2/. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The programme proposed by the draft Implementation Plan is in three main phases:

• Short-term (1997): preparatory phase

• Medium-term (1998-99): establishment phase

• Long-term (beyond 2000): operational phase

The main activities of the preparatory phase would be to include the technical definition and the design framework for its operation. In this phase, the priorities of GTOS should be to: establish a working Secretariat and obtain secure funding; define a plan and a strategy; establish its boundaries in scope and operation; and prepare backgound documents about the concept of GTOS and the value-added that it would bring to the users.

The establishment phase would aim to incorporate suitable existing observing systems into the GTOS framework. This would involve identifying a few existing international networks that share the GTOS objectives and which could form the core if they were brought together.

During the operational phase, action would be directed towards the gradual implementation of the on-going programme, the production of a range of outputs, continued evaluation and improvement of the programme, and establishing a GTOS identity.

It was agreed that Michael Gwynne would revise the preliminary draft of the Implementation Plan, taking into consideration the results of the discussion during this meeting and incorporating the comments and suggestions of the Steering Committee members not present at the meeting. A revised draft would be circulated by mid-August 1997 to the Steering Committee and Co-sponsors.

2.1. OUTLINE FOR THE GTOS PLAN

It was agreed that the document would be a GTOS Plan rather than an Implementation Plan. This will allow broader treatment of some of the issues addressed. Anthony Janetos proposed an overall outline (see attachment III), including the changes suggested by the group and the main results of the discussion.

Many elements of the plan were revised and some were eliminated. The plan would maintain three main phases, but the tasks for the near and medium term (1997-1999) would be more detailed and divided into specific categories, while the last phase (“GTOS in the 21st century”) will consist of text on the long-term objectives.

The group proposed to have as appendices a short history of GTOS, as well as of GCOS and GOOS, and the Executive Summary of the Planning Group Report.

2.2. WHAT IS GTOS?

Discussion on what GTOS is and what it should be arose during the meeting. Some participants noted that while GCOS and GOOS have focus with regard to target interests (respectively climate and ocean), GTOS is land and covers many more issues: land-use planning, land degradation, ecosystems, freshwater availability, biodiversity, coastal zones, socio-economics aspects, etc.

There is therefore an urgent need to select priority areas to get started, even though there are legitimate issues in which GTOS could and should be involved with. It was agreed that the GTOS Plan has to define a sharp and realistic strategy, so that GTOS can be less abstract and more focus, providing examples and products.

It was agreed that a clear vision statement is needed, based on the Planning Group Report, explaining what GTOS is, what it will become and how it will be implemented. It should appear in the first page of the GTOS Plan, as well as on the overheads, brochure and other GTOS documents. It needs also to be emphasized that GTOS is an international endeavour. There was some concern about the wording in the draft Plan: we have to be positive, we should not promise what we cannot do, or give the impression that GTOS is already up and running.

It was stressed during the discussion that the main principles needed for GTOS are: data quality assurance; data ownership and distribution; harmonization of methods and compatibility; governance; value-added; data use; identification of gaps. It was agreed that Bernard Tinker would draw up draft principles and circulate them to the Steering Committee and the Co-sponsors.

The group agreed that GTOS should not undertake early warning per se - although it is suggested in the Planning Group Report - but rather provide Early Warning Systems with reliable information and/or data since they are an important user group.

2.3. POTENTIAL USERS

The discussion addressed users, who have not yet been consulted but are essential to GTOS: who are they, what are their needs, how can they benefit from GTOS? It was recalled that the environmental conventions are important users of GTOS information. GTOS should also focus on the information needs of governments, especially in developing countries, so that they can meet their obligations to the conventions. Work on indicators and indices related to visible issues is one way to focus the attention of users.

There is a number of specific issues to address with regards to the users:

• identify potential users (including the private sector);

• identify the customers that could have the ability to support GTOS activities;

• identify the users needs;

• define the GTOS benefits and added-value;

• present relevant and focused activities to governments.

