1. IGWCO CoP and “Cross-over Issues”
Richard (Rick) Lawford
Morgan State University/ NASA
November 13, 2018 Delft, Netherlands

2. Mission / Objectives and Goals
IGWCO CoP
Mission / Objectives and Goals
Mission
The IGWCO CoP undertakes or contributes to GEO studies involving innovative approaches to data collection and the application of Earth observations to decision making in the water sector.
Goals:
To expand the range of data, data products and services available through GEO to water managers.
To provide advice on synergies among GEO water activities and with other SBAs to advance GEO.
To undertake exploratory studies and reviews to assess the adequacy of current activities and the feasibility of exploring new opportunities, technologies and program relationships.
To track the implementation of the GEOSS Water Strategy recommendations.

3. Who are the members of the GEO IGWCO
Community of Practice?
People who share a concern, a set of problems, and a passion about using water data for better decision-making and interact on an ongoing basis (~145 members)
They include:
- Users who benefit from Water Cycle Research and interact with the water cycle community.
The community which has stimulated the development of a number of GEO Water activities.
- Regional water cycle initiatives that have large
communities (AWCI, AmeriGEOSS).
Specific efforts related to Capacity Building for water
resources management.

4. In 2008, the IGWCO became the IGWCO Community
of Practice within the GEO framework

5. The GEO Water Task (until 2015)
Subtasks in the GEO Work Plan (WA-01)
Integrated Water-cycle Information Products and Services (Precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, runoff and terrestrial water store)
Information Systems for Hydrometeorological Extremes (GDEWS, Drought Impacts, Floods)
3 Cold Region Information Services
Global Water Quality Information Products and Services (Remote Sensing, Sediments, UNEP GEMS)
Data System Development, Implementation and Capacity Building (CIEHLYC, AWCI, AfWCCI, IEEE Pilots)
Target: By 2015, produce comprehensive sets of data and information products to support decision-making for efficient management of the world's water resources, based on coordinated, sustained observations of the water cycle on multiple scales.

6. GEO Water in the era of GEOSS Implementation Plan 2
Water Initiatives and Community Activities: GEO Work Plan
GEOGLOWS
GDIS
GEOCRI
Aquawatch
DIAS
Community Activities: EO4WEF, others
IGWCO CoP role focused on the provision of advice, and links with outside activities and program reporting but on an informal basis
Overall goal from GEO Perspective: To develop GEOGLOWS into an overarching coordinating body for GEO Water activities. GEOGLOWS has proceeded as a group of projects which gives attention to building linkages with other initiatives and activities.

7. IGOS Water Theme report
: IGWCO held three regional workshops and published the GEOSS Water Strategy
The GEOSS Water Strategy renewed the observational component of the water community’s efforts to communicate its needs within the framework of GEOSS.
Working with other initiatives and organizations GEOGLOWS will implement the GEOSS water strategy recommendations.
GEO Water Strategy
The report recommendations dealt with:
Enhancing user engagement (8)
Expanding data acquisition strategies (3)
Advancing satellite data acquisition (10)
Strengthening in-situ data acquisition (10)
Encourage/conduct research and product dev. (16)
Facilitating data sharing and common standards (7)
Expanding capacity development (4)
IGOS Water Theme report
April 2004
GEOSS 10 Year
Implementation Plan
February 2005
GEOSS Water Strategy
January 2014

8. Supplemental EWVs (Apply to Water and other SBAs)
The Provisional Essential Water Variables
Primary EWVs
Supplemental EWVs (Apply to Water and other SBAs)
Precipitation
Surface meteorology
Evaporation and evapotranspiration
Surface radiation budgets
Snow cover (including snow water equivalent, depth, freeze thaw margins)
Clouds
Soil moisture/temperature
Permafrost
Groundwater
Land cover, vegetation and land use
Runoff/streamflow/river discharge
Elevation/topography
Lakes/reservoir levels and aquifer volumetric change
Atmospheric radiation budgets
Glaciers/ice sheets
Geological stratification
Water quality
Aerosols
Water use/demand (agriculture, hydrology, energy, urbanization)

