© GEO Secretariat Disasters SBA Status of Tasks DI-06-05, DI-06-06, DI-06-10 New tasks proposed for the WorkPlan 2007-2009 G. Rum - 05 September 2006.

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Disasters SBA

Status of Tasks DI-06-05, DI-06-06, DI-06-10

New tasks proposed for the WorkPlan 2007-2009

G. Rum - 05 September 2006

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Task DI-06-06 1/5Objectives and deliverables

Objectives

Harmonize existing efforts towards the preparation of a “global tsunami hazard map” to support coastal zone monitoring and infrastructure planning & investment.

Deliverables

1. Unified world tsunami catalogue2. Map of main tsunamigenic zones on the globe3. Description of hazard parameters 4. Global tsunami hazard map

By end 2006

By end 2007

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Task DI-06-06 2/5 Achievements to date

NONE (from a “formal” standpoint) see Note(Task Point of Contact has been identified only in mid July 2006)

NoteEven without direct coordination within GEO it is important to report progress made in the frame of UNESCO-IOC activities and programs, i.e.

IOC has activated, through an initial meeting the 24 of June, the ad hoc Working Group on Global Ocean-related Hazards, Early Warning and Mitigation System, created by IOC Assembly (reference to IOC Resolution XXIII-15). The resolution also recommended that WMO, ISDR and GEO be invited to participate in the working group.

IOC has issued at the end of July 2006 of the IOTWG (Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System) that includes parts of deliverables 1 and 2 and requirements for deliverables 3 and 4.

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Task DI-06-06 3/5 On going activities

GEO Secretariat has initiated a closer coordination with IOC in order to make this task (but also all the other tasks in the GEO Workplan related to tsunami) compatible and coordinated with IOC Plans.

GEO Secretariat is providing its support for the preparation of the next Tsunami Working Group nemeeting, tentatively planned for October 2006. (last meeting March 2006)

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Task DI-06-06 4/5 Difficulties and delays

Lack of a task contact point Associated difficulties in the definition of the

process to produce a world tsunami catalogue Understaffing of the Secretariat during the first

half of 2006

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Task DI-06-06 5/5 Future Plans

It is proposed to merge its current content into DI-06-04 and 07.

DI-06-04 will include all the activities related to the implementation of a Tsunami Early Warning System at global level, having IOC Plans as the programmatic reference for task implementation.DI-06-07 will include, in accordance to the proposed multi-hazard/multi-risk approach, all the activities concerning hazard mapping, here included those relevant to tsunami.New title : "Conduct an inventory of existing geologic and all-hazard zonation maps, identify gaps and needs for digitization and progressively develop related products"

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Task DI-06-10 1/5Objectives and deliverables

Objectives

Initiate and maintain a dialogue between GEO, the Board of the International Charter on Space and major Disasters and relevant UN agencies to identify mechanisms for strengthening the scope and mandate of the Charter.

Deliverables

1. Progress report(s) on possible enhancement options for consideration by the Charter Board

2. Draft cooperation agreement(s) between GEO Members, Participating Organizations and the Charter Board

By end 2006

By early 2007

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Task DI-06-10 2/5 Achievements to date

• A meeting was held between the International Charter Secretary and the GEO Secretariat, on 6 April, in ESA/ESRIN, Frascati.

• Definition of consolidated mechanism to ensure User access to the Charter has started, both within International Organizations (WMO) and within Countries (USA)

• In mid June, the COPUOS approved the creation of DMISCO (Disasters Management Space Coordination Organization) as a programme of the UN OOSA (Office of Outer Space Activities), with an initial arrangement that foresees Offices in Beijing and Bonn.

GEO Secretariat has continued discussion with the Board of the International Charter, with the Director of UNOOSA and other interested UN programs, such as UNOSAT, to ensure coordination on the use of remote sensing for this purpose.

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Task DI-06-10 3/5 On going activities

GEO Secretariat is in constant contact with the UNOOSA, who is in charge to implement the COPUOS decision on DMISCO (now renamed SPIDER) to properly interact and participate to the process.

GEO Secretariat is in constant contact with the Charter

In support of the objectives of task DI-06-10, task DI-06-09 has been reviewed, being now its main objective the identification of a virtual constellation for risk management.(*)

(*) Strong support and inputs are needed from UIC to identify requirements of this constellation

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Task DI-06-10 4/5 Difficulties and delays

Need to properly appreciate and consider all steps and associated duration of formal processes (i.e. the DMISCO approval and implementation)

High attention and prudence (fully understandable) showed by the Charter members on proposals for expansion/improvement, being the Charter, today, still a “fragile” mechanism, which operates successfully but on a limited scale and capabilities.

Understaffing of the Secretariat during the first half of 2006

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Task DI-06-10 5/5 Future Plans

In the Workplan 2007-09 this task has been terminated, while the activities will continue as an ongoing supporting activity performed by the GEO Secretariat.

The lines of development will be the one already mentioned in chart # 3 (on going activities) and their results and deliverables will be introduced, as suitable and necessary, into the activities of the other Disaster tasks.

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GEO WorkPlan 2007-2009 Disasters: Proposed New Tasks

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DI-07-P1: Risk Management for Floods

The management of the flood risk is being performed by a number of Organisations all around the world at different scales, from local to national to regional.The task will define best practices, here including decision support systems, with the goal to identify minimum required observations and associated networks (in-situ, remote sensing) and models to deal with flood management at different geographical scales. The task will also include analysis and, where deemed applicable, further developments on weather forecast and warning systems, as one of the main inputs, in particular to assess the risk during the monitoring/prevision/prevention phase. This task includes relevant synergies with water and weather tasks.With reference to and in coordination with the WMO APFM (Associated Programme on Flood Management) the core activity will be constituted by the definition and implementation of a pilot project, centered on the development and demonstration of a Flood risk management system for the South-Central American Regions.

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DI-07-P2: Risk Management for Slowly Developing Disasters

Encourage the development of an Earth observation decision-support system for policy and decision makers (at all levels) for slowly developing disasters (e.g. deforestation, soil degradation, public health, food security, drought monitoring and prediction, pest, locust).It will start with initial analysis and assessment of “slow developing disasters” and will then focus on specific applications.Related activities will include: Facilitate the implementation and up scaling of pilot projects demonstrating the use of environmental information in sensitive areas.This task includes relevant synergies with DI-07-P1 and climate tasks.

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Task HE-06-02 1/5Objectives and deliverables

ObjectivesOrganize a workshop in Geneva in 2006 with the external support of WHO on human health issues, and their relations with Earth observations, environmental and disease outbreak modelling, building upon 2005 events (EC workshop on Human health and Global Change, NIEHS/EPA workshop on Human health and Air quality, EPIDEMIO workshop, Wengen meeting on seasonal forecasts for health, etc).

DeliverablesComprehensive report providing recommendations for short-term actions (2006/2007) and medium-term (next 5 years)

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Task HE-06-02 3/5 On going activities

GEO Secretariat has continued working level and official contacts with WHO in order to progress the closer involvement of WHO with GEO in general and, thereby, this task

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Task HE-06-02 4/5 Difficulties and delays

UIC has agreed to postpone this workshop until 2007

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Task HE-06-02 5/5 Future Plans

It is envisaged that this would be a key event marking WHO’s closer engagement with GEO, hopefully in 2007.

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Task HE-06-04 1/5Objectives and deliverables

Objectives

Organize bi-lateral meetings with major health organizations and associations at national and regional levels and representatives of GEO, to raise awareness of potential uses of GEOSS for health.

DeliverablesNetwork of Health organizations/associations and Earth observation centresHealth-tailored materialsReports including plans for specific actions and activities

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Task HE-06-04 3/5 On going activities

Several consultations with staff at the World Health Organisation have led to the identification of enhanced user needs in the EO/Health area, and the formulation of proposals for pilot projects that can enhance potential WHO participation in the implementation of several GEO tasks.

Large GEO delegation at recent World Congress on Public Health in Brazil, organized by the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

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Task HE-06-02 4/5 Difficulties and delays

This task is likely to be not fully implemented until uncertainty over the engagement of WHO is resolved.

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Task HE-06-04 5/5 Future Plans

Secretariat will arrange series of meetings with key health organizations and associations.

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Task US-06-01 1/5Objectives and deliverables

ObjectivesEstablish a GEO process for identifying critical Earth observation priorities common to many GEOSS societal benefit areas, involving scientific and technical experts, taking account of socio-economic factors, and building on the results of existing systems’ requirements development processes.

