1. Igniting Conversations about GEO's Contributions to Societal Benefits
GEO Cold Region Initiative Information Service for Cold Regions
Yubao Qiu*, Hannele Savela** and GEOCRI Lead Group * Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth Chinese Academic of Sciences ** University of Oulu, Finland 7 Nov., St. Petersburg, Russia

2. Earth’s Cold Region

3. View From Northern Poles Frozen Water and Phase changing High Latitude
High Altitude
PEEX

4. Scientific and Societal Importance
Why GEO Cold Regions?
Scientific and Societal Importance
More than 100 countries around the world have cryospheric elements. These elements are a main source of fresh water.
Cold regions are the most ecologically and environmentally sensitive areas, and changes to these areas comprehensively affect the dynamic earth system, impacting many aspects of society in all parts of the world.
The cold regions of our planet influence our entire world's climate

5. Activates related to Earth Observations and GEOCRI by domain
Numbers for the activities arranged by Regions

6. Environmental and socio-political challenges
Specific Earth observation needs and requirements
Climate & Weather
Biodiversity & Ecosystems
International Relations & Cooperation
Sustainable Development, Indigenous Communities & Traditional Practices
Health
Agriculture, Fisheries, Hunting & Food
Water
Pollution & Environmental Protection
Hazards
Built Environment, Infrastructure & Transport
Energy
Mining & Fossil Fuels
Forestry
Shipping
Tourism

7. GEOCRI links to other SBAs
GECO
GEO-GNOME
Cold Region
GEO-DARMA
GEO Cold Regions focused on information services and Earth observations to provide societal benefits over a vast Cold Regions area including the North Pole, South Pole, Himalaya-Third Pole and Mountain areas
GEOCRI: within the Water Resources Management SBA  cross cutting (Whats happen in the pole doesn’t stay in the poles
Monitor Biodiversity + Ecosystem in cold region
Build DR for vulnerable regions and pop.
Inform better use of energy and mineral resources  improve sustainability, reduce impacts
Improve food security for CR pop. By collaborationg with GEOGLAM
Adress issues including infrastructure and transportation related to extrem temperature, permafrost, slope instability, …
Monitor health risks and reduce illness in cold region
Urban decision
Water ressource management
GEO-GNOME: Global Network for Observation and Information in Mountain Environments
CLIMATE: COPERNICUS ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING SERVICE (CAMS)
Regional GEOSS

8. Global Activities with Dimensions

9. An Information Service for Cold Regions (or GEO Cold Regions), exploiting the GEOSS information system, is needed to provide easy access to observations and environmental information products by users across the globe.

10. Example: An changing Arctic on the impact of environment
Permafrost exists in the Arctic (northern high latitudes)
Environmental
Resilience
Climate

11. Make Way for More Ships--and More Species Invasions
Example: The melting Arctic creates a new world of shipping and resource opportunities
Make Way for More Ships--and More Species Invasions
Energy Resources in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic: a new geopolitical arena

12. GEOCRI – GEO Cold Region Initiative
Aiming to coordinates global joint efforts for Earth observations and information services over a vast Cold Regions area including the North Pole, South Pole, High Latitude Ocean, Himalaya-Third Pole and Mountain Cold Regions.
The GEO Cold Region Initiative (GEOCRI) is an initiated initiative in GEO XII at Nov. 2015, listed at GI-11: GEOCR imitative.
The AOS summit featured the GEO Cold Region Initiative (GEOCRI) that aims to identify, address and fill observational gaps and improve networks through coordinated observation practices and information services worldwide. See the Statement on the GEO Cold Region Initiative(GEOCRI).

13. GEOCRI – GEO Cold Region Initiative
Aiming to share the vision of GEO to address the global environmental change, and its resulting impacts and challenges on all aspects of society, an Information Service for Cold Regions was established to broaden and share Earth observations for societal benefits, and inform the decision makers, through strengthening coordination with diverse communities, engagement and collaboration of stakeholders including decision makers and etc..
Scope - Global Cold Regions: Including the Arctic, Antarctic, Himalaya-Third Pole, high-latitude oceans and high-mountain cold region areas
GEO Cold Regions Initiative > recommended to GEO WP , which is the legacy of Information Service for Cold Regions in Water SBA.

