53 / 280
[
] 53
US Early Achievement nominations
• Arctic Observing Network
• Establishment of a US national land imaging program
• GEONETCast a global environmental information
delivery system
• Global space-based intercalibration system
• Large marine ecosystem
• Ocean surface topography
• SERVIR: An Earth observation, monitoring and
visulization system
• Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory
Initiative (SIGEO)
• Standards-based, all-hazards, all-media public
warning
• State of climate – A GEO achievement using Earth
observations to monitor the global climate
• The North American drought monitor – A GEO
achievement and the beginnings of a global drought
early warning system
• USGEO program to improve air quality forecasts and
desicions support for respiratory health
The United States Group on Earth Observations aims to ensure a healthy public, economy, and planet through an integrated
comprehensive and sustained Earth observation system
existing Earth observation models and systems, and to develop
new ones. Such collaboration is key to achieving improved quality
and availability of environmental data to benefit the world’s
economies and populations.
Fostering partnerships with external stakeholders and thereby
engaging them in the work of advancing GEOSS and IEOS is a top
priority of USGEO. To this end, USGEO has organized a variety
of workshops, conferences and fora to develop and reinforce part-
nerships with government agencies, industry, academia, and
non-governmental and international organizations. These activi-
ties have helped to bring Earth observations to the forefront of
discussions on public health, agriculture, climate, data manage-
ment and dissemination, to name a few.
International contributions
USGEO plans and coordinates US government engagement in, and
support for, the work of GEO. USGEO participation strives partic-
ularly to promote widespread adoption of full and open data
sharing policies and practices among GEO member countries. The
organization also promotes addressing the capacity building needs
of the developing countries, as they relate to Earth observations.
USGEO experts serve on all GEO committees to support interna-
tional progress in the implementation of GEOSS.
Current activities
Capitalizing on the momentum created by demonstrated accom-
plishments and early successes, USGEO has embarked on two
critical activities that are aimed at strengthening the national
commitment to GEOSS and the US contribution, IEOS:
• Development of a US national civil Earth observation policy to
ensure that Earth observation capabilities and data are available
in a sustained and timely manner to further US scientific,
economic, environmental protection and homeland security
interests, and to enable effective domestic and international
collaboration in Earth observation.
• Development of a comprehensive US Earth obser-
vation investment strategy that will assess national
civil Earth observation needs and facilitate the inte-
gration of federal agency activities to meet those
needs.
USGEO continues to focus on facilitating the use of
Earth observations in models and decision support
systems to improve decision-making and essential
services federal agencies and others provide to the
nation. Emphasis is also placed on cooperation with
the international community, domestic governments,
and other public and private organizations on Earth
observation and science that are of mutual benefit.
Photo: NOAA
N
ATIONAL
& R
EGIONAL
R
EPORTS