DeliverablesIdentification of current and future observation gaps at the global levelA methodology to identify prioritiesRecommendations of Earth Observation priorities for national and local decision-makers and space agencies

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Task US-06-02 2/5 Achievements to date

None reported

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Task US-06-01 3/5 On going activities

The WMO Commission on Basic Systems (CBS) has continued its efforts on redesign of the GOS. Within this activity, a process named the Rolling Requirements Review (RRR) has been instituted for continuously reviewing observational requirements of WMO Members and international programmes. At various levels this process involves groups of end-users, regional associations, WMO technical commissions and other bodies. A description of the RRR presented in the Manual on the GOS (WMO-NO. 544) and its updated applications are available at http://www.wmo.int/web/sat/sog/sog_contents.htm

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Task US-06-01 4/5

Difficulties and delays

UIC Comment 10th July: The UIC recommended that this important activity should be included in the agenda for all-co-chairs telecon meeting and discussed at the UIC meeting in Ottawa.

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Task US-06-01 5/5 Future Plans

To be decided…

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Task US-06-02 1/5Objectives and deliverables

ObjectivesInitiate pilot communities of practice to identify and further refine users’ needs, in particular on cross-cutting areas, building upon the initial experience of community of practice and on information provided by national, regional and project-level surveys.

DeliverablesReport on community of practice activities, lessons learned and user priorities. Side-event at 2006 GEO Plenary

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Task US-06-02 2/5 Achievements to date

US (USEPA) - UIC member, John Lyon, made a presentation to the NARSTO Executive Assembly on GEO-in-general, the UIC activities and the Air & Health CP at their October meeting in Ottawa, Canada. NARSTO is an eleven year-old North American public-private partnership that coordinates air pollution research and science and performs policy-relevant assessments. He pointed out the advantages of NARSTO leading or participating in an Air & Health CP for North America. The members expressed interest in this and referred it to their Executive Committee for further action.

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Task US-06-02 3/5 On going activities

Two activities have been proposed by WMO’s Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme (AREP) to be included as contributions to the “Air and Health” Community of Practise. These are:

Support the development of a “Global Sand and Dust Storm Warning System” bringing together forecasts, observations and users. The latter includes weather forecasters, commercial aviation, surface transport, respiratory health effects, disease-transmission-via-dust communities, solar energy community and agriculture. Specifically, organise a WMO-GEOSS International Symposium on a “Global Sand and Dust Storm Warning System” in Spain in Autumn 2007 (WMO/AREP lead).

Co-organize a “Joint Workshop on Integrated Observations for Assessing Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution” (and hence Air Quality). This workshop attended by 100 people will be held at WMO Geneva 24-26 January 2007 as the third in a series. The co-sponsors would be the UN-ECE Convention on LRTAP Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF-HTAP), WMO/AREP and GEO.

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Task US-06-02 4/5

Difficulties and delays

UIC Comments 10th July: It was recommended that the issue of POC for this task be revisited at the UIC meeting in Canada. UIC co-chairs, members and Secretariat should ensure that the Leads of CPs are invited to this meeting. It was also noted that the details of the Plenary side event need to be urgently finalised…eg should it be a 2 hour evening or lunchtime event, or a fuller half-day event?

It was recommended that there be better co-ordination between this task and EN-06-04.

It was also noted that the topic of involvement with industry should be discussed in Ottawa.

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Task US-06-02 5/5 Future Plans

To be decided…

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Task US-06-03 1/5Objectives and deliverables

ObjectivesPromote interactions, in the form of fora, between data providers, scientists, industry, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, decision- and policy- makers to identify requirements for new or improved data, products and services.

DeliverablesReports and recommendations to GEO Plenary

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Task US-06-03 2/5 Achievements to date

The task has been initiated by the Secretariat.

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Task US-06-03 3/5 On going activities

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Task US-06-03 4/5

Difficulties and delays

None

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Task US-06-03 5/5 Future Plans

UIC comments 10th July: This task is closely linked to US-06-01, US-06-02, OR-06-01, OR-06-02 and CPs. The task has been initiated by the Secretariat. The UIC may provide additional inputs, e.g. information on communities of practise.