Four more
groups are joining The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) that has been working
for more than a decade to open access to earth observation data and
information, and increase awareness around their socioeconomic value.
The four
organizations include Conservation International (CI), Earthmind, Global Open Data for Agriculture and
Nutrition (GODAN) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Each
organization has now joined GEO as a Participating Organization, taking the
total number to 110 working internationally to advocate, engage and deliver on
open earth data.
The GEO
community has been building a Global Earth Observation System of Systems
(GEOSS) that links earth observation resources worldwide across multiple
societal benefit areas (SBAs).
These SBAs
range from biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability, disaster resilience,
energy and mineral resources management, food security, infrastructure and
transportation management to public health surveillance, sustainable urban
development and water resources management.
“CI
empowers societies across the globe to sustainably care for nature through
science and partnerships. We are excited to join the GEO community, which has
long recognized the power of collaboration in leveraging earth observation to
benefit humanity,” said
Daniel Juhn, senior director, Integrated Assessment and Planning Program at
Conservation International.
“We hope
this partnership exemplifies bringing together that science, the right
policies, necessary collaboration, and advanced technologies to generate the
solutions we need to tackle global sustainability challenges,” he said.
One of Earthmind’s main programs is to recognize conservation in the
areas where people live and work, so “we are most honoured and indeed excited
to join the GEO community,” said
Francis Vorhies, founder and executive director of Earthmind.
“In so doing, we hope to further encourage voluntary efforts to observe
how we managing our planet in order to take better care for it.”
“GEO, its members and the broad new set of
tools provided by geodata constitute a fantastic step forward in the quest to
help farmers from all corners of the world improve their yields and governments
to improve their policies to further stimulate agriculture in their respective
countries.,” said André Laperrière, executive director of the
GODAN Secretariat.
“This is why GODAN is very glad
to become part of GEO and to count the GEO partnership among the GODAN network.
We believe that this collaboration will be most fruitful for all parties
involved.”
"UNICEF has learned through experience that
problems that go unmeasured often go unsolved,” said Toby Wicks, data strategist
at UNICEF.
“We will work with the GEO community to link
the needs of the world's most vulnerable populations to a rapidly expanding set
of data informed solutions, including GEOSS.
This partnership signals an
effort to build a world in which a near real-time understanding of risks and
global challenges, particularly water resources management and disaster
resilience, allows us to work harder and faster, for children."
GEO’s
membership includes 104 nations and the European Commission and 110 participating
organizations comprised of international bodies making use of/or with a mandate
in earth observations.
GEO is headquartered in Switzerland.
