1. Session 4: Working Groups Introduction
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
Session 4: Working Groups Introduction
Steve Volz, CEOS SIT Chair
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Mark Dowell, CEOS Chair Team
European Commission (COM)
CEOS SIT-33
Session 4, Agenda Item 4.1
Boulder, CO, USA
24 – 25 April 2018

2. Session Objective and Questions
OBJECTIVE: To support tangible and sustainable outcomes from CEOS Working Groups by providing an opportunity to air key issues, identify barriers to progress, and discuss ways to overcome those barriers. Reflect on findings from the recent WG questionnaires and telecons.
KEY SESSION QUESTIONS:
How does CEOS best ensure continuity and sustainability of WGs?
What outputs are the WGs delivering? What additional outputs are needed or could they deliver?
What obstacles are being raised by the WGs? And can they be resolved? If so, how?
Can and how can, the work of the WGs support the VCs, as well as current and future CEOS Work Plan and GEO Work Programme items?

3. Strategic Directions - VCs
Ensuring tangible outcomes from, and sustainable commitment to, our VCs and WGs
Maximizing the value of their output for CEOS objectives (e.g., ECVs and SDGs) and for individual CEOS Agency objectives
Ensuring the necessary support for our existing thematic teams to flourish and to deliver
Clearer overall CEOS observing system assessment and desired observing strategies – and known contribution from each CEOS Entity
Same as VC
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR CEOS
DISCUSSION PAPER – SIT-33

4. Preparation Process
Updated status on reality of each group in sought frank assessments from leadership.
VC and WG Telecons with SIT Chair Team
Dedicated Questionnaire to VCs and WGs and Former VC and WG Leadership
Analysis of CEOS Work Plan for Tangible Outputs
Corresponding Reporting Template for SIT-33
Same as VC

5. Working Group Questionnaire - Process
All WGs asked to respond to 10 questions (all responded and three former Chairs responded)
Effort to try and assemble a common information set to take stock of the current status of each WG
Gather views on the suitability of the current WG reporting and feedback structure within CEOS
Determine how to best highlight the significant contributions of the WGs to the CEOS community
Identify shortcomings, best practices, and successes across WGs.
Same as VC

6. WG Responses - Process

7. Working Group Questionnaire Key Statements
“We are motivated to integrate our different Agency assets and the values of them for users so that they aren’t as confused by our many assets and can make better decisions with EO more efficiently.” “WGXX promotes collaboration in the development of systems and services that manage and supply Earth Observation data.” “The hope of course is that we enable the global space agency community to provide the right data for many…applications and help the …agencies in making the right plans for continued and additional measurements that may fall between the cracks in individual agency planning.” “WGXX, as the other CEOS working groups, relies for its activities on a best effort contribution from participating agencies. Additional resources are committed by some agencies to support development and operations of key CEOS infrastructure…ensuring the availability of these resources in \the mid-long-term might be a challenge…as there is no plan or commitment ensuring this..” “One issue is that WGXX members tend to be active within specific satellite projects in their agencies. Collaborations with other projects tends to distract from their primary efforts”
Non-Attributional

8. Working Group Questionnaire Key Statements (con’t)
“WGXX membership is not well connected to the CEOS Plenary. Efforts to incorporate other WGs and VCs at the meeting have helped but it has still been difficult to get a broader connection between the membership and what is happening at the SIT and Plenary levels.” “Maybe someone from CEOS leadership could sometimes participate to WGXX plenary meetings to have a better insight of the WG activities and provide suggestions from an “external” point of view.” “CEOS leadership could help in highlighting benefits deriving from participation to WGXX.” “Structure of the WG is kept lean, no subgroups just specific activities that are carried by whole group.” “Subgroup organization provides an opportunity to incorporate efforts and results from subgroup members that are not members of a CEOS agency.” “Chinese and Japanese engagement would probably make the biggest impact.”
Non-Attributional

9. Group Health and Viability
SIT Assessment
Health of leadership, contribution and engagement from CEOS Agencies, meeting processes and active link to CEOS were all looked at
All WGs demonstrate vibrant activity, participation, and contributions to the CEOS Work Plan

10. Group Health and Viability
SIT Assessment
WG activity appears healthy
Identification of Vice Chairs sometimes an issue – all WGs currently have Chairs and Vice Chairs

11. VC/WG Outputs Cited in 2018- 2020 CEOS Work Plan
NOTE: not all Deliverables are created equal!
WGs have well established Deliverables within CEOS WP
Ocean VCs have noticeably fewer Deliverables (nil for OST)
COVERAGE initiative has four Work Plan Deliverables that span Ocean VCs
Ocean VCs also cited in Blue Planet Deliverables
For comparison, ad hoc teams like GFOI and SDGs have ~3 Deliverables each in the Work Plan
Same as VC

12. WGs Asked to Provide Following Info to SIT (template)
Linkages to CEOS Work Plan (e.g., action numbers), open SIT and Plenary Actions
Indication of required decisions and discussion points
Team Achievements and Planned Outcomes –
Major past achievements/planned future outputs that contribute to global observing architecture and national planning purposes e.g., datasets, products, standards, architecture studies, gap analyses
Synergies Amongst Teams (e.g. WG-VC, WG-WG, other)
Obstacles/barriers to progress and suggestions on how to overcome
Sustainable Commitment
Identify the active agencies in your team and whether this implies a viable team for your objectives
How frequently does your team physically meet?
Are their any obstacles to the future viability of your team meeting its objectives?
Proactive Consideration of Plenary and SIT TWS Deliverables and Discussion Items
Same as VC

13. 30th Plenary Actions
Plenary Action 31-01
Due Date

14. Discussion Seeds – for Later
For each entity, what action is necessary to ensure the necessary leadership, engagement and connection to the CEOS objectives?
Should we (can we) achieve greater specificity in tangible outcomes from each entity (as appropriate)?
Is more direction required to maximize the value of VC/WG outputs for CEOS objectives and in support of individual CEOS agency objectives (like planning processes)?
How realistic are these ambitions given operating realities – and what further support would be needed in each case?
Same as VC

15. Session 4 Agenda Session 4: WGs
4.1, 10 min: Session Introduction (Steve Volz, Mark Dowell)
4.2, 10 min: WGCapD (Nancy Searby)
4.3, 10 min: WGCV (Kurt Thome)
4.4, 20 min: WGDisasters (Simona Zoffoli)
4.5, 10 min: WGISS (Mirko Albani)
4.6, 15 min: WGClimate (Jörg Schulz)
3.10/4.7, 30 min:
Session 3 / 4 Virtual Constellations and Working Groups Wrap-up
Sustaining activity, WG framework support to VCs, Support to agency mission planning, Broader observing strategy, 2018 activities