Pre-publication Report Available for Comment and Workshop Announcement
U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS)
The U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS) has released a
pre-publication Strategic Plan for public comment and announced a Public
Engagement Workshop 9-10 May 2005, in Washington, D.C.
For more information, see:
http://iwgeo.ssc.nasa.gov/
Nearly 60 countries have endorsed a 10-year plan to develop and
implement the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which
would connect satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, and other Earth
observing instruments that are scattered around the world. The U.S.
contribution to GEOSS is the Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS).
Seventeen federal agencies comprise the Interagency Working Group on
Earth Observations (IWGEO) that developed a plan for the IEOS. A
pre-publication copy of the Strategic Plan for the U.S. IEOS is
available for download and comment at:
http://iwgeo.ssc.nasa.gov/
The Strategic Plan states the IEOS vision to "enable a healthy public,
economy, and planet through an integrated, comprehensive, and sustained
Earth observation system." The plan addresses nine societal benefit
areas:
- improve weather forecasting
- reduce loss of life and property from disasters
- protect and monitor our ocean resources
- understand, assess, predict, mitigate and adapt to climate variability
and change
- support sustainable agriculture and combat land degradation
- understand the effect of environmental factors on human health and
well-being
- develop the capacity to make ecological forecasts
- protect and monitor water resources
- monitor and manage energy resources
Six near-term opportunities are also identified:
- data management
- improved observations for disaster warnings
- global land observation system
- sea level observation system
- national integrated drought information system
- air quality assessment and forecast system
As a means to engage the broad community in the implementation of the
IEOS, IWGEO is hosting the IEOS Public Engagement Workshop, 9-10 May
2005, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in
Washington, D.C.
For more information or registration for the workshop, see:
http://www.strategies.org/IEOS_PUblicWorkshop/ContinuingDialogue.html