1. Overview of meeting JT

2. Preamble At a strange time – almost a hiatus.  Few are using new instruments But old instruments such as MODIS still giving us surprises.  New data sources will take some time.  Beginning to get ready (but data will not flow until after today’s starting graduate students have graduated). Three sets of parallel meetings  Plenary meetings stressing strategic and programmatic issues (context is important)  Poster sessions concerned with a variety of individual research and applications projects.  Planning and organizational side meetings – international and national (LPV, GOFC biomass, VIIRS val., MODIS ST, Phenology)

3. Posters A lot of research using multiple instruments – MODIS plus  TRMM  AMSR  Hyperion  MISR Some preparatory activities for future missions  HyspIRI  SMAP Relatively few posters on improving ground instrumentation.  PAR@METER for PAR and LAI. Increased efforts to deal with scaling Development of quasi-operational products for user agencies.

4. What was in short supply at the meeting? Explicit consideration of direct human impacts.  Looks as though humans do not exist.  Failure to link our work to humans ultimately undermines us. Data assimilation and reanalysis.  Encourage agencies to fund land data assimilation and its use Use of RADAR (a continuing disconnect).  Need better acquisition strategies  Need improved access. Research, applications and products for non-climate environmental agreements  Convention on Biodiversity  World Heritage Convention  Convention to Combat Desertification.  Ramsar (Migratory Birds).

5. Learning how do better with existing instruments Using MODIS to improve the AVHRR Record. Different MODIS Collections and their impact on results.  Inappropriate use of quality flags in data selection  Differences in collections may affect scientific conclusions.  Learning how to do periodic reprocessing  Not too early to think about VIIRS reprocessing MODISizing Landsat. Improving GPP/NPP/NEP  Improved understanding of veg. functioning (Waring)  PRI from MERIS Need better sampling of Earth’s surface in terms of analysis and experiments  E.g. Savannas.

6. Plenary strategic issues. Climate and impacts Are we ready to make definitive statements about supplying operational capabilities e.g. for REDD?  Running’s Brown Trousers issue. Higher resolution more frequent images needed.  More and cheaper satellites? Validation  Growing interdependence of in situ networks and remote sensing systems especially Fluxnet (NEON in the future) – but both communities will need to be proactive re. validation needs  Motto of UM is Lux et Veritas.  Validation is as misleading a term as ground truth We are usually not interested in binary assessments (though note fires) We are usually interested in accuracy estimation, evaluation and assessment for specific uses.  Importance of sharing validation data

7. Plenary strategic issues. ECVs importance.  Many ECVs need tighter specifications.  Not obvious how we get these changed? (Is anyone here on TOPC?)  No clear international mechanism for evaluation of ECV quality.  Evaluation has to be independent of agency generating the data. Improving access to data  Importance of data policy in gaining access to most satellite data Threatens to undermine the whole of GEOSS.  Importance of standard user-friendly formats and delivery mechanisms. Would save resources and make data more easily used by other communities such as natural resource managers. Major concerns about data continuity. Recognition of the importance of HYSPIRI, DESDYNI and SMAP for monitoring Global Vegetation

8. Organizational issues Some very valuable organizational structures are in decline:  MODIS Science Team MODIS seems to be of less concern to HQ.  GTOS’s subsidiary bodies continue to function especially GOFC-GOLD, but the core organization is on life-support Lack of representation of this community on some key committees (e.g. TOPC and GCOS) Lack of international oversight of implementation of ECVs. CEOS through its WGCV LPV remains key. Replace ‘research to operations’ with ‘research and operations.’  Note that source of funding usually different for research and operations. Stronger international cooperation is needed.  Involvement in GEO is a major effort – GEO will only be as good as we make it – community effort needed – US Govt appears to be giving the program more attention. Rapid development of a GEO Agricultural System of Systems through their Agricultural Community of Practice.

9. Recommendations/Findings To Policy Makers 0. What can we do – forest cover change, sources and sinks. Will need improved international coordination and resources. To Space Agencies/CEOS and GEO 1. Welcome the growing commitment of space agencies to create key climate records (e.g. ECVs) such as changes in forest carbon and urge further commitments. 2. Recommend that space agencies ensure there are sufficient resources for “validation” of products especially those forming key climate records (e.g. ECVs). 3. Recommend that there is internationally coordinated assessment of ECVs independent of the agencies producing them. 4. Recommend that GEO strongly encourage a data policy leading to free and open access of remotely sensed data.  As users representing a wide range of scientific and application areas we are seriously concerned that without the development of such a common data policy the goals of GEOSS will be seriously compromised. 5a. Increase use of data through actions such as improved global acquisition strategies, delivery of products with standard user-friendly formats and tilings by all agencies. 5b Need a coordinated integrated infrastructure from observations, to delivery, and modelling.

10. Recommendations/Findings To NASA: 6. Recognition of the high importance of DESDYNI, HYSPERI and SMAP for monitoring/understanding the terrestrial environment and in particular the carbon cycle and hence climate change and its impacts and in verification (must be expanded for each instrument). 7. Vital importance of NASA’s involvement in Landsat and MODIS for monitoring the carbon cycle and as key climate sensors. NASA’s involvement in their continuity is needed. To DOI/USGS: 8. Everything needs to be done to ensure the long term funding of the Landsat/National Land Imaging program. Immediate concern for securing funds for Landsat 9. To GCOS/GTOS 9. Specifications of ECVs need considerable tightening. To ourselves: 10. Improve our representation/impact of our community on key international committees e.g. TOPC. 11. Sharing of validation data should be encouraged and driven by those collecting the data.