9. Other key implementers have included GEOGLOWS and GTN-H
Tracking Contributions to the Implementation of the GEOSS Water Strategy
CEOS developed two major studies in response to the GEOSS Water Strategy and is now exploring mechanisms for coordinating aspects of implementing water activities.
GEOSS Water Strategy
CEOS Response
CEOS Water
Constellation FS
October 2016
CEOS Feasibility Study for an Aquatic Ecosystem Earth Observing System (2018)
GEOSS Water
Strategy
January 2014
CEOS Water
Strategy
October 2015
Kyoto CEOS Plenary last year decided one year extention of the WSIST to implement the CEOS water strategy actions including the water constellation FS.
Other key implementers have included GEOGLOWS and GTN-H

10. GEOGLOWS ACTIONS TO ADDRESS RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE GEOSS WATER STRATEGY REPORT  
A.2. GEO Water should develop and launch a continuous process to identify, articulate, and further refine user needs in the various water communities from the local scale to the global scale.
B.3. The Global Climate Observing System’s participants should be invited to undertake a joint study with GEO to assess the current prioritization of observational and modelling efforts for water cycle variables as part of its support to the UNFCCC.
D.1. In-situ observational networks should be strengthened to ensure that the required data are collected and made freely available to the international community. GEO and WMO members should both engage in assessing gaps in their national networks and develop a plan for addressing those gaps.
GEOGLOWS Plan: GEOGLOWS is coordinating a review of Essential Water Variables which will be the first step in addressing the need for an on-going process to identify, articulate, and further refine user needs in the various water communities . The review of EWVs will involve consultations with the various user communities, with a special emphasis on the SDGs and the Sendai Framework needs. It will also take advantage of the work that has already been done by WMO related to in-situ data. Through collaborations with GCOS this activity will also benefit from the work on the water-related ECVs.

11. Recommendation: A.7. GEO members should support the development of water cycle solutions integration in order to meet the needs of water resource managers and other end-users by translating water cycle observations into actionable products. Mapping Crop Water Requirements to Assist Growers in Optimizing Water Use
GEOGLOWS NASA affiliates have been producing actionable products for California that could be generalized to other regions.
Landsat 8
Sentinel-2A
California’s agricultural sector produced $54b In 2014
NASA SIMS web and mobile data services puts irrigation demand across 8 million acres of farm land directly into the hands of farmers and water managers
Students work hand in hand with growers to assess the accuracy of the satellite estimates and quantify benefits
Forrest Melton, NASA ARC,

12. Recommendations:
G.4 GEO Water and the IGWCO COP should undertake a feasibility study to determine how Earth observations can be integrated with other data types to produce a system for monitoring water use.
B.1. An integrated monitoring system should be developed to track consumptive and non-consumptive water use and its changes using satellite and in-situ observations along with models that relate water use to land cover and demographic information.
GEOGLOWS Plan:
GEOGLOWS will work toward developing a routine method for estimating water use (with USGS, NASA, etc.) to monitor water use trends and water efficiency monitoring (SDG 6.4). USGS experience will be included along with NASA applications projects in developing this system (Lead: TBD).

13. Building a Supply Chain for Delivery of Advisory Services related to Water and Water Management
PLAN
SOURCE
PROCESSING INTO PRODUCTS
TESTING AND VALIDATION
OPERATIONAL DELIVERY
Water Advisory Services
Earth
Obs.
IMPLEMENT
SUSTAIN
Service Providers

14. Building a Supply Chain for Delivery of Advisory Services related to Water and Water Management
PLAN
SOURCE
PROCESSING INTO PRODUCTS
TESTING AND VALIDATION
OPERATIONAL DELIVERY
Water Advisory Services
Earth
Obs.
IMPLEMENT
SUSTAIN
Data Acquisition and Provision

15. Building a Supply Chain for Delivery of Advisory Services related to Water and Water Management
PLAN
SOURCE
PROCESSING INTO PRODUCTS
TESTING AND VALIDATION
OPERATIONAL DELIVERY
Water Advisory Services
Earth
Obs.
IMPLEMENT
SUSTAIN
Product and service developers

16. Links between satellite and in-situ communities are not strong (except for water levels)
Coherence among major players (GEO, WMO, CEOS) is difficult to achieve
Product and Service Developers
Data Acquisition and Provision
Service Providers
Satellite Data:
Space Agencies
In-situ Data:
National government agencies: Hydromet., Environment, etc.
Coordination
CEOS, WMO, UNEP. GEO
Citizen Data: Google?
Research Groups:
Space Agencies, National Research Foundations, Space Agencies. Service Providers
International:
UN Water (WMO/WCRP, UNESCO, UNEP, etc)
GEO
Academia
Operational Services:
National HM Services.
International organizations:
WNO, FAO, WWF
Consultants:
No body to develop and represent modeling communities
With the exception of local co-designed Initiatives, and those led by NWSs, the transfer to operations is not very successful (continuity, etc).
If we want to get a initiative approved it helps immensely if it is supportive of something being discussed or planned by one or more space agencies
Some of the difficulties in this chain arise from the interactions among the principals

17. metadata hub knowledge hub
Changes to GEO that may affect the IGWCO CoP Role and GEO Water
(a biased view)
A new Director with an adjusted vision of GEOSS.
metadata hub
knowledge hub
Trusted, reproducible, and robust guidance on best use of Earth observation data for decision-making.
Gilberto Camara
(New emphasis on peer review)
Other possible adjustments:
1) Stronger emphasis on open access to data and open source code for data systems (e.g. NextGEOSS)
2) Search for new ways of financing data collection and provision to all users free of charge at their point of access.

18. Vision of what the global EO community needs
Empowered global experts
Reusable, shared knowledge
Cloud architectures
APIs
APIs
In-situ observations
Multi- satellite data

19. 3. Societal Benefit Creation Integrated Risk Assessment
Platform on Water Resilience and Disasters
Can platforms like this be used by CEOS to provide links with end users?
3. Societal Benefit Creation
Policy-making
Community of Practice
future
present
past
Transdisciplinary
Climate Change
Prediction
Monitoring
2. Model Development
Societal Change
(land use , population)
Capacity Building
Identification
Integrated Risk Assessment
Interdisciplinary
Damage
Hazard
Socio-
Economic
1. Data Archiving
International Cooperation

20. and Regional Initiatives
Global Data Products, Capacity Building, etc.
Validation Data, Regional projects, Regional Expertise
and Regional Initiatives
GEOGLOWS brings diverse regional water projects into a global framework
for improving water sustainability
EuroGEOSS (Europe)
GEOGLOWS and the harmonization of GEO Water Activities
Will any of these adjustments in GEO have an impact on CEOS water activities and strategy(ies)?

21. Linkages between SDG 6 (water)
and other SDGs
Dedicated Water Goal
Directly Related
Indirectly Related

22. Cross-over Issue: What agency will be the custodian for EWVs?
Other Players:
New Emphasis on In-situ Data (with discussion of Citizen Data)
Mission
GTN-H supports scientific advance and operational applications with regard to climate variability and change as well as water resources assessment and management.
Objectives
We support current and emerging technologies and standards, best practices and available infrastructure and develop integrated global and regional data products.
Goal
We generate data products from GCOS Essential Climate Varibales (ECVs) and GEO Essential Water Variables (EWVs)
Cross-over Issue: What agency will be the custodian for EWVs?

23. Cross-cutting Questions/ Lessons:
Can we effectively bring water quality and water quantity capabilities together to produce an integrated water service/perspective?
How can we use in-situ and satellite data to produce integrated products for water variables. Is the method the same for Water Quality variables as for Water Quantity variables?
3) What process should we use to determine user needs for EWVs? How often should these needs be reviewed?
4) Several research programs (WCRP/GEWEX, SWFP) are producing results and products which should be of interest to GEO Water community.
5) Within GEO and the SDG activities, water links with many other disciplines have been defined. How can CEOS incorporate these links?
6) Who will develop the contributions of citizen science, drones, big data to monitoring water?

24. Process Questions/ Lessons:
Can we effectively integrate across CEOS and GEO with a more coordinated fashion. It will help if CEOS develops its own mechanism and GEO develops a single focus?
2) What should be the scope of the CEOS strategy?
3) What contributions can GEO make to the CEOS water strategy (without bringing in their own internal debates)?

25. Thank you for listening