I G O L Integrated Global Observations of the Land A proposed theme to the IGOSPartnership

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I G O LIntegrated Global Observations of the
LandA proposed theme to the IGOS-Partnership

• FAO-SDRN
• May 2004

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IGOS Themes

• Process for developing themes
• Form a group of interested partners and
  internationally recognized experts
• Consult user communities to define needs and
  products
• Assess current status of observations
• Identify gaps in coverage and actions required
• Theme content
• Objectives
• Roles and responsibilities
• Milestones
• Evaluation criteria
• Level of effort required

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IGOS Themes
- Oceans - Coral reefs sub-theme
Under implementation
- Carbon - Water - Geohazards
Ready for implementation
Advanced development
- Atmospheric chemistry - Coastal

• Land
• Cryosphere

Under development
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The Need for a Land Theme

• IGOS-P has not yet considered the observational
  needs relating to many aspects of the land
• Sustainable economic development
• Natural resources management
• Conservation and biodiversity
• Climate change and its impacts
• Ecosystems
• Functioning
• Services
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Multilateral environmental agreements
• development, implementation mandatory reporting
  and monitoring.

• The World Summit on Sustainable Development
  pointed to the need to "Promote the development
  and wider use of earth observation technologies,
  including satellite remote sensing, global
  mapping and geographic information systems, to
  collect quality data on environmental impacts,
  land use and land -use changes.

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Stake-holders

• International organizations (FAO, UNEP and WMO)
• International intergovernmental actions (e.g. G8
  sustainable forest management programs)
• Scientific community
• Environmental Conventions secretariats,
  international development and aid agencies and
  NGOs
• General public

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Deciding what to include and not include
Realistic chance of being implemented
Global scale or the local benefit from global
scale
IGOS-P can help
Spatially disaggrega-ted
Case has been made in IGOS-P documents
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The Main Components of a Land Theme

• Land Cover and Land Use
• Human settlement and population
• Managed ecosystems
• Agriculture, pastoralism, forestry
• Natural ecosystems
• Conservation, biodiversity, sustainable use.
• Soils
• Biogeochemical cycles
• Elevation

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Central role of Land Cover and Remote Sensing in
the Land theme

• Reliable knowledge of land cover and land cover
  change is central to most aspects of a Land
  Theme.
• Remote sensing with selected in situ data
  collection has the potential to provide such
  information both locally regionally and globally.

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Roles and responsibilities

• International coordination mechanisms for
  observations
• FAO (especially GTOS),UNEP, UNESCO, WMO
• Scientific research
• IGBP, WCRP, IHDP
• Remotely sensed data and derived products
• Space agencies some activities now operational
  e.g. through NPOESS, most still research
  instruments only.
• Note that land observations are not well
  coordinated in many areas need for improved
  mechanisms

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Evaluation Criteria (preliminary)

• To be fully developed once the final scope of the
  IGOL activity is defined.
• Identification of the specific contributions to
  the programs of IGOS-P partners if the
  recommendations are adopted.
• Specific recommendations for improvements in
  space-borne observations (including improved
  continuity). Better understanding by CEOS
  members of land requirements that can be
  satisfied with improved space-based observations.
  
• Improved international coordination for the
  assembly and exchange of terrestrial in situ
  observations.

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Rationale

• Increasing consensus to include in IGOS an
  integrated approach to land needs' observations
• Reliable observations of the terrestrial
  environment
• Climate change and its impacts,
• Sustainable economic development, natural
  resources management, conservation, biodiversity
• Ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling
• Development, implementation and monitoring of a
  number of multilateral environmental agreements
• Vast quantities of observations but lack of
  international coordination and standardization of
  observations
• Country-by-country and region-by-region
  comparisons difficult
• Hindering reliable overall understanding of land
  processes at a global scale

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Work Plan

• 5 Assume acceptance at May IGOS-P Meeting
• 6-7 Revise proposal as needed following guidance
  at IGOS-P meeting. Seek input more widely from
  partners. Generate revised draft and circulate
  to Team members
• 8-9 Initial meeting of Team. Scope each of the
  main bullets targeting the highest priority
  observations. Decide if sub-teams and extra
  expertise needed. Sub-Teams likely would be
  virtual with no face-to-face meetings.
• 9-11 Comprehensive assessment of official
  existing requirements by area. Draft statement of
  requirements
• 1 2nd Theme Team Meeting to assess balance
  between requirements and capabilities. Outline
  needed enhancements.
• 2-4 Prepare first draft of enhancements required
  (3 months)
• 5 Writing group meets to decide on final report
  outline
• 5-6 Prepare first draft of report (3months).
• 8 Internal review by Theme Team
• 9 Final meeting of Theme Team to finalize report
• 10 Seek external review
• 11 Prepare final document (1 month).
• 12 Submit Theme Team Report.

2004
2005
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Milestones

• September 2004 Agreement by Theme Team on
  precise scope of IGOL including any phasing
• January 2004 First preliminary statement of
  needed enhancements
• July 2005 1st Draft of report
• December 2005 Submission of final report.

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Resources

• The theme will only happen if some Partners (or
  members of Partners in the case of CEOS) are
  willing to put forward some realistic resources
• Allocation of time of employees
• Some support of any non-agency personnel
• Coordination support (say 0.5 FTE for 18 months)
• Meeting costs
• Printing costs of report

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Proposed preliminary membership

• J. R. Townshend (GOFC/GOLD, GTOS)
• Dennis Ojima (IGBP)
• Alan Belward (GCOS)
• Christiana Schmullius (GOFC/GOLD)
• Jeff Tschirley (FAO)
• Olivier Arino (ESA)
• Chris Justice (GOFC/GOLD)

• Tony Janetos (Heinz Center)
• John Latham (GTOS)
• Timo Maukonen (UNEP)
• Roberta Balstad Miller (CIESEN)
• Jay Feuquay (USGS)
• Jiyuan LIU (CAS)

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Acknowledgments

• Thanks to the following for advice and
  contributions to the proposals preparation
• Alan Belward, Steve Briggs, David Williams, Jeff
  Tschirley, John Latham, Paul Reichert, Roberta
  Balstad Miller, Olivier Arino