GEOSS will be a major step forward in providing global information - data and products - for improved environmental management and significant societal benefits. The ambitious goal of GEOSS, linking millions of established regional, national and international data sources and datasets into a single network, will succeed only if the participants agree to and implement a set of interoperability arrangements, including standards for collecting, processing, storing, and disseminating shared metadata, data, and derived products. The magnitude and scope of the standards effort essential to achieving this goal are unprecedented and will require the combined efforts of many national and international organizations. Coordination of these efforts is clearly needed.
The GEOSS 10-year Implementation Plan emphasizes building on existing systems and initiatives, and points to the importance of using existing international standards organizations and institutes as a focal point for the GEOSS interoperability objectives as they relate to and use standards. It is the recommendation of IEEE that there be a standards facilitation role within or under the purview of GEO. A standards facilitator would help greatly in these efforts and ensure that the vast resources invested in realizing the dreams of GEOSS are put to best use.
IEEE as Standards Facilitator for GEOSS
Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa, Chair
IEEE Committee on Earth Observations Standards Working Group
The GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan prescribes a user-driven approach to the creation of GEOSS. GEOSS includes observing, processing, and dissemination capabilities interfaced through interoperability specifications established and adhered to by all contributing systems. It emphasizes building on existing systems and initiatives, and points to the importance of using existing international standards organizations and institutes in the identification and adoption of standards to achieve GEOSS interoperability objectives.
The many organizations developing diverse standards applicable to observing systems will need to cooperate in order to maximize effectiveness while setting strategy, allocating resources, building communication links, and enacting standards outreach and training programs. The GEO must help find agreement on standards for each technical component of GEOSS. The GEO must also identify the areas where new standards are required and then must enact a process to help get them formalized and implemented. In addition, the GEO must support education and outreach for international participants and help increase technical and public awareness. A standards facilitator working within the GEO efforts will help greatly in these efforts. Although GEO will establish and oversee the interoperability arrangements needed for GEOSS, a standards facilitation role would leverage a system of systems approach to standards and, at the same time, not displace the activities of any organization currently working on GEOSS-relevant standards.
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GEOSS - Standards Committee Seeks Members
This note is to request recommendations for IEEE members that are interested in working on facilitating standards for development and operation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). GEOSS will provide major steps forward in providing global information - data and products - for improved environmental management and significant societal benefits. At this point, we are forming the working group for Standards and we are looking for IEEE members that are interested in working on GEOSS and in facilitating the standards efforts. Click the link below for additional information.
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"The magnitude and scope of the standards effort essential to achieving a fully interoperable GEOSS are unprecedented and will require the combined efforts of many national and international organizations."
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ISWG Standards Survey for Data Providers
It is important to the efforts of the ISWG to acquire as much information as possible regarding the various mechanisms, and associated standards, that are in use by existing data providers of any Earth observation data. This would include physical data, chemical data, biological data, geological data, etc. If your organization acquires and/or disseminates Earth observation data, please take a few moments to fill out the survey. It can be found at http://www.dbscale.com/ISWGSurvey/. There are only eight questions, and your participation will be greatly appreciated and will assist the efforts in establishing the standards and interoperability requirements for GEOSS.
A Methodology for Standards in GEOSS
by Don Wright
Past Chair IEEE SA Standards Board
Member, IEEE SA BoG
Director of Standards, Lexmark International
Background
The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is a complex systems of sensors, communication devices, storage systems, computational and other devices used on concert to observe the Earth and eventually come to a better understanding of the Earth's processes. The first Earth Observation Summit was convened in Washington DC in July 2003 and was attended by high level officials of 33 countries, the European Commission and 21 international organizations involved in Earth observation.
From that meeting, the Washington Summit Declaration establishes the objective "to monitor continuously the state of the Earth, to increase understanding of dynamic Earth processes, to enhance prediction of the Earth system, and to further implement our international environmental treaty obligations", and thus the need for "timely, quality, long-term, global information as a basis for sound decision making". Subsequently developed, the Framework Document adds that to move from principles to action, a "10-Year Implementation Plan for establishing the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)", which should be "comprehensive", "coordinated", and "sustained" is needed.
The GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan adopted 16 February 2005 goes on to say:
The vision for GEOSS is to realize a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained Earth observations and information.
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