WGISS - GEO Way ForwardIssue 1.0

Ivan Petiteville

WGISS-24, DLR OberpfaffenhofenThursday Sep. 18, 2007

Background (1/3)• Since 2 years, new orientation of CEOS: main

activities focused on the support to GEO

• CEOS goal: support GEO in coordinating all the space activities related to GEOSS

• For the 1st time in CEOS history, CEOS requests the active support of its 3 WGs on identified GEO Tasks (from GEO 2006 WP, & GEO 2007-2009 WP)

Background (2/3)• Yearly agreement between the CEOS SIT

represented by CEOS Executive Officer (CEO) and GEO Secretariat on the GEO tasks:– CEOS Lead & POC– CEOS Lead– CEOS Contributing

• For the first two years, WGISS has amended / refined that list with CEOS SIT agreement, given its expertise, interests of its members, resources available.

• Some GEO Tasks have been suppressed, some others have been added. CEOS informed.

Background (3/3)• In addition, WGISS has taken some measure:

– Structure: • nomination of a GEO Coordinator (role allocated to the

Vice-Chair)• Nomination of WGISS Points of Contacts to interface the

GEO Tasks where WGISS is engaged

– Process:• Refocus activities of Subgroups, Task Teams and

Project Teams on well identified GEO activities• Updated the WGISS 5-year plan to give some rules for

the definitions of the TTs’ objectives and for the creation of new TTs / Projects.

• Close monitoring of WGISS Contribution • Close coordination with CEOS SIT team. Regular

reporting from WGISS to CEOS

Current status• 14 GEO tasks supported at various level• WGISS Contribution praised by GEO Director

during last CEOS Plenary (Nov. 06)• About 1/3 of GEOSS components are registered

as CEOS ones.

• After two years of support to GEO, the overall WGISS contribution is rather satisfactory given the lack of resources.

• As raised a few times during WGISS-24, there are certainly still areas for improvement. Some lessons learned may be drawn after those 2 years

Way Forward (1/2)

• Initiate a thinking process to improve both the WGISS structure & working process taking into account:– the agreements between CEOS SIT and GEO

Secretariat– the resources available today versus the

resources that would be needed– the interests of the WGISS participants /

agencies

Way Forward (2/2)

• Thinking process requires:– Good knowledge of GEO and CEOS SIT– Good knowledge of WGISS capabilities,

experience and resources– Small team to arrive quickly to useful

conclusions and recommendations (e.g. at next WGISS-25)

Strategy Team Composition

• Team Leader: – Martha as incoming Chair

• Members:– 2 Subgroup Chairs– 1 representative of Technology Teams (e.g. Lyn)– 1 representative of Projects Teams (e.g. Wyn )– 1 member of current CEOS SIT Team (Ivan)– 1 member of future CEOS SIT Team (Ken)