1. Report: GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) Co-ordination team (CT) Alan Edwards Transitional Co-chair (European Commission) On behalf of the GCI-CT 18th Meeting of the GEO Executive Committee Geneva, Switzerland March 2010 1

2. GCI-CT: Background
2009 GEO VI Plenary endorsed the GCI architecture recommended by the IOC TF.
single GEO Web Portal (GWP) and a single Clearinghouse (CH)
GCI Coordination Team (GCI-CT) created to define the selection process and oversee the long-term operations of GCI.
GCI-CT Kick-off Meeting, Feb 23-24, 2010.

3. GCI-CT: recent Activities
Weekly telecons since GEO Plenary
Draft functional test procedures (Feb 18, 2010)
GCI-CT Kick-off meeting (Feb 23-24, 2010)
Consolidation of Work Plan & Consolidated Requirements
Definition of Selection Process and Test Logic
Agreement of Weights on criteria
Draft Letter with criteria to GCI Providers
Letter sent to GCI Component Providers (2 March 2010)

4. GCI-CT: recent Activities
Meeting GCI-CT and Test Teams (INPE, JRC) (3 March 2010)
Optimization of test logic
Consolidation of Work Plan
Establishment of rating system
Assessment of Test Procedures by Test Teams (INPE, JRC) (8 March 2010)

5. GCI-CT: Deliverables to ExCom-18
GCI-CT Terms of Reference: ExCom Document 8
Recommendations for Long-Term Operations of the GCI: updated version of 5 March 2010
Action (Work) Plan: updated version of 5 March 2010
Note, further update still needed to reflect the Test Phases and associated milestones dates.
Consolidated Requirements – updated
Note, further update still needed to include a new requirement relative to the time notice (90 days) for a GCI Provider to inform the GEO Secretariat in case of their cessation of GCI operations.

6. GCI-CT: Terms of Reference
Purpose
The GCI-CT is to oversee the development, implementation, and operation of the GEOSS Common Infrastructure in support of the GEO.

7. GCI-CT: Terms of Reference
Objectives: The GCI-CT is convened:
to provide guidance on the sustained operation of the integrated GCI and its components in light of known and evolving requirements, whilst adhering to agreed architecture standards and principles;
to provide recommendations including provisions for resource needs, when appropriate, addressing sustainability and transparency of GCI operations;
to engage the GEO Members, PO and component providers in assuring sustained and scalable operations of the GCI to realise the full potential of GEOSS;
to facilitate collection of sufficient resources of documented quality in the GCI.

8. GCI-CT: Terms of Reference
Approach and Functions (abbreviated):
GCI-CT reports to the Plenary and Executive Committee;
The GCI-CT shall be composed of a balance of technical and non-technical representation;
Tasking of specific research or investigations to sub-teams of experts will be made by the GCI-CT to address identified issues;
GCI operations shall accommodate the voluntary nature of contributions and build on existing efforts, conforming to the Recommendations for Long-Term Operations of the GCI.

9. GCI-CT: Membership (Currently 32 in total)
Australia 1
Austria 1
Brazil 1
CEOS 1
China 1 EC
ESA 1
ESIP Fed 1
EUMETSAT 1
Finland 1
France 1
Germany
IEEE
Italy
Japan
Madagascar 3
OGC
Pakistan
UIC (USA) 1
USA
WMO

10. GCI-CT: Membership
Transitional Co-Chairs (from the IOC-TF to the GCI-CT), through to 31 July 2010:
Ivan DeLoatch (USGS)
Alan (“Ivan”) Edwards (European Commission)
Ivan Petiteville (CEOS)
Formal Co-Chairs: NONE at PRESENT

11. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 5
Operations oversight – Based on operational statistics and monitoring of GCI and GEOSS resources, identify and address operational issues and remedies from a policy and technical perspective. CT undertakes this activity as a primary function.
Operations teleconferences
Identification and registration of GEO resources
Systems policies

12. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 1
Define criteria for qualification of GCI components, and for Portal / Clearinghouse selection.
GWP = GEO Web Portal
CL = Clearinghouse
CSR = Component and Service Registry
Inform providers on criteria by March 2nd, 2010 and solicit response before March 15th, 2010.