2.4. NETWORKS

Although the draft Plan is consistent with the Planning Group Report, it is a stand-alone document. It was suggested that GTOS could start without full agreement on a core set of variables and site selection criteria, in order to focus immediately on a high priority, i.e. to get existing monitoring networks working together. A list should be prepared of the most likely existing observation networks (not more than 50). From this, not more than six should be chosen for initial contact in the first three years phase of GTOS (1997-1999). At least two of them should be involved with GTOS in 1998. The choice should preferably be among the larger networks with a wide geographical spread rather than smaller networks involving few countries.

This activity was referred to by the group as the Prototype Network. It was agreed that to start, the following activities would be needed:

• identify and contact potential collaborating networks;

• identify the goals of the Network;

• set up a Network Panel;

• define criteria for the Networks participation;

• identify potential goals of Prototype Network case studies.

An initial list of about 50 networks would be developed and serve to identify candidates for the Prototype Network. GTOS has to be consistent in its choice, according to the criteria identified and to the priority areas defined for the first phase of implementation. Therefore a network may not necessarily be selected, even if its activities may be relevant to GTOS.

The Prototype Network would have five substantive goals: create a learning environment; comparison of methods; sharing and exchange of data of interest to GTOS; sharing and exchange of data of interest to the networks; documentation of results.

The Prototype Network would be guided by a Network Panel, which would be a sub-committee of the Steering Committee, initially composed of a few members of the Steering Committee, and would then include representatives of participating networks. The Secretariat will prepare draft Terms of Reference and circulate them first to the group, then through the list server.

The criteria for the selection of the networks would be based on specific requirements, such as technical experience and international interest, active data gathering, relevance to one of the GTOS priority areas, coverage of data-poor geographic regions, elements of functional complementarity, expectation of continuity, and extent of areal coverage.

Case studies could document the role and function of the participating networks, the measurement methods used, the direct and modeling use of monitoring data, data gaps and approaches to filling them, and upscaling issues.

There was discussion with regards to the message that GTOS should present to the GCOS/GTOS meeting of the representatives of the major networks, which will be held in Bilbao, Spain, 17-20 June 1997. The basic objective of this meeting is to get advice from the networks themselves on the best way to proceed to form an international network serving GTOS and GCOS purposes. It was agreed that a three page outline would be prepared and sent to the Steering Committee for comments before the Bilbao meeting. This outline would provide a brief overview on GTOS, clearly stating GTOS objectives, and a general presentation on the Prototype Network.

2.5. INTERGOVERNMENTAL MECHANISM

Considering that the support of governments is essential to the success of GTOS, it was suggested in the draft Implementation Plan to set up an intergovernmental mechanism, in order to facilitate the communication with them. There was some concern expressed about this process. The group agreed that GTOS needs to establish contacts with governments, but that establishing an intergovernmental mechanism could be time consuming and inefficient.

There was also discussion whether GTOS has an international mandate from countries as is the case with GCOS and GOOS. The Co-sponsors explained that there is an implicit mandate from their respective governing bodies. It was suggested that this issue could be discussed at the Sponsors Group meeting in September, Geneva.

2.6. SECRETARIAT AND CO-SPONSORS

The GTOS Plan was accepted as the background authority for the activities of the Secretariat in 1997. Timing is critical, and the Secretariat is expected to prepare by the end of 1997 specified background and approach documents about the concept of GTOS and the benefits that it would bring to countries, to agencies and organizations, and to science.

The need for a strengthened Secretariat was unanimously endorsed. The group called on the Co-sponsors to provide additional support for the Secretariat. The Co-sponsors responded that, at present, they would be unable to increase their contribution to the Trust Fund. They pointed out that the efforts towards fund raising is a joint task of the Co-sponsors, the Steering Committee members and the Secretariat, and that specific project proposals should be formulated. FAO proposed to explore the possibility of recruiting scientific officers for the Secretariat through its Academic Exchange Programme. Terms of Reference would be prepared by the Secretariat for two scientific officers.