1. ID-03 Science and Technology in GEOSS Advance GEOSS through integration of innovations in Earth observation science and technology, also enabling the research community to fully benefit from GEOSS accomplishments. Promote research and development (R&D) in key areas of Earth sciences to facilitate improvements to Earth observation and information systems, and support the transition of systems and techniques from research to operations. Engage with a wide range of science and technology communities including individual scientists and their institutions, both public and private. Hans-Peter Plag, IEEE (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA) Task Coordinator, PoC ID-03 C1 ID-03-C1: Engaging the Science and Technology (S&T) Community in GEOSS Implementation

2. Activities of ID-03:
Engage with science and technology communities with the goal to promote GEOSS and encourage contributions to the development and implementation of GEOSS
Maintain a portfolio of compelling examples illustrating the contribution of science and technology to GEOSS and the value of GEOSS for science and research
Expand and maintain a GEOSS Science and Technology Stakeholder Network e.g. through regular workshops
Organize special sessions on GEOSS at major meetings and document these sessions in a web-based system. Develop and maintain a GEOSS Science and Technology Service Suite to support interactions with science and technology communities
Maintain the User Requirement Registry (URR) and ensure that S&T needs of GEOSS and its users are captured in the URR
Ensure that the S&T needs of GEOSS and its users are known and accessible through the Socio-Economic and Environmental Information Needs (SEE IN) Knowledge Base, developed and maintained here, and transition the User Requirements Registry into the SEE IN Knowledge Base.

3. Strategic Target - Science and Technology:
Ensure full interaction and engagement of relevant science and technology communities such
that GEOSS advances through integration of innovations in Earth observation science and
technology, enabling the research community to fully benefit from GEOSS accomplishments.
Demonstrated by:
• Improved and new instrumentation and observation system design for in-situ, airborne, and
space-based observation, benefiting from advances in science and technology.
• Increased accessibility of global sets of scientific data necessary for improved Earth System
modelling in the different GEO Societal Benefit Areas.
• Increased accessibility of data and improved coordination and maintenance of observational
systems through GEOSS are realized by the research community.

4. Strategic Target - User engagement:
Ensure critical user information needs for decision making are recognized and met through
Earth observations.
Demonstrated by:
• Establishment of an agreed core set of essential environmental, geophysical, geological, and
socio-economic variables needed to provide data, metadata and products in support of all
GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas.
• Involvement of users in: reviewing and assessing requirements for Earth observation data,
products and services; creating appropriate mechanisms for coordinating user requirements;
utilizing data/information delivery systems; and capturing user feedback on an ongoing basis
across Societal Benefit Areas.
• Increased use of geo-spatial data in all Societal Benefit Areas and in particular in developing
countries.

5. Strategic Target - Architecture:
Achieve sustained operation, continuity and interoperability of existing and new systems that
provide essential environmental observations and information, including the GEOSS Common
Infrastructure (GCI) that facilitates access to, and use of, these observations and information.
Demonstrated by:
• Deployment, population, and enablement of sustained operations and maintenance of a userfriendly and user-accessible GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI), including the core components and functions that link the various resources of GEOSS.
• Coordinated planning and sustained operation of national, regional and global observing and information systems within an interoperability framework.
• Continual improvement in observations and information available to users through the transition of research outcomes and systems into operational use, and through an optimal mix of space-based, airborne and in-situ observing platforms.
• Increased efficiency in the operation of observational systems through convergence among global, regional and national facilities.
• Comprehensive gap analysis and gap filling, integrated across all Societal Benefit Areas, including issues pertaining to operational redundancy and succession planning (especially with respect to space missions) for systems and products.

6. Expected Achievements by 2015:
Activity 1: Engage with science and technology communities with the goal to promote GEOSS and encourage contributions to the development and implementation of GEOSS
Activity 1.1: Engage science communities in the development of EO-based services that support sustainable development, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Main achievement: GEOSS focused on the information needs of the global community striving for sustainable development.
Activity 1.2: Encourage the incorporation of new technology in observing systems.
Main achievement: Identify and promote emerging technologies relevant to GEOSS, particularly those that can create a platform for the participation of S&T stakeholders in GEOSS
Activity 1.3: Develop a framework for the transition of relevant research infrastructures to sustained operation.
Main achievement: a process for the identification and promotion of research infrastructure that contributes significantly to the long-term observing systems and therefore should be continued in a sustained mode

7. Expected Achievements by 2015:
Activity 2: Maintain a portfolio of compelling examples illustrating the contribution of science and technology to GEOSS and the value of GEOSS for science and research
Activity 2.1: Populate a GEOSS Science and Technology Portfolio with compelling examples demonstrating the added value of GEOSS for science and technology communities, with particular focus on examples that illustrate the link between GEOSS and information needs for sustainable development.
This activity will complete the GEOSS S&T Portfolio and produce several documentations of this portfolio.
Activity 2.2: Produce multi-media publications of the GEOSS Science and Technology Portfolio illustrating the relevance of GEOSS and EOs for solving urgent societal issues.
As a result of this activity, there will be a suite of outreach documents that show the added value of GEOSS and that also will demonstrate the societal benefits of EOs.

8. Expected Achievements by 2015:
Activity 3: Expand and maintain a GEOSS Science and Technology Stakeholder Network e.g. through regular workshops
Activity 3.1: Continue the sequence of high-level GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshops
The main achievement of this activity will be feedback from high-level organization in support of the development of GEOSS and at the same time a promotion of GEOSS in the organizations.
Activity 3.2: Develop a GEOSS S&T (annual) Newsletter focused on international S&T organization supporting knowledge creation for sustainable development.
This activity will achieve an improved awareness of GEO and GEOSS in relevant international S&T communities.

9. Expected Achievements by 2015:
Activity 4: Organize special sessions on GEOSS at major meetings and document these sessions in a web- based system. Develop and maintain a GEOSS Science and Technology Service Suite to support interactions with science and technology communities
Activity 4.1: Organize special sessions on GEOSS and side events on GEO at major meetings.
The main achievement will be an improved awareness of GEO, GEOSS and the role of GEOSS for science and research through a series of special sessions and side events.
Activity 4.2: Continue the development of the GSTSS, including an extensive utility for feedback from S&T communities on GEOSS, EO-related services, and data sets.
The activity will result in a better service for S&T communities and bring these communities closer to GEOSS.
Activity 4.3: Develop a high-level prospectus for a series of SBA-specific major conferences.
An important outcome of this activity would be an improved coordination of the many workshops and conferences organized by groups and CoPs in the nine SBAs.

10. Expected Achievements by 2015:
Activity 5: Maintain the User Requirement Registry (URR) and ensure that S&T needs of GEOSS and its users are captured in the URR
Activity 5.1: Develop a concept of, and implement a knowledge base for the definition and documentation of socio-economic and environmental information needs (SEE IN Knowledge Base) across all societal sectors and topics, including those represented by the nine SBAs and the theme Tasks, that also supports the development of blue-prints for processes related to knowledge creation, including model webs.
Main outcome: SEE IN KB as core element of the GCI responding to the Ministerial guidance.
Activity 5.2: Transition the URR to the SEE IN Knowledge Base
Main outcome: ensure that URR contents are fully available through the new SEE IN KB.
Activity 5.3: Develop a concept for a collaborative platform which can facilitate the engagement of Task Teams and CoPs in capturing information needs and developing blue-prints.
Main outcome: Definition of characteristics and functionalities of a virtual stakeholder table for the interaction of GEO Task Teams and CoPs in an effort to identify information needs.
Activity 5.4: Develop blueprints for the derivation of essential variables based on overarching goals and targets.
Main outcome: well-defined process to identify sets of EVs for a wide range of goals and targets.

11. Defining models and tools based on information needs
Defining observations based on information needs
Stakeholder Driven GEOSS
GEO, YIP Reference Document.

12. Socio-Economic and Environmental Information Needs Knowledge Base
GEO’s Contribution
3rd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop
Socio-Economic and Environmental Information Needs Knowledge Base
Blue Prints for the “indicators to essential variables” process

15. Society Governance World VST SD LKB GEOSS Information System (GEOIS)
Social
Science
Society
GEOSS Information System (GEOIS)
Private
Public
Governance
Participation
Deliberations
Decision making
World
Knowledge Creation and Usage:
- Co-design
- Co-creation
- Co-usage
(RIO+20)
VST
Meetings
Deliberations
Risk-based choices
Scenarios
Visualizations
CoI mediations
Stakeholder
values &
interests SD
Instrument
Sensors
LKB
Model Web
Services
GeoDesign
GIS
Integrated
databases
(environmental,
economic,
human)
ontology
What If?
Policies
Planning
Codes
Best &
next practices
Perceptions
Human
Sensors
Impacts
IoT
State
&
Trends
IoM
4th GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop
Predictions
Collaborative Platform for Cooperation

16. Scope of Task ID-03
Expected Achievements by 2015
GEOSS S&T Portfolio: Fully populated and documented: may not be achieved; community is not providing examples
GEOSS S&T Service Suite fully functional: Most of the page will be functional, except for a fully function workshop portal
Outreach and promotion at S&T meetings: Is happening, but information is not regularly provided for the Task Sheet
GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Network more developed; and at least two moreWorkshops: Is under way
Goal-focused global initiatives (ministerial guidance, key area 5): Is under way

17. Recent Progress and Key Outputs:
Recent progress (partly supported by EGIDA and GeoViqua):
GEOSS S&T Portfolio 60% populated (
Data Citation Standard V1.0 completed (see
GEO Label: concept developed based on user input (GeoViqua)
GEOSS S&T Meeting Portal (
2nd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop
Expected for 2013:
Data citation testbed implementation: SIF: Citation Standard; GCI Providers: Citation recommendation
GEO Label implementation: GeoViqua; outside of the GCI
More Portfolio examples: Limited response from Task Teams
Further development of the GEOSS Science and Technology Service Suite (GSTSS); including User Requirement Registry (URR), Meeting Portal, and GEOSS-wide Feedback utility
3nd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop in 2014

18. Challenges and Issues
How can we better engage S&T communities?
GEOSS Science and Technology Service Suite? Providing services ...
S&T-focused Communities of Practice and global initiatives? Developing communities ...
Linkage to S&T programs (Future Earth, Research Data Alliance, DiscInNet, ...)
Good example: 2nd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop: EO support for MDGs
3rd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop:
Navigating Sustainability on a Changing Planet:
- The science: What are the indicators? What are the Essential Variables?
- The quantification: Are we observing the EVs needed to quantify the indicators?
4rd GEOSS S&T Stakeholder Workshop:
Concepts, Technologies, Systems and Users of the Next GEOSS:
- Future Design and Functionality of GEOSS
- Integration of New Technology for Data Collection, Management, Analysis And Distribution
- Integration of crowd-sourcing, Big Data, citizen scientists (“human sensor”)
- Transition from access to data to access to environmental intelligence

19. Linking S&T Communities to GEOSS: Focus on Sustainable Development Goals
1 Thriving lives and livelihoods
2 Sustainable food security
3 Secure sustainable water
4 Universal clean energy
5 Healthy and productive ecosystems
6 Governance for sustainable societies
ID-03:
What is the sustainability intelligence?
What Earth Observations are needed to gain the intelligence?
Linkage of ID-03 activities with the Future Earth Initiative
Linkage to Research Data Alliance: see