Collaborative Activities

Collaboration with GCOS and GOOS

GTOS complements the two other global observing systems, GCOS (climate) and GOOS (oceans), by using common procedures in data management and space observations, and through joint panels or activities for land-climate and land-coastal issues. Some of the more recent developments include the Global Observing Systems Space Panel and the Joint Data and Information Management Panel.

Global Observing Systems Space Panel (GOSSP)

This panel provides a mechanism for coordinating technical inputs to the Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) which represents most of the space agencies and aims to facilitate the contacts between the space agencies, their sponsors and other parts of the user community. In March 1997 GTOS accepted the invitation of CEOS to become an affiliate member and played a role in developing one of the CEOS prototype projects which deals with forest cover.

André Bassolé, GTSC member, represented GTOS at the first GOSSP session (May 1997, Paris, France), which reviewed the methodology for assessing how well existing space instruments meet the requirements of the observing systems. It was decided that CEOS should provide an annual report informing the Panel about progress in planned activities for every operational and planned satellite. The performance of each system will be checked against the user requirements and a set of assessment scores given for each application area. Particular attention was given to the initiative for developing an Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) and to the requirements needed for the “prototype projects” developed in this regard at the CEOS Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) meeting.

Joint Data and Information Management Panel (JDIMP)

Originally formed as a GCOS panel, the Data and Information Management Panel completed work on the GCOS Data and Information Management Plan, which outlines the steps necessary to develop an Initial Operational System (IOS) for observations and data. It now serves as a joint panel for all three observing systems (G3OS). Gwynneth Martin, GTSC member, represented GTOS at the first session of the JDIMP (July 1997, Tokyo, Japan), where it was agreed that a prototype data and information management system for the G3OS will be developed to accommodate data and products from the various components of the global observing systems. In concert with the G3OS science requirements and associated user communities, JDIMP will formulate and develop the G3OS Data and Information Management Plan(s).

The panel also recommended that GTOS develops a Data and Information Management Plan focusing on terrestrial data management.

During the JDIMP meeting in Tokyo (July 1997), GCOS proposed to develop an Information Center (IC) that would use Internet technology to allow users to locate and access data and information holdings at participating centres. The IC would provide search capabilities and access to a world-wide set of observations and information, but would not hold data itself. The panel suggested to undertake a pilot activity to evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of a G3OS Information Center, and - if the evaluation is positive - to transfer the activity to an associate institution. GTOS needs to consider the proposal, its relevance to the 5 priority issues of the programme and evaluate what the costs and benefits would be.

Participation in Meetings

In addition to GTOS Representatives at the GOSSP and JDIMP meetings, efforts were made to link up with initiatives that share common ground and to participate in the development of the coordination between the three global observing systems.

GOOS Joint Scientific and Technical Committee

Michael Glantz, chairman of the GTSC, attended the fourth session of the Joint Scientific and Technical Committee for the Global Ocean Observing System (J-GOOS), held in Miami, USA, 23-25 April 1997. With regards to the coastal zones issues, which is an area of interest for both GOOS and GTOS, the participants were briefed on the results of the Coastal Workshop held in February 1997 in Miami, which made a number of recommendations to J-GOOS for the way ahead to develop the Coastal Module. It was agreed to establish a GOOS Coastal Panel to oversee and review coastal activities. Re-formulated Terms of Reference were prepared and accepted.

ILTER Workshop

Michael Glantz attended the Latin American Program on Long Term Ecological Research (LTER), held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, 9-13 June 1997. This workshop was based on decisions reached both in the Latin American Workshop on Long Term Ecological Research (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and in the ILTER Panama & Costa Rica meetings. Among the issues addressed were: criteria used to select national sites; general description of the proposed sites; indication of which sites have sufficient capacity to take part in the ILTER Programme; evaluation of the priorities and basic needs of the selected “sites”; and definition of basic research topics to be included in the ILTER Programme.

The formation of an International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network has important implications for the GT-Net initiative. Continued contact with ILTER will be needed.

Second meeting of the Sponsors Group for the G3OS

In addition to the sponsors representatives, the directors of the GCOS, GOOS and GTOS Secretariats also attended the second meeting of the Sponsors Group for the Global Observing Systems (Geneva, Switzerland, 15-16 November 1997). As regard matters relating to GTOS, the sponsors endorsed the establishment of the Global Terrestrial Observing Network (GT-Net), encouraged GTOS to identify and develop a core list of terrestrial variables that would be of use for CEOS as well as to GT-Net, and discussed funding issues and coordination among the three observing systems.

The sponsors also examined the financial impact of GTSC meetings vis a vis implementation of programme objectives. They suggested to form a core GTOS Executive Group to guide the programme and to organize meetings of the working groups when circumstances merited this. Should sufficient additional resources come available, meetings of the full GTSC would be highly desirable.

GCOS Joint Scientific and Technical Commitee

Michael Gwynne, GTSC member, and Jeff Tschirley, Programme Director a.i. of the GTOS Secretariat, attended the seventh session of GCOS Joint scientific and Technical Committee (JSTC), held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 22-25 September 1997.

Among the issues related to GTOS were the following: (1) the JSTC endorsed the JDIMP recommendation to develop a G3OS Information Centre and encouraged GTOS to review the proposal and its relevance to GTOS priorities, (2) GTOS was proposed as a co-sponsor of networks on glaciers and hydrology; (3) the chairman of the Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC) expressed interest to establish stronger links with GTOS and to assist in identifying a core set of terrestrial measurements for land, water and biodiversity

LUCC Data Requirements Workshiop

Antonio Cendrero, member of the GTSC, attended the LUCC Data Requirements Workshop, organized by IGBP/IHDP LUCC and IGBP-DIS (Barcelona, Spain, 11-14 November 1997). This was the first of a series of four meetings planned to establish data priorities and define procedures and methods for the production of specific datasets for Land Use and Land Cover Change Research. The main objectives of this Workshop were to allow scientists to articulate their specific data needs for research, to identify major common data and monitoring needs, and to determine data priorities.

One outcome of this workshop is a report including an initial LUCC list of variables for systematic observations. This list will be sent to GTOS in order to develop a core set of terrestrial observations which would be of interest for both programmes. After the workshop, GTOS contacted LUCC proposing a joint meeting to discuss further collaboration.

Integrated Strategic Plan for the Global Observing Systems

At the Sponsors Group meeting, UNEP presented to the group a draft paper for the development of an Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) for the G3OS, intended to be a framework encompassing integrated planning, linking research and operational activities, and linking space and in situ observations. CEOS/IGFA (the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the International Group of Funding Agencies for global change research) have also seen the need for a such a strategy and they have established a Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) which prepared in July 1997 a scoping paper “Towards an Integrated Global Observing Strategy” that was distributed at the meeting.

The G3OS document was revised after the meeting, incorporating a number of additions and modifications, including some elements of the CEOS/IGFA scoping paper. Its title was changed to “Integrated Strategic Plan for the Global Observing Systems”. It addresses specific issues of the G3OS and broader questions that should contribute to the evolution of an Integrated Global Observing Strategy among all of the nations, agencies and organizations involved in the collection and analysis of data on the global environment. It also defines elements of the necessary ongoing strategic planning process. It is intended to be an evolving working document to be considered and updated at each Sponsors Group meeting to reflect the present state of collaboration between the global observing systems and within larger partnerships, and to identify the contributions of the G3OS to an integrated global observing strategy. The sponsors will draw on it as appropriate and necessary to prepare documents for approval within their orgaizations and by their governing bodies.