Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS)
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About GEOSS
- Reducing loss of life and property from natural and human-induced disasters;
- Understanding environmental factors affecting human health and well-being,
- Improving the management of energy resources,
- Understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating, and adapting to climate variability and change,
- Improving water resource management through better understanding of the water cycle,
- Improving weather information, forecasting and warning,
- Improving the management and protection of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems,
- Supporting sustainable agriculture and combating desertification, and
- Understanding, monitoring and conserving biodiversity.
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is coordinating efforts to build GEOSS. GEO was launched in response to calls for action by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and by the G8 leading industrialized countries. GEO is a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations that provides a framework within which these partners can develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments.[1]
GEOSS Common Infrastructure
- The GEO Portal provides the direct web interface through which the user accesses GEOSS and searches for information and services.
- The GEOSS Clearinghouse is the engine that drives the entire system. It connects directly to the various GEOSS components and services, collects and searches their information and distributes data and services via the Portal to the user.
- The GEOSS Components and Services Registry is similar to a library catalogue and assists the Clearinghouse, and ultimately the user, to identify the GEOSS resources that may be of interest.
- The GEOSS Standards and Interoperability Registry enables contributors to GEOSS to configure their systems so that they can share information with other systems. .
GEO Data Sharing Principles
One of the first accomplishments of the Group on Earth Observations was the acceptance of a set of high level Data Sharing Principles as a foundation for GEOSS. The GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan[2] explicitly acknowledges the importance of data sharing in achieving the GEOSS vision and anticipated societal benefits. The Plan, endorsed by nearly 60 governments and the European Commission at the Third Earth Observation Summit in Brussels (2005), highlights the following GEOSS Data Sharing Principles:
- There will be full and open exchange of data, metadata, and products shared within GEOSS, recognizing relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation.
- All shared data, metadata, and products will be made available with minimum time delay and at minimum cost.
- All shared data, metadata, and products being free of charge or no more than cost of reproduction will be encouraged for research and education.[3]
References
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Information about this article
Short title: GEOSS
Description: The Global Earth Observation System of Systems will provide decision-support tools to a wide variety of users through a global network of content providers. GEOSS will link together existing and planned observing systems and support the development of new systems where gaps currently exist.
Expertise level: beginner
Author: Greg Reed
Approval status: approved
Approved by: Greg Reed
Last change: 2009-12-2
Subsection of: Marine Data Transmission and Product Distribution Systems
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