1. CEOS Thematic Acquisition Strategies Status & Issues
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
CEOS Thematic Acquisition Strategies Status & Issues
Stephen Briggs (SIT Chair)
CEOS Plenary 2016
Agenda Item 2.1
Brisbane, Australia
1st – 2nd November 2016

2. Background
SIT Chair emphasis on ensuring well-founded, directed and sustained thematic acquisition strategies for CEOS
Review of status of existing strategies and highlighting issues to be addressed
Ensuring GEO efforts are connected and well-directed
Productive discussions at SIT-31 & SIT-TW

3. Summary Status
Significant existing commitments with substantial data acquisition implications
Theme Initiative
CEOS Group
External Counterparts
Notes
Forests GFOI
SDCG
GFOI (Office, GEO), FAO
Great geometry and policy basis. Need for emphasis on country uptake in Significant opportunities post COP and with GNU. Being mainstreamed by FAO/UN-REDD.
Agriculture GEOGLAM
Ad-hoc WG
GEOGLAM (PO, GEO), JECAM
G20 Ministerial support affirmed with a strong focus by GEOGLAM Steering Committee on the promotion, application and uptake of remote sensing data; data requirements update to be completed in early 2017; additional focus on rangelands and rice.
Disasters Geohazard Supersites Recovery Observatory
Hazard Pilots
Data Coordination Team (DCT) of WG Disasters
Various, depending on project
Sustained provision of data to an increasing number of DRR projects characterized by a significant user engagement. Good coordination of data provision between space agencies, ensured by the DCT, single group within WGDisasters for all projects.

4. Summary Status
Significant existing commitments with substantial data acquisition implications
Theme Initiative
CEOS Group
External Counterparts
Notes
Carbon
SIT Chair as interim
Solid requirements in CEOS Carbon Strategy. Scale and complexity of endeavour has stalled progress. Step-by-step agreed at SIT-TW. Previous GEOCARBON not broadly recognised. New GEOCARBON initiative started.
Water
WSIST
GEO CoP
Some concern at GEO Water Strategy lack of policy links and institutional support. Progress on selected tasks in CEOS response (synergistic measurements and water quality). Reboot in GEO direction anticipated – expectations for GEOGLOWS.
Climate
WG Climate
GCOS, UNFCCC
Significant past delays in progress of Climate Architecture and ECV inventory but recent improvement. Clear counterpart and focus, based on GCOS IP and response.

5. Issues for attention
LSI-VC review of agency tools to manage multiple requirements didn’t yield much of value for CEOS use. But practical efficiency of bringing forests and agriculture under LSI-VC banner still a logical goal.
Viable way forward formulated at SIT-TW on Carbon, for Plenary discussion. Must encourage GEO to ensure success of GEOCARBON to demonstrate credibility
If GEO is the counterpart for CEOS on Water, opinion tends to the need for stronger requirements, with better policy linkages and large institutional buy-in. GEO must demonstrate credible geometry and strategy
Will GEO achieve anything via GD-08?