1 United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) Kathy Fontaine, NASA USGEO ADM Vice Chair WGISS-22 Annapolis, MD September 14, 2006.

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United States Group on Earth Observations

(USGEO)

Kathy Fontaine, NASAUSGEO ADM Vice Chair

WGISS-22Annapolis, MD

September 14, 2006

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Early Days

• Interagency Working Group on Earth Observations– Ad hoc group chartered in 2003 by the National Science and

Technology Council’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to create a strategic plan for developing the Integrated Earth Observation System, and to provide U.S. contributions to the GEO process.

• Developed the IEOS Strategic Plan – Adopts the nine societal benefit areas, with some wording changes.– Establishes 6 Near Term Opportunities for integrating existing US

efforts» Air Quality Assessment and Forecast System» Improved Observations for Disaster Warnings» National Integrated Drought Information System» Sea Level Observation System» Global Land Observation System» Architecture and Data Management Framework

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Recent History

• USGEO– IWGEO’s charter expired in December 2004.– Became a standing subcommittee under the CENR.

• Civil Service only at this level

– Co-chaired by NASA, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and NOAA.

– Comprises representatives from 15 participating federal agencies and three White House offices.

– Released Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System April 6, 2005.

• Describes a high-level strategy for developing a U.S. IEOS. • Provides a framework for guiding the U.S. participation in and

contribution to the international effort to develop GEOSS.

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National Context

National Scienceand Technology Council

ScienceCommittee

Environment & NaturalResources Committee

Homeland & NationalSecurity Committee

TechnologyCommittee

Subcommittee on Global Change Research

Ecological SystemsSubcommittee

Subcommittee onDisaster

Reduction

Subcommittee onWater Availability &

Quality

Air Quality ResearchSubcommittee

Toxics & Risk AssessmentSubcommittee

Subcommittee on Oceans(also reports to Committee on Science)

US Group onEarth Observations (USGEO)

Subcommittee on Healthand the Environment

(also reports to Committee on Science and Commission onHomeland and National Security

Biodiversity and EcosystemInformatics Working Group

Interagency Working Group onEndocrine Disruptors

Interagency Working Group onMercury

USGEO Subcommittee Structure

Science & Technology

Steve Meacham, NSF

Capacity Building & Outreach

John Jones, NOAA

User Interface Mary Gant, NIEHSEd Washburn, EPA

Architecture & Data Mgmt.Tom Karl, NOAA

Martha Maiden, NASA

Planning and IntegrationKathy Fontaine, NASA

John Lyon, EPA

US

GE

OW

orki

ng

Gro

ups

DisasterMargaret Davidson,

NOAADavid Applegate,

USGSCraig Dobson,

NASA

Global LandEd Sheffner, NASABruce Quirk, USGS

Sea LevelLucia Tsaoussi,

NASAStan Wilson, NOAA

DroughtTom Karl, NOAA

Jared Entin, NASA

Air QualitySteve Fine, NOAA

Richard Sheffe, EPA

NT

OT

ask

For

ces

USGEONASA – Bryant CramerNOAA – Greg Withee

OSTP – Teresa Fryberger

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Current USGEO Members

USGEO Membership Department of Commerce Department of State

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Department of Transportation

• National Institute for Standards and Technology

Environmental Protection Agency

Department of Defense

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Air Force National Science Foundation • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Smithsonian Institution • Navy Tennessee Valley Authority

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Department of Energy

U.S. Agency for International Development

Department of Health & Human Services

U.S. Department of Agriculture • Agriculture Research Service

• National Institute of Environmental • U.S. Forest Service Health Sciences

White House Council on Environmental Quality

Department of Homeland Security

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

White House Office of Management and Budget

Department of the Interior • US Geological Survey

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

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Accomplishments

• Sponsored Public Engagement Workshop: Continuing the Dialogue– May 2005 – 360 representatives from industry, academia, non-governmental

organizations and federal agencies provided input to NTO process.

• Sponsored Earth Observation System Architecture: Enabling an Entrepreneurial Environment– October 2005– 65 representatives from industry, academia, non-governmental

organizations, and federal agencies provided private sector input to key aspects of the IEOS plans.

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Accomplishments

• Participated in Tsunami Working Group– Helped develop a coordinated national plan for tsunami risk

reduction, as requested by Congress and the President following the December 2004 tragedy in the Indian Ocean.

– Released Tsunami Risk Reduction for the United States: A Framework for Action in December 2005.

• Participated in CENR Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction– Worked with CENR to identify requirements for improved use of

Earth observations to reduce disaster losses. 

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Status

• OMB/OSTP memo to Federal agencies calls out USGEO efforts.– NIDIS, Air Quality, Disasters papers to be released soon.– Sea Level, Global Land, Data Management considered more

long-term; more work required.

• USGEO continues to meet monthly and continues to provide the formal US response to GEO documents– Member agencies provide agency responses; consolidated into

US response.

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US Involvement in GEO and GEO Tasks (2006 Plan)

• US is one of 4 GEO Co-Chairs (VADM Conrad Lautenbacher)

• As US – Leads 18 tasks– Contributes to 26 tasks

• US Agency representatives through other Participating Organizations contribute to 46 more tasks.

• 2007 – 2009 Work Plan roles still being discussed.

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How This Works

• US has defined “Lead” as any agency that has a currently funded, ‘operational’ contribution.– Interpreted slightly differently by each agency, as

expected– Can include organized programs (NSF

cyberinfrastructure efforts) as well as hardware and software

• “Contributor” indicates some interest, but fewer available resources.

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NASA Activities

• In addition to the USGEO assignments shown earlier, NASA contributions include– As Chair of COSPAR Scientific Commission A

[Earth's Atmosphere, Ocean and Land], represents COSPAR as a Participating Organization in GEO.

– GPM task US POC– ADC participation– Support through SERVIR to several of the tasks

(REASoN project)• Regional monitoring and visualization system for Central

America

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For Further Information:

US Group on Earth Observations

http://usgeo.gov