Canadian Group on Earth Observations
www.cgeo-gcot.gc.ca
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Societal Benefit Areas
The Global Earth Observation System of Systems is simultaneously addressing nine areas of critical importance to people and society. It aims to empower the international community to protect itself against natural and human-induced disasters, understand the environmental sources of health hazards, manage energy resources, respond to climate change and its impacts, safeguard water resources, improve weather forecasts, manage ecosystems, promote sustainable agriculture and conserve biodiversity. GEOSS coordinates a multitude of complex and interrelated issues simultaneously. This cross-cutting approach avoids unnecessary duplication, encourages synergies between systems and ensures substantial economic, societal and environmental benefits.
Disaster
Reducing loss of life and property from natural disasters and human-induced disasters, which requires access to a wide range of environmental information
Example: Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics
- Natural Resources Canada contributes to the international effort that is working to provide on-going space-based and in-situ observations of forests and other vegetation cover, for sustainable management of terrestrial resources and to obtain an accurate and reliable understanding of the terrestrial carbon budget
Health
Understanding environmental factors affecting human health and well-being, which requires large quantities of timely data and information on pollution, ozone depletion, nutrition and other variables
Example: Air Quality Health Index
- Health Canada and Environment Canada collaborated with national air quality stakeholders representing health and environmental expertise from provinces, municipalities and non-governmental organizations. Together they developed a national, health-based approach to presenting air quality information to Canadians
Example – Cooperation in Air Quality Forecast Programs
- The Meteorological Service of Canada’s extensive experience in air quality forecasting has helped the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, implement the U.S. National Air Quality Forecast Capability. This has been made possible through the exchange of training and operational forecasting experience. Continued collaboration will enhance the exchange of real-time and model data between the MSC, NOAA and EPA, leading to overall improvement of air quality forecast information.
Energy
Improving management of energy resources, which is a trillion dollar economic sector and is of critical importance to all countries
Climate
Understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating and adapting to climate variability and change will produce important benefits for every person on the planet
Example: Arctic Monitoring Programme
- Has four phases: the inventory of existing EO and scope definition; a need and gap analysis; a demonstration; establishment of comprehensive EO program
- Canada already maintains a vast network of environmental monitoring stations across the north; in the future more stations are to be added to support comprehensive weather and climate monitoring
Water
Improving water resource management through better understanding of the water cycle will reduce the risks of water scarcity, floods, and droughts
Weather
Improving weather information, forecasting, and warning will reduce the risks of extreme weather events while optimizing agricultural yields, water management and other vital services.
Example – North American Ensemble Forecast System
- The North American Ensemble Forecast System is a new weather modeling system run jointly by the Meteorological Service of Canada and the U.S. National Weather Service to provide numerical weather prediction products to weather forecasters in both countries for a forecast period that runs 2 weeks in the future. It combines the Canadian and U.S. global forecast model ensembles into a joint ensemble that will create weather forecasts for all of North America. The National Meteorological Service of Mexico is also participating.
Ecosystems
Improving the management of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems will bring enormous societal, economic and environmental benefits
Agriculture and Forestry
Supporting sustainable agriculture and forestry, and combating land degradation in a world where millions of people are chronically undernourished
Example: Applications of remote sensing in fisheries and aquaculture
- Ecosystem-based management
- Earth observation by remote sensing is the only way in which we could hope to collect the information required on the appropriate timescales at the spatial scale of the ocean
Example: National Land and Water Information System
- To provide on-line free and open access to agri-environmental data, information, tools, and expertise to support land-use decision-making
- Bringing information from government and non-government organizations together and developing partnerships with multiple agencies to permit sharing and access to data and products for the benefit of the broad Canadian user community
Example – North American Drought Monitor and Global Drought Early Warning System
- US, Canada and Mexico formed a tri-lateral partnership to enhance drought monitoring on the North American continent
- Established the North American Drought Monitor programme to provide information on drought conditions across the continent on an ongoing basis, and in so doing, helped achieve GEO Vision of a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of human kind are informed via coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information
Biodiversity
Understanding, monitoring, and conserving biodiversity is critical to ensuring the sustainable use of the world’s biological resources
- Extent and distribution of habitats, and subtypes
- Quality of habitat subtype (e.g. fragmentation patterns, timber extraction rates, biological community structure, etc.)
- Disturbance regimes (e.g. spatial and temporal distributions, ecological responses to disturbance, etc)
- Human-wild life - disease interactions and invasive species
- Agricultural practices relating to biodiversity
