ceos working group on capacity building and data democracy: opportunities for cooperation

Paper number

IAC-12,B1,1,7,x14379

Author

Ms. Tiffany Chow, Secure World Foundation, United States

Coauthor

Mr. Jacob Sutherlun, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States

Year

2012

Abstract

This paper will examine the opportunities for intergovernmental and non-governmental organization (NGO) cooperation within the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Capacity Building and Data Democracy (WGCBDD). It will outline the objectives of the working group, discuss the advantage of cooperative methods for achieving those objectives, provide potential implementation activities, and suggest ways the WGCBDD experience can inform cooperation on other Earth Observation activities. 

The CEOS WGCBDD exists to improve the ability of end users, particularly in less developed regions of the world, to access Earth Observation (EO) data and utilize it for achieving sustainable development. The WGCBDD was born out of the CEOS Data Democracy Initiative, which began in 2008 under the CEOS Chairmanship of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and continued under the subsequent chairmanships of Thailand’s GEO-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) in 2009 and Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in 2010. 

In the spirit of CEOS, the WGCBDD operates under the belief that intergovernmental and interagency coordination and cooperation is the best way forward for maximizing the usefulness and effectiveness to less developed nations of Earth Observation satellites and the data they produce. The use of this data can dramatically facilitate sustainable development. However, there is currently a lack of awareness of and access to this data in developing regions of the world. The WGCBDD aims to target these underserved communities and build their capacity to access and utilize EO data to reach their development goals. Intergovernmental and interagency coordination, as well as cooperation with NGOs, will maximize the working group’s ability to achieve that goal. Some potential implementation activities were determined at the working group’s strategy planning meeting held in early 2012.

Abstract document

IAC-12,B1,1,7,x14379.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-12,B1,1,7,x14379.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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