Initiatives and Activities

Domestic

Soil Moisture Working Group

• Soil moisture contributes to improved environment and health through the assessment and prediction of drought, flood and wildfire risks which result in economic and environmental benefits and a reduction in disaster impacts.
• The Way Forward to Soil Moisture Monitoring in Canada is being developed to identify opportunities for better collaboration and to provide specific recommendations as to how the goal for improved soil moisture monitoring might be achieved.

Data Policy

• The Canadian GEO Secretariat is in the process of establishing a Data Policy Working Group to effectively manage the draft reports, guidelines, requests and proposals from international GEO.

International

GEOSS in the Americas (GITA)

• GEOSS in the Americas is a U.S.-inspired initiative with a goal to support and help focus GEO and GEOSS interests and activities at a regional level. It is intended to increase the understanding of GEO and GEOSS in the Americas, raise awareness of existing activities, improve the utilization of EO by strengthening partnerships and advancing the dialogue.
• Canada has supported the concept of GITA as an umbrella framework to highlight and expand collaborative efforts, identify new opportunities and strengthen and expand formal participation by Latin American and Caribbean countries in GEO. Canada has actively co-chaired most activities with the U.S.

GEONETCast

• The Canadian GEO Secretariat participates in the Coordination Group along with the United States and several South American and Central American countries.
• GEONETCast is a global, near-real time, environmental data dissemination system, developed in support of the GEOSS and is the Western Hemisphere component of the global system.
• The purpose of GEONETCast is to serve as a forum for regional partners to provide advice and coordinated input on data flow.