Date
11th June 14:00-16:30

Conveners
European Commission - DG RTD.I4 - Earth Observation Sector

Session leads

Chair: Kurt Vandenberghe EC RTD.I, Climate Action and Resource Efficiency	Organizer: Michel Schouppe EC RTD.I4, Earth Observation Sector
Kurt Vandenberghe EC RTD.I, Climate Action and Resource Efficiency Kurt Vandenberghe is Director for Environment at the European Commission's DG Research and Innovation since July 2013. He previously worked as head of the cabinet of European Commissioner Janez Potočnik, first in charge of science and research (2008-2009) and subsequently in charge of environment policy (from 2010). Kurt was deputy head of Janez Potočnik’s cabinet between 2004 and 2008, where he was in charge of coordinating the research area and the research framework programmes. Between 1999 and 2004, he was a member of the cabinet of European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, where he was in charge of life sciences, biotechnology, public health, space policy, transport, science and society issues, ethical questions and press and communication. Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. He subsequently was co-ordinator of DG Transport’s relations with the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions. Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for 4 years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. Assignments included FreightForward Europe, a lobby group of the world’s nine largest freight forwarding companies, and the US automotive components industry. After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US. Kurt is co-founder and board member of Journalismfund.eu and the VZW Scriptieprijs. He is married and has three children. close [x]
Michel Schouppe EC RTD.I4, Earth Observation Sector Dr. Michel SCHOUPPE has joined the European Commission in 1998 as scientific officer in the field of space technologies for Earth observation. He has been managing EU research programmes in the field of environmental technologies during more than 15 years in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). During this period, he has been in charge of EU research activities in Earth observation, global observing and forecasting systems, in situ sensor networks and information systems for crisis management, and technologies for water supply and sanitation. He has been involved in the early phases of the GMES/Copernicus programme and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and has taken part in various international initiatives such as the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS). He is currently policy officer in the Earth Observation Sector of DG RTD and deals in particular with policy files related to open data, environmental e-Infrastructures and Earth observation research and innovation. He is a member Co-chair of the GEOSS Data Sharing Working Group (DSWG). Geologist by training, he got a Doctoral degree in Sciences from the University of Louvain (UCL) in Belgium and a Post-graduate diploma in Geological Survey for Mineral Exploration at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) in the Netherlands. close [x]

Rapporteur
tbc in the short term

Abstract
On 17 January 2014, the ministers and other heads of delegations who assembled at the GEO Summit in Geneva (Switzerland) have renewed the mandate of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) for the period 2016 till 2025. This second decade of implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) will be decisive for the GEO partnership regarding its sustained capacity to effectively coordinate Earth observations at the global scale and provide long term benefits from Earth observation to a global community of users.
There is a potential to enhance the European contribution to the GEO and the GEOSS, and to increase benefits to European society. This is particularly true now that EU Copernicus programme and the Horizon 2020 - the Union's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014–2020) - have entered into operations.
This session will discuss GEO/GEOSS opportunities, challenges, benefits and prospects for Europe, particularly with respect to the central objective of smart, green and inclusive growth of the European Union’s '2020 Strategy'. It will also address from a European perspective a series of questions of strategic importance to the next GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan.

Aims of the session
The main aim of the session is to trigger a debate on the future implementation of the GEO and the GEOSS and to collect opinions on a series of strategic issues to enhance the benefits that GEO and GEOSS could bring to European society through 2025.

Agenda of the break-out session
The session is structured into three parts:
(i) presentation of issues (45’)
(ii) group discussions run in parallel (50’)
(iii) plenary discussion and conclusion (50’)

Questions to be answered through the session
1. What GEO/GEOSS benefits from increased synergies with major EU initiatives in earth observation (Copernicus, INSPIRE,…)?
2. What would be the future engagement in GEO/GEOSS of the European business sector?
3. How to fill out the gap for in situ and socio-economic data in the renewed GEOSS?
4. User engagement and usability of GEOSS data: what path for the next generation of the GEOSS infrastructure?

PART I (45')

1. "Welcome introduction" by Kurt Vandenberghe (EC RTD.I, Director for Climate action and resource efficiency)(5')

Kurt Vandenberghe EC RTD.I, Director for Climate action and resource efficiency Kurt Vandenberghe is Director for Environment at the European Commission's DG Research and Innovation since July 2013. He previously worked as head of the cabinet of European Commissioner Janez Potočnik, first in charge of science and research (2008-2009) and subsequently in charge of environment policy (from 2010). Kurt was deputy head of Janez Potočnik’s cabinet between 2004 and 2008, where he was in charge of coordinating the research area and the research framework programmes. Between 1999 and 2004, he was a member of the cabinet of European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, where he was in charge of life sciences, biotechnology, public health, space policy, transport, science and society issues, ethical questions and press and communication. Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. He subsequently was co-ordinator of DG Transport’s relations with the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions. Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for 4 years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. Assignments included FreightForward Europe, a lobby group of the world’s nine largest freight forwarding companies, and the US automotive components industry. After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US. Kurt is co-founder and board member of Journalismfund.eu and the VZW Scriptieprijs. He is married and has three children. close [x]

2. "GEO-GEOSS achievements, prospects and strategic issues of direct relevance to EU policies" by Michel Schouppe (EC RTD.I4 Policy officer of the Earth Observation Sector)(15'), pdf

Michel Schouppe EC RTD.I4 Policy officer of the Earth Observation Sector Dr. Michel SCHOUPPE has joined the European Commission in 1998 as scientific officer in the field of space technologies for Earth observation. He has been managing EU research programmes in the field of environmental technologies during more than 15 years in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). During this period, he has been in charge of EU research activities in Earth observation, global observing and forecasting systems, in situ sensor networks and information systems for crisis management, and technologies for water supply and sanitation. He has been involved in the early phases of the GMES/Copernicus programme and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and has taken part in various international initiatives such as the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS). He is currently policy officer in the Earth Observation Sector of DG RTD and deals in particular with policy files related to open data, environmental e-Infrastructures and Earth observation research and innovation. He is a member Co-chair of the GEOSS Data Sharing Working Group (DSWG). Geologist by training, he got a Doctoral degree in Sciences from the University of Louvain (UCL) in Belgium and a Post-graduate diploma in Geological Survey for Mineral Exploration at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) in the Netherlands. close [x]

3. "Towards a new GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan" by Alan Edwards (European member of the GEOSS Implementation Plan Working Group)(15'), pdf

Alan Edwards European member of the GEOSS Implementation Plan Working Group Alan Edwards has worked in a global research environment throughout his career. Following work as a research physicist at CERN and then JET, he moved to the European Commission in 1999. His initial responsibilities within the Environment Research Programme lay in the domain of marine research. He was also a member of the initial Support Team for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. He has been involved with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) since it began in 2003, working full-time since mid-2007 in a number of different capacities, including primarily as the representative of the European Commission Co-Chair of GