The Full Picture

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Under the broad umbrella of GEOSS, they will likely

evolve further and deliver even greater benefits to their

members both directly and through GEOSS. The inter-

national programme framework of the WMO World

Weather Watch, for example, provides such a model,

building upon the data sharing policies of WMO

Resolution 40 and an end-to-end service delivery concept.

One option for a sustainable long-term governance

structure is to establish GEO as a joint subsidiary mech-

anism of the multiple high-level UN agencies,

programmes and other designated bodies, such as the

Conventions, that govern the established (and new)

systems or utilize the data to inform regional and inter-

national policy development on global environmental and

related issues. The benefits of such a governance model

include:

• It would have the support and engagement of estab-

lished global organizations and deliver substantial

benefits back to the organizations and their members

• With multiple sponsors, rather that just one or two, no

single one of them would dominate GEO or be able to

indelibly stamp it in their image

• By focusing principally on its value-adding facilitating

role through the GEOSS interoperability framework,

GEO would not challenge the operation and mandate

of the sponsors, which would enable it to exhibit a

considerable degree of operating independence

• Perhaps most importantly, it would minimize the risk

of duplication and competition between GEO and the

international organizations that are responsible for the

established global observing systems.

Many of the relevant UN organizations are already asso-

ciated with GEO and a number of them (WMO, UNEP,

FAO, UNESCO, IOC) are working actively together to

coordinate their participation in GEO and GEOSS.

To some extent, the possible governance model illus-

trated to the left parallels the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change, which is a joint body of the World

Meteorological Organization and United Nations

Environment Programme, but which is seen externally

and is highly respected as a body and authority in its own

right.

With the benefit of a more robust governance frame-

work, GEO could then genuinely focus on its

interoperability and integration role, optimizing its capac-

ity building and outreach activities through synergy with

its sponsoring organizations. Together, GEO and its spon-

sors would represent a truly end-to-end service delivery

concept that would ensure the benefits of coordinated,

comprehensive and sustained global earth system obser-

vations were delivered to all users and communities.

The Ministerial Declaration of the Third Earth

Observation Summit in Brussels (16 February 2005)

resolved to conduct a mid-term assessment of GEO by

2010. This would be a good time to set a process under-

way for transitioning GEO from a multilateral

intergovernmental organization into one that is fully inte-

grated within the UN structure.

GEOSS interoperability framework

The GEOSS interoperability framework will facilitate access, integration and

application of earth observations and related information by members and

participating organizations (and their members) in support of information

and service delivery, research and all manner of decision-making

GEO future governance model

A schematic of a possible future governance model for GEO, in which GEO

is established as a joint subsidiary mechanism of some of the high-level UN

agencies, programmes and other designated bodies that govern or benefit

from the established global systems. Some of the UN bodies that may have

an interest are mapped indicatively against the nine SBAs

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