GMES users – Advices for GEO

Herbert Haubold Michael Nyenhuis

ISRSE Workshop: Building a User-Driven GEOSS: Methods to Capture, Analyse and Prioritize User Needs, Sydney, 10th Apr 2011

Contents

• GMES in a nutshell

• Users in GMES

• Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

GMES in a nutshell

• GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a programmatic framework to establish a European Earth observation capacity

• An end user-focused programme of services for environment and security

• Joined-up information for policy-makers, scientists, businesses and the public

• Europe’s response to the global need for environment and climate monitoring

• Main focus so far on space observations, but the European Environment Agency (EEA) is currently tasked with coordinating the in-situ observation component of GMES

GMES in a nutshell

• GMES aims at developing operational services, following the example of meteorology, but for other domains such as:– emergency management – air quality monitoring – land monitoring– ocean and sea ice monitoring

Sea surface temperature

Sea level

Source: myocean website

UV Radiation

Surface CO2Source: macc website

Relation of GMES to GEOSS

• GEO/GEOSS mentioned in EC GMES policy documents– GMES to be the main European contribution to GEOSS – GEO data sharing principles as a driver, among others, for GMES

data policy – GEOSS to be an important element of a GMES „international

cooperation strategy“

• Some GMES projects are registered as GEO resources, but details on the links still need to be developed

• GMES is a prime framework in which to realize a strategic European GEO approach

GMES User Federations

• User Federations established in most of the first and second GMES phase projects

• Objectives– Involve users in service configuration– Consolidation of users– Building user awareness

• Tasks– Collect & analyze user needs and

feedback– Harmonize user requirements– Foster networking with other user

groups

• Limitations– User federations only within the frame

of projects– Since projects were often led by

service providers, user federations did not have an adequate frame to articulate the users’ views

GMES Network of Users (GNU)

• The GMES Network of Users (GNU) is a coordination and support action under the 6th EU Framework Programme

• Oct 2007 – Sep 2010• Around 22 consortium members (major players in EU

environmental monitoring)• GNU does not relate to a particular topic, but addresses the

cross-cutting issues of GMES.

GMES Network of Users (GNU)

• Motivation / goals:– Less fragmented environmental GMES user

communities

– Independent and unfiltered user statements

– A mouthpiece for the views of GMES users of national/regional (i.e. subsidiary) level

– Aggregated and differentiated users' appraisals of GMES products

– Investigate and improve user-provider relations to enable efficient communication

The GMES User Forum

• The recent GMES Regulation (Sept 2010) contemplates :– A GMES Committee– A User Forum as the dedicated body to advise the EC on:

• The definition and validation of user requirements• Coordination of the GMES programme with public

sector users

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

GMES users: Lessons learnt & advices for GEO

The following largely builds on the results of the GNU project – credits to the whole GNU consortium !

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

1. Data integration– GMES users are not only interested in the data source,

but mostly in useful data sets– Integrated products using complementary data from

different sources (in-situ; satellite; statistics; models) are required

GEO as an opportunity to achieve coordination of multiple data sources and to develop integrated products (cross-cutting aspect of GEO & concept of Societal Benefit Areas)

2. Data access– The easy access to data proved to be critical for the

uptake of GMES services/products by users The GEO Portal is not only the front-end of GEOSS but

also a unique selling point of GEOSS The Portal needs to serve the expectations that are

raised by GEO

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

3. User involvement– Top-down approach (‘service providers’ users) has

been followed largely – The GMES User Forum, with public sector users

appointed by MS is an important step towards a more coherent approach to involve users in service/product development

– A clear need for user support, e.g. training, awareness raising, showcasing and dissemination finally became clear within GMES

GEO follows both: a top-down and a bottom-up approach

A coherent, participatory user engagement process needs to be developed for GEO (if not yet there) and communicated in detail Users to be involved in service design and validation E.g. key users represented on UIC and other bodies Influence of users on the development of GEOSS

needs to be demonstrated

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

4. Transparency– GMES was/is caught in its complex structure (politics;

funding; data access rights) GEO shows similar degree of complexity GEO needs to be very explicit in communicating its

objectives and working practices and penetrate more the national communities

5. Needs vs. requirements– Difference between those terms is important: needs

relate to what users need to do their work; requirements are the technological expression of needs

Users need to be asked for user needs that have to be translated into requirements

Differences in the used terminology need to be taken into account

Lessons learnt / Advices for GEO

6. Beyond users and providers– In GMES, role of users and providers increasingly

overlapping (value chain consideration) Similar situation within GEO, esp. regarding bigger

organizations (intermediate users) Addressing both providers and users may facilitate

‘user’ engagement Need to mainstream GMES and GEOSS data sets in

enabling monitoring and reporting systems and show users real gains through improvement of their work, practical applicability and reliability