Mexico City, 13 November, 2015 – GEO Commits to unleash the power of open data to address global challenges
The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) concluded its
twelfth Plenary session and fourth Ministerial Summit in Mexico City
with commitments to share data on Earth observations at a time of
exponential data growth, human development and climate change.
Hosted by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI),
the week-long conference was attend by more than 400 delegates from 41
GEO governments and 39 partner organizations, and included Ministers
of Environment, Science and Natural Resources.
Major achievements include the adoption of a ten year Strategic Plan
(2016 – 2025) and a Ministerial Declaration that focuses on harnessing
critical environmental observations to enable leaders to make
better-informed decisions for the benefit of humanity at a time of
rapid global change.
Against the backdrop of the recent adoption of the UN Global Goals for
Sustainable Development and an anticipated global agreement on climate
change, GEO launched several bold, new initiatives, including:
– A global Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), including
an Arctic to Antarctic network linking coastal observing centers in
the Americas to measure species distribution and habitat;
– AmeriGEOSS, a regional programme to share Earth observation data for
agriculture; disaster risk reduction; water; and biodiversity and
ecosystem monitoring;
– A new initiative to integrate Earth observations into national plans
to attain the Global Goals for Sustainable Development; and
– Renewal of GEONETCast, an initiative of China, Europe and the United
States to provide critical Earth observation data to developing
countries.
Eduardo Sojo, President of INEGI said, “This is a unique event for
Mexico to talk about the environmental politics of the world. We are
pleased to be participating in GEO activities that will provide
significant benefit to Mexico and the Latin America/Caribbean region.”
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said, “As we near the historic
Paris climate talks, it’s clear open data and international
collaboration are key to countries moving the needle on climate
change. We can and should share Earth observation data to help address
climate challenges because science and open data are critical to
understanding land, water, wildlife & climate change. They must be at
the heart of every policy decision – no country can solve it alone.”
European Commissioner Carlos Moedas said, “We have reached a
tipping-point where GEO has to move its focus towards successful
societal delivery. We should not underestimate this formidable
challenge. The European Union, through its Horizon 2020 and Copernicus
programmes will continue to be a driving force to help GEOSS reach its
full maturity – a GEOSS which is designed for and accessible by all
contributors and all users.”
South Africa´s Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor,
said, “Our responsibility is to ensure the targets of the Global Goals
for Sustainable Development are met. We should not take science for
granted. We need to provide adequate funding for scientific research
and global collaboration.”
China´s Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jianlin Cao, said,
“We promote open access to data, knowledge and information. Data
sharing is key for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems
(GEOSS). As Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific region, we will implement
more activities to enforce GEO cooperation with other countries, such
as capacity-building, data sharing, eco-environment, disaster
monitoring and climate change observing.”
GEO welcomes new Members Ecuador, Kenya, Somalia, Viet Nam and
Zimbabwe, bringing the number to 100 nations; five new Participating
Organizations: the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea
Against Pollution (BSC), International Research Center on El Niño
(CIIFEN), Future Earth, Research Data Alliance (RDA) and The World
Bank (IBRD/IDA); and four new Observers: European Severe Storms
Laboratory (ESSL), Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and
Technologies (ISNET), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) and the UN Initiative on Global Geospatial
Information Management (UN-GGIM).
The Thirteenth GEO Plenary will be held in St Petersburg, Russia in
November 2016.
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is comprised
of 100 Member states, including the European Commission, and 92
Participating Organizations. GEO strives to improve the world’s
observation systems and provide policy makers and scientists with
accurate and useful data that can be used to make informed decisions.
GEO’s primary focus is to develop a Global Earth Observation System of
Systems (GEOSS) to enhance the ability of end-users to discover and
access Earth observation data and convert it to useable and useful
information.
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI)
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) is an
autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate
the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information of the
Country. It was created in 1983. The institution conducts national
censuses and performs statistical analysis.