1. GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) The GEOSS Common Infrastructure allows Earth Observations users to search, access and use the data, information, tools and services available through GEOSS. It consists of the following main elements: GEO Web Portal (GWP): web interface to search and access GEOSS Component and Service Registry (CSR): contains information on all resources provided as contribution to GEOSS by Member States and Participating Organizations Discovery and Access Broker (DAB): allows discovery and brokered access via the GWP to heterogeneous resources from different catalogues Clearinghouse (CH): connects to GEOSS resources registered in the CSR and harvests remote catalogs Standards and Interoperability Registry (SIR): contains information on Standards and interoperability arrangements implemented in GEO Best Practices Wiki (BPW): contains information on EO best practices User Requirement Registry (URR): contains data-oriented user requirements Semantic Registry (SR): contains semantic information to support user search Interfacing with: EO Inventory Clients (CWIC, GENESI-DEC, etc.) Pledged catalogs of descriptive metadata Pledged data download and service endpoints

2. GEOSS Current Architecture Agency Services and SW Applications: Web services, Applications. Community Portals Official Data Catalogs Centralized EO Inventory Clients GENESI*, CWIC*, FedEO* Component & Service Registry (CSR) Clearinghouse (Catalog) GEOSS Common Infrastructure GEO Web Portal GEOSS User Access Register Resources Providers Discovery and Access Broker* (DAB) GEOSS Registries: Standards & Interoperability User Requirements Best Practices Wiki Semantic Member and PO Resources harvest metadata links to real-time search

3. GEOSS Infrastructure interactions Services: Catalog, Access, Processing EO Data Software Applications: Web, PC, Mobile Discovery and Access Broker (DAB) GEOSS Registration Service (CSR) GEOSS Registration Service (CSR) Standards and Interoperability Registry Best Practices Wiki Best Practices Wiki Clearinghouse Semantic Registry GEO Web Portal Service Monitoring User Requirements Registry searches presents results monitors augments query Search & access to catalogs index metadata for is a type of searches catalogs harvests catalogs informs results regarding quality of service links to register with references standards in shares metadata reference s act on searches accesses API UI CWIC GENESI-DEC, HMA ….. NSIDC inventory of

4. GCI Usability Issues Comprehensive content: Cannot document the percentage of coverage within GEOSS. Always need more resources to be committed Registered services: All catalogs should be registered into CSR as a base to be used elsewhere (by DAB) Service quality: Service Status Checker must be integrated to probe Web Services and links regularly Consistency of inventory search: Multiple UI are presented to user for deep inventory search; not all inventories are searchable via GWP/DAB Search behavior: Search must return what is expected, ranking of results must be meaningful Helping users use data: Helper applications should be linked to data and services!

5. Challenges How should license and user management be enabled or coordinated in the GCI? What types of semantic information should be managed in GCI? Where? Should standard Community portals be established for every SBA to interact with the GCI and “Best Of”? How would mobile clients and enabler applications interact with the other GCI components? How would content quality information be tracked and made available through the GCI?