12.1. Introduction
12.1.1. Jeff Tschirley presented some issues to be discussed with the Committee in order to improve the functioning of GTOS, in particular regarding the Steering Committee's meetings and composition, the use of the Roster of Experts and the exchange of information among GTOS members.
12.2. Steering Committee
12.2.1. It was agreed that on certain matters, and when necessary due to budgetary and time constraints, the Chair shall convene an Executive Session of the Steering Committee composed of a subset of SC members to act on behalf of the full Steering Committee. The full SC will be provided with recommendations and minutes from the Executive SC discussion sessions. E-mail or telephone conferences should also be considered for specific issues. It was agreed that the full SC will continue to meet on a time-to-time basis, at least annually, depending on the status of the program and available funds. The Committee agreed that a rotational plan should be implemented to ensure continuity and allow the introduction of members with new ideas. The present membership of the GTSC would be reviewed by the Chairman prior to the next meeting.
ACTION: Chairman to review the present membership of the GTSC and to implement a rotational plan.
12.3. Roster of Experts
12.3.1. The Committee observed that the Roster of Experts is a valuable resource that should be used more. Members of the joint panels with GCOS and GOOS should be included in it. It is important to keep the Roster regularly informed on GTOS activities.
ACTION: Include members of the joint GCOS and GOOS panels in the GTOS Roster of Experts and keep the Roster regularly informed on GTOS activities.
12.4. Information and Communication
12.4.1. The Secretariat expressed concern over the limited feedback from GTSC members on information and documents sent through the list server. It was suggested to target the information and to direct it to specific members. Suggestions on the kinds of comments expected from the members might encourage them to respond more frequently.
12.4.2. The Chair persons of the joint panels should be included in the mailing list to ensure they receive regularly information and documents on GTOS.
12.4.3. The agenda for future GTSC meetings should be more descriptive on the issues that will be discussed. It could also have a "high-level" section so that key people could attend a part of the meeting (e.g. donors).
