is a clear correlation between rainfall and malaria.  On the graph, the vertical lines indicate rainfall levels -- malaria outbreaks begin to increase in the middle of the rainy season in late July and peak toward the end of the rainy season during the first week of October.  The lines show weekly malaria cases.  Working closely with local communities,  the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Niger Ministry of Health are using Earth observation products to fight malaria. 
In this case and others, international partners are using Earth observations to put environmental and health indicators to good use – and lives are being saved as a result. 

## Deep-ocean Assessment & Reporting of Tsunami

- Indian Ocean DART Conceptual Design 2005

- Global DART Operational Network April 2007

- DART II Buoy

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
Investments in health and economic stability strengthen our global community, but they must be supported by our continued efforts to protect the world’s people from Tsunami’s and other natural hazards through end to end warning systems and public awareness.
Remember that GEO and GEOSS work only because of the combined efforts of member countries and participating organizations.  As an example, in the last several years we have made mutual investments in building and integrating the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System.  The many pieces of this critical warning system represent another step toward realizing GEOSS.
NOAA joined the Government of Thailand in deploying the first Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoy station in the Indian Ocean in December, 2006.  Its data is now available to all countries through GTS.  Also, tide gauge stations and GTS systems have been upgraded in the region by IOC member states, WMO and NOAA in order to provide users with near real time data.  Radio and interNET (RANET) community information centers have been established that are capable of transmitting critical warning information to rural communities.
Training has taken place.  A Community Tsunami Inundation Model is available on the internet for hazards identification and vulnerability analysis, and Coastal Resilient Communities workshops were held, their best practice guidelines finalized and plans for pilot projects are in the works.  A Tsunami Institute is being planned at the University of Washington to ensure that technical knowledge in end-to-end early warning systems is shared. 
And importantly, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center operations were expanded to provide 24/7 notification of tsunami-relevant information to Indian Ocean countries until the regional system is fully established.  
It is possible to integrate these diverse components in a region-wide, end-to-end tsunami early warning system because countries maintain the real time observing networks coordinated by IOC and WMO. The good news is collectively we have begun the development of a warning system in the Indian Ocean that can serve as a key step to building a global system. 

## Operations and Sustainability of Systems Through Partnerships

- International in-situ Sea Level Gauge Sites

- NOAA Tide Gauges

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
To ensure robust observing networks, we need to remain focused on the operations and sustainability of systems.  A continued commitment to quality assurance and global coverage is required if a number of systems are to remain effective, including systems supporting forecasts and climate and environmental trend assessments.
The international cooperation among countries collecting sea level data is a model of a sustainable observation system that can be replicated.  The pie graph here shows contributions from over 60 agencies representing over 70 countries – that is a true partnership effort.
These partners provide the O&M for their instruments (the in-situ sea level sites shown on the map), and by doing so support the largest international archive of research quality hourly data.  Over 10,000 years of hourly, daily, and monthly data has been collected thus far.  As there are many users of the data, and it is used for several purposes, there is more interest in continuing the O&M for the components.  The Joint Archive For Sea Level (JASL), managed by the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center and NOAA, serves as the IOC GLOSS Archive Center for this data.

## Operations and Sustainability of Systems Through Partnerships

- TAO/Triton System
- (Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project)

- Atlas/TAO Buoy Maintenance

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
The TAO/TRITON system is one of the first examples of GEOSS, and a great example of shared operations and maintenance.  The TAO/TRITON array consists of approximately 70 moorings in the Tropical Pacific Ocean that telemeter oceanographic and meteorological data to shore in real-time via the Argos satellite system.  
The array is a major component of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS).  Support for TAO/TRITON sustainability is provided by the United States, Japan, and France.  
Drifting buoys represent another important partnership. Recently, the drifting buoy array became the first component of the Global Ocean Observing System to be fully implemented and the first element of GEOSS to be fully completed.  
The IOC investment in systems such as buoy arrays requires ships and expert crews from many countries and organizations.  These cruises serve multipurpose missions beyond operation and maintenance of data buoys -- ship observations, and support of ocean research observing platforms, the global sea level network, and the global seismic network. 

## Cooperation Crucial to An Operational GEOSS

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
International organizations such the IOC and WMO have a key role to play in sustaining these systems, as well as coordinating the transition to emerging systems, such as the tsunami early warning system.
The IOC and its member countries must constantly decide how best to ensure the continuation of high-value activities while also making investments where critical needs are not being met.  We need to focus on the fundamental requirements that ensure the effective planning, establishment and co-ordination of an operational global ocean observing system to provide the information needed for oceanic and atmospheric forecasting, for oceans and coastal zone management by coastal nationals and for global environmental change research.    This includes working to improve and sustain basic observation systems and undertake capacity building.
Our basic services must have a strong foundation that includes observations, data exchange, and applications based on world class science and technology.  And as we continue to invest in integrated observing systems we should recognize that the social and economic benefits of accurate predictions of ocean systems will far outweigh the cost of the systems themselves. 

## Contributing to the Global Mission

- GEO provides opportunity!

- Earth Observations for the World's People

**Notes:**
We have been successful in incorporating end-to-end observational data and information into GEOSS.  Still, the observation data being collected today is just a fraction of what could be available through data sharing, collaboration, and leveraging each others’ investments.  We need to have vision.  It is important that the IOC and its Member States work with their GEO partners to push the envelope, ask new questions, see where we need applied research activities, and increase our understanding of earth systems.  
The upcoming Ministerial Summit will be an opportunity to reaffirm commitment to international cooperation on global observation and continued leadership in the development of the GEOSS. 
The principal observing systems we operate and maintain on our planet are achieving new results through GEO.  GEO provides an opportunity: 
to reach a new level of excellence in our mission;
to gain ministerial level support;
to provide enormous benefits to society.
The next GEO Ministerial meeting is coming up soon - this November in South Africa. You have the opportunity to inform your ministers about what you are doing and can do to glean the benefits for your country and the world through the GEO process.
As I have stated many times, GEOSS is a distributed system of systems, building upon the years of work of organizations like the IOC.  By having the oceanographic community at the same table as the meteorological community, the biodiversity community, the space community and others, we can realize innovations to address the challenges of a changing world.
The oceanographic community is already a champion for enhanced integrated observing programs to improve the lives of the world’s people.  We must now reach beyond our colleagues here in the IOC and back at home.  We must extend a hand to the Ministries of health, tourism, agriculture and other ministries as champion for achieving results for society across economic sectors and national boundaries.  No one country can achieve GEO benefits alone.