14. Mandate - Focus on Global Cold Regions
GEOCRI is well aligned with the GEO mission and strategic objectives with its contribution and support to international processes underway, including the UN SDG, UNFCCC, UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and its UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Example 1: Europe - ESA’s activities turning to the Polar regions – economy, climate change, geo-political strategy and etc..
Example 2: White House Arctic Science Ministerial, Sept 28, 2016
Focus areas: Strengthening and Integrating Arctic Observations and Data Sharing and Applying Expanded Scientific Understanding of the Arctic to Build Regional Resilience and Shape Global Responses
Example 3: SAON – Sustained Arctic Observing Networks, initiated by Arctic Council and IASC in 2011 Ministerial Meeting
Example 4: IPPI/IASC, IACS/IUCN, ECPHORS/WMO
To meet emerging, and unarticulated policy needs.
This is also very important for GEOCRI’s earth’s cold regions concern…. For example, … Rio+20, that will benefit from these global….convening actions.

15. GEOCRI Mission and Objectives
Mission: Develop a user-driven approach for Cold Regions information services to complement the mainly current science-driven effort, and foster the collaboration for improved earth observations and information on a global scale.
Objectives
Integrating, Brokering and Promoting Earth Observations over Earth Cold Regions
Advocating and Practicing Data Sharing
Building Community Portal and Services
Strengthening Capacity building and Partnerships

16. GEOCRI Task and Implentation Plan
Tasks:
Infrastructures
Monitoring Network and Data
Integrating in situ and Remote Sensing Observations
User Engagement and Communication
Capacity Buidling and Knowledge Transfer
Management and Monitoring
Hierarchy structure of the activities
6 tasks:
Support SAON in maintain an inventory of existing cold region EO initiative (programme, projects, organizations, network, system…)
Leverage GEO’s international position to align other activities with artic Observing System efforts and SAON (GCW, INTERACT)
Support observing system networks

17. GEO Cold Regions participations Organisations/Projects
Countries
Canada
China
Finland
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Organisations/Projects
CAFF CBMP: Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna - Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program
CCIN: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network – Polar Data Catalogue
CliC: Climate and Cryosphere
CryoClim Cryosphere Climate Monitoring Service
ICIMOD: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
INTERACT: International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic
PEEX: Pan-Eurasian Experiment
SAON: Sustaining Arctic Observing Network
SIOS: Svalbard Integrated Earth Observing System
SwissEx: Swiss Experiment Platform
TPE: Third Pole Environment
WMO GCW: Global Cryosphere Watch
WMO WWRP PPP/YOPP

18. More from GEOCRI Event at GEOXIII
Invite you join GEOCRI events
8th November
Reinforcing the development and implementation of the GEO Cold Regions Initiative
Ten Presentations and Discussion
Side Event, GEO-XIII Plenary, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Tuesday 8th November, 09:00-12:00, Room Green 5

19. Invite you join GEOCRI events
More from GEOCRI Event at GEOXIII
Invite you join GEOCRI events
GEO –XIII Plenary Panel Sessions
Session 2 – Advancing the Vision of GEO
Moderator: Dominique Marbouty – France
Panelists:
GEOGLAM,  Sergey Bartalev, Russian Federation
GEO Cold Regions, Hannele Savela, Finland
GEO CARBON and GHG Initiative: Stephen Briggs, UK
EO4EA: John Matuszak, USA 
GEO and SDGs: Lawrence Friedl, USA
9th November

20. Questions and Suggestions Yubao Qiu: qiuyb@radi.ac.cn
Thank you!
Questions and Suggestions
Contact:
Yubao Qiu:
Hannele.Savela: