1. GEO Cold Regions: from Regional to Global effort --- As the interface between SAON and GEOSS Yubao Qiu yqiu@geosec.org Vancouver, Canada 29 March 2013

2. 2 GEO Cold Region The GEO Cold Region idea keeps the “Cold Region” as the observation target area, which relates strongly to frozen water in its various forms, associated with influence of Water (Cryosphere), Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Health, Energy, Disaster, Climate, Weather and even Agriculture issues. Most of these issues are relevant to the GEOSS nine Societal Benefit Areas and therein the implementation of 26 associated tasks. Cold Region has its cross cutting nature in the GEOSS framework. GEO Cold Region – “Conception”

3. 3 Motivations and Vision  Recognize that Cold Region is the most fragile ecosystem in the world, which not only includes the South and North Poles, but also the Third Pole (Tibetan Plateau);  Provide spatially Cross Continent Observation Coordination and Cross Cutting Application Domain Observation Synergy based on the scientific oriented driving; To fulfil the observation gap in the far and hard-to-reach cold region by satellite and in-situ data through the global platform of GEO;  Implement the observation strategy and provide a proactive framework for the development of information and related services for the “Future Earth” research initiative and to assess the sustainable development ability addressed in Rio+20;  Strengthen the partnerships with policy-makers, stakeholders, and funders over the cold region ecological and engineering fields;  Facilitate the national infrastructure and capacity building as a whole effort in Cold Region from GEO Members and POs, especially over the nine Societal Benefit Areas.

4. Cold Regions Its CORE are the Cryospheric Components (solid water) It includes snow, sea ice, lake and river ice, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, permafrost and seasonally frozen ground, and solid precipitation Disaster Energy Climate Water Health Weather Ecosystem Agriculture Biodiversity GEO nine Societal Benefit Areas

5. 5 The Coordination Regime and Composition of GEO Cold Region Provisional: Basically, a GEO Cold Region Task would be a combination of, Global Cryosphere Observations Cold Region Ecosystems and Biodiversity Observations (EC-01, BI-01) Information Service for Cold Region (Infrastructure, Data sharing, WA-01-C3) Global Change-Cold Region perspective (EC-01, SB-01 and Climate)

6. How to work? Need Framework? Or Community Of Practice (COP) A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE (COP) IS, A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE A CRAFT AND/OR A PROFESSION As Advisory Function? 6

7. GEO Cold Region (Panel/Board/System?) GEOSS Communities (Users and Stakeholders) Infrastructure (Broker/GCI) Data Sharing Principle (Support) Plenary (Decision Makers) Ministerial Summit Partnerships (Systems) Projects Programs Networks/Coordinations The Third Part Organization (ICSU, UNDP…) GEO Cold Region Cross Cutting Task 9 SBAs Short/ Long Term Activates/ Individuals Thoughts a draft to address the coordination

8. 8 GEO Cold Region: As the interface between SAON and GEOSS Identified two areas where a closer understanding between GEO and SAON could be developed: -The ‘Cold Region’ initiative -The GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) Further activities: -GEO Work Plan Symposium : GEO Cold Region presentation -AOS 2014, possible joint workshop Document 58 at 2nd Board meeting -Remote Sensing Part -Data Sharing Mechanism Support -ID-01-C1: Advancing GEOSS Data Sharing Principles -IN-03: GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) -IN-05: GEOSS Design and Interoperability

9. 9 Would be next…  To push and pull on this way to future development, by workshop  GEO Work Plan Symposium, at June, 2013, some of the program would join in, and it is better to have a talk on this Cold Region specifically  GEO Plenary, January, 2014  GEO Ministerial Summit, January, 2014

10. 10 Thank you! GEO Cold Region: COLD-REGION@list.geosec.orgCOLD-REGION@list.geosec.org