1. Overview of the GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) Initiative
Alyssa Whitcraft
GEOGLAM Component 4 Co-Lead
GEOGLAM Secretariat & University of Maryland, USA

2. Policy Framework for GEOGLAM
GEOGLAM was endorsed in 2011 by the G20 Agricultural Ministers alongside the AMIS initiative, with GEOGLAM’s goal being the use of EO data for improved information on crop production. GEOGLAM provides input into AMIS, which focuses on trade and markets.

3. GEOGLAM is implemented through 6 Components
GEOGLAM is being implemented through 6 components – 3 core and 3 cross cutting. Although we have remarkable achievements and activities in each of these 6 components, I’ll focus today principally on the major achievements of these three….
Example Highlights from 3 GEOGLAM Components

4. GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for AMIS
Objective: transparent, timely, crop condition assessments in primary agricultural production areas
highlighting potential hotspots of stress or bumper crop
Focus: stabilizing/calming markets
Reflecting an international consensus on crop conditions, building on existing systems
4 crops: Wheat, maize, soybean, rice
AMIS Countries account for 90%
of global production of the 4 crops
Response to G-20 AMIS request
End Users: AMIS Community
The GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for AMIS is a part of GEOGLAM Component 1, and is the quintessential example of what GEOGLAM is poised to do: convert EO data into policy relevant information. The CM provides transparent and timely crop condition assessments for wheat, corn, rice, and soy… with the end goal of reducing market volatility. The Crop Monitor feeds directly into AMIS… and is a response to the G20 AMIS request, continually refined to meet AMIS’ needs. – and to appeal to a non-RS audience.

5. GEOGLAM Crop Monitor Partners
… and is a highly participatory initiative. We have over 35 partners who participate in monthly telecons to reach international consensus on crop conditions.
> 35 Partners and Growing

6. Condition Synthesis Maps Covering All AMIS Crops
Crop Conditions & Drivers as of October 28, 2015
Quick and easy to interpret crop conditions
oriented for non RS community
The Crop Monitor has been produced operationally since September The process is novel and in line with GEO’s principles – it is bottom up, user-driven, consensus work, a unification of multiple systems… coordinated by the GEOGLAM Secretariat for societal benefit. What you see here is an example of one of the many products that come out of the Crop Monitor on a monthly basis: a map of conditions and the associated drivers as of October 28, This map is for all 4 crops, and shows both the crop symbol and the associated driver for areas which have any condition other than “Favourable”. You can see poor conditions for maize in Eastern Europe due to lingering impacts of the summer heat wave, and poor conditions in Thailand for Rice and Australia for Wheat due to the impacts of El Nino.
These maps are the result of a long, iterative conversation with AMIS – who at first were resistant to geospatial information. Now, as they are quick and easy to interpret even for a non-RS audience, AMIS values the Crop Monitor very highly among the Market Monitor inputs.
Crops that are in other than favorable conditions are displayed on the map with their crop symbol & driver.
Separate maps are also provided for each crop.

7. Operational Monthly Bulletin since 2013
Published in the AMIS Market Monitor
The Crop Monitor is published monthly in the AMIS Market Monitor, since 2013, and in addition to the maps you just saw includes pie charts that break down conditions for subnational production areas, and explanatory text.

8. GEOGLAM EO-Derived Best Available Multi-Season Crop Masks
Winter Wheat
Spring Wheat
Rice
Maize
Soybeans
A great outcome of this activity has been the production of EO-derived crop type masks – something that has not really existed at the global scale at this resolution before, and provides critical inputs to agricultural monitoring

9. Best Available Multi-Season Crop Calendars
Winter & Spring Wheat
Maize 1 & Maize 2
Rice 1, Rice 2 & Rice 3
Soybean 1 & Soybean 2
Similarly, the crop monitor partners – who belong to national and international monitoring systems - have provided information on when crops are growing where. It might seem rather straight forward, but in actuality these Crop Calendars are a major improvement over what previously existed.
Based on Crop Monitor Partner Inputs

10. Developing an Early Warning Crop Monitor
September 2014 Synthesis
April 2015 Synthesis
The Crop Monitor for AMIS has been so successful, we are developing an analog for “countries at risk” – the target of GEOGLAM’s Component 3. Here you see early prototypes of this system over FEWS NET countries during different time periods, showing the seasonality of the crops. The system is still being developed by multiple partnership, and is very much of interest to the Early Warning community. We expect to go operational with this in the coming months, with similar reporting format to the CM for AMIS.
Results of an early FEWS NET prototype showing two time periods with different zones in season

11. Initiation of National Crop Monitors:
Tanzania Example
And we are also adapting the Crop Monitor system to the national context – representing national significant crops, geographies, and drivers – here’s an example for Tanzania. Enhancing national systems is at the core of GEOGLAM’s mandate – so migrating and adapting achievements in the global and regional context into the national systems is very important for us.

12. Cross-Cutting EO-Data Coordination (Component 4)
Establishment of CEOS Ad Hoc Working Group (2012)
Endorsement of group at CEOS Plenary,
Characterization of EO data requirements for agricultural monitoring
Evaluation of CEOS mission capacity to meet EO Req’s
Gap identification
First Meeting of CEOS Ad Hoc WG (CSA, 2012)
Common to all of that which you’ve seen up to this point is the utilization of EO data – we simply cannot do this work without the appropriate Earth observations! This is the focus of Component 4, which deals with data acquisition and dissemination coordination. We have a very strong working relationship with CEOS through the Ad Hoc WG for GEOGLAM, which was established in With them, we have characterized our EO data requirements for agricultural monitoring (which is what this very illegible at this scale table details), and undertaken analyses to see where we can and cannot meet these requirements using CEOS space assets.

13. Impacts of GEOGLAM-CEOS Coordination
Increased Revisit Rates via Constellation
Strengthened case for international space agency coordination
Influenced individual mission acquisition strategies & future mission planning, with agricultural monitoring focus
Prototyped cloud-based EO data dissemination & visualization systems for Asia-RiCE & JECAM
Through our collaboration with CEOS, we’ve strengthened the case for international space agency coordination (the figure at right shows how greatly we can improve the frequency with which we can view crops by building constellations of CEOS satellites)… we have influenced individual mission acquisition strategies and made agricultural monitoring a focus in the planning of future missions, and we’ve made headway in confronting issues of data dissemination via the prototyping of cloud-based space data management systems.
Whitcraft, Killough, et al., (2015)

14. CEOS Support coordinating EO data access for >20 JECAM sites
The relationship with CEOS has resulted in a lot of EO data coordination thus far (from a variety of satellite sensors, spanning civil and commercial space agencies), for numerous diverse agricultural landscapes around the world, through our R&D effort – JECAM. 14 14

15. GEOGLAM Governance Structure
Secretariat
Coordination, Outreach, Fundraising
2. National Monitoring Systems
Use of EO data for agricultural monitoring
GEOGLAM External Advisory Committee
Guidance on Initiative Development
Implementation Group
Consisting of Component/Project Leads
Global / Regional Systems
main producer countries, main commodities
3. Monitoring Countries at Risk
food security assessment
4. EO Data coordination (w. CEOS)
5. Research & Development coordination (e.g. JECAM)
6. Capacity Development in EO-based Methods
GEOGLAM Activities and Contributory Projects
Because GEOGLAM has reached a certain level of maturity, at the urging of CEOS we convened for this first time this week an Advisory Committee comprised of external, high-level individuals to provide insight on initiative development and to help us reach the next level.

16. GEOGLAM External Advisory Committee Top Level Recommendations (from Monday)
Coordination with CEOS for meeting EO requirements is a top priority
Expand program emphasis from Agricultural Trade to Food Security
Support implementation of post-2015 Development Agenda (SDGs)
Seek re-endorsement from G20 in China (2016)
Enhance South – South Cooperation
Seek more than symbolic support from GEO partners
Develop a strategic partnership plan
Establish communication position at the GEOGLAM Secretariat to engage other organizations/sectors with the GEOGLAM value proposition
Here are some of their “hot off the press” recommendations for progressing GEOGLAM forward.

17. GEOGLAM is already aligned with SDGs
Multinational and user-driven development efforts
have the most impact due to
trustworthy, transparent, & collaborative agenda
(AidData, 2015)
These are GEOGLAM’s core principles!
MONITORING PRODUCTIVY IN SMALLHOLDER SYSTEMS
And some great news is we are beginning to respond to some of their recommendations – for example, ,GEOGLAM is already aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal #2 – end hunger. We are monitoring productivity in smallholder systems, we are promoting international coordination for R&D and technology development and transfer, and we are facilitation timely access to market information toward the end goal of stabilizing markets.
In conclusion, GEOGLAM is structured and poised to continue to be effective – a study recently published by AidData shows that multinational development efforts and efforts with a high level of local p articipation are more impactful than bilateral efforts, due to the feeling that they are trustworthy and transparent… GEOGLAM has structured itself in this way!
Thank you!
INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION FOR R&D
FACILITATE TIMELY ACCESS TO MARKET INFORMATION
REDUCE PRICE VOLATILITY