13. Single versus multiple GWPs & CLs
GCI-CT: Selection of a single CL & GWP
Single versus multiple GWPs & CLs
Endorsed by Plenary
GWP1
GWP2
GWP3
CSR
CL1
CL2
CL3
USER
USER
USER
GWP1
GWP2
GWP3
GWP CL CL
CSR
CSR
Current GCI configuration IOC phase
Single CL / multiple Web Portal GCI configuration operational phase
Single CL / single Web Portal GCI configuration operational phase

14. GCI-CT: Selection of a single CL & GWP
The GCI-CT has defined 6 criteria to select a single CL and single GWP which are aligned with the aim of ensuring the long-term operations for and :
4 criteria to be met by all GCI Providers
2 additional criteria to be met by the Component and Service registry (CSR), CL and GWP (verification by tests)

15. GCI-CT: Selection criteria
The GCI component provider commits to providing the necessary level of resources, (financial – both "in-kind" and actual, personnel, etc.), that will enable the sustained operation, enhancement and maintenance of the GCI during the period 2010 – 2015;
The GCI component provider identifies the GEO Member or Participating Organisation "sponsoring" their operational engagement with GEO;

16. GCI-CT: Selection criteria
The GCI component provider agrees to accept, abide by and implement the requirements set out in the GCI Consolidated Requirements document;
The GCI component provider gives a guarantee that should it be obliged to cease its GCI support activities, a 3rd Party can fully take over the operation and maintenance of the corresponding GCI component(s), free from any restraints arising from software copyrights, IPR and with the availability of all necessary technical documentation;

17. GCI-CT: Selection criteria
A GCI capabilities evaluation is undertaken to verify the compliance of the GCI component with the Consolidated Requirements and a rating is provided for objective comparison of offerings where multiple offers are made;
A general usability assessment is conducted and offerings of GCI components are rated based on their subjective suitability for end-user needs.

18. GCI-CT: Selection criteria
Weight (in %)
Short Description 1 10
Financial support for 2 20
"Sponsoring" letter 3
Accept to implement the Consolidated Requirements 4
No restriction on S/W (intellectual property rights, etc...) if transferred to Third Party 5 25
Tests related to Consolidated
Requirements 6
Usability Testing
= 50 %
= 50 %
Functional testing
Usability testing

19. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 2
Verification Test Plan, specific tests are developed to evaluate Consolidated Requirements for each GCI component.
Update Consolidated Requirements Document March 1st, 2010 (One further update required);
Test development – Individual tests are developed and grouped into test scenarios for specific GCI components February 27, 2010;
Publish tests – Test suites for each GCI component type are published to the providers. March 19, 2010.

20. GCI CP Selection Process: Testing Phases
Testing aims at
Verifying the implementation of the CSR, CLs and GWPs against Consolidated Requirements  functional testing
Involving the User Community to evaluate the Usability of the GCI through the use of the GWPs  usability testing
GCI Testing Teams
Brazil (INPE) and European Commission (JRC) volunteer to run the Functional Tests
US (EPA) volunteer to run the Usability Tests.
Optimize the limited test resources by organizing the testing in two phases
Phase 1: functional test of CSR and 3 CLs
identify a single CL for phase 2  reduce number of phase 2 tests by factor 3
Phase 2: functional and usability test of 3 GWPs coupled to CL identified in phase 1

21. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 3 GCI Component Testing Roadmap – Phase 1
Responses to GEO SEC letter with criteria (19 Mar): Action: Providers
Self-Testing by CSR, CL, GWP (22 to 26 Mar) Action: Providers
Phase 1: CSR, CL testing (29 March to 13 Apr) Action: JRC & INPE
Report of CSR, CL testing (20 Apr) Action: JRC & INPE
Clearinghouse to be selected for test phase 2 (27 April) Action: GCI CT

22. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 3 GCI Component Testing Roadmap – Phase 2
GWP to reconfigure their systems (28 April to 6 May) Action: GWP Providers
Phase 2: GWP testing with selected CL (7 to 17 May) Action: JRC & INPE
Phase 2: GWP Usability testing with sel. CL (17 to 20 May) Action: US EPA
Interim Reports of 1) GWP testing and 2) Usability testing (28 May) Action: 1) JRC and INPE, 2) US EPA
Final Reports of 1) GWP testing and 2) Usability testing (Mid-June) Action: 1) JRC and INPE, 2) US EPA

23. GCI-CT: Action (Work) Plan Item 4
GCI Component Provider Selection Process Based on the selection criteria and the results of the usability and the functional testing:
GCI-CT will prepare recommendations to approve the operation of single GCI components for each function. Due end-May 2010;
Finalize document to recommend the most-highly qualified provider solutions to Executive Committee. Due mid-June 2010.
Note: The version of the Action Plan submitted to EXCOM needs to be updated to reflect the revised schedule shown.

24. GCI-CT: Conclusion
As requested by Plenary, updated versions of the GCI-CT documents have been prepared and submitted to EXCOM.
All of these are “living documents”.
In particular, the GCI-CT Action Plan should be seen as a “dynamic living document”, subject to frequent revision during 2010.

25. GCI-CT: Conclusion
The process is underway that will lead to a recommendation on the single Clearinghouse and GEO Web Portal being prepared for EXCOM, with the expectation that this recommendation can be made available by mid-June 2010.
It is important that this timescale is adhered to, as there is a clear need to complete the selection process as soon as possible, in order to allow the selected GCI Component Providers to work together to ensure that a truly operational GCI is implemented in advance of the GEO Ministerial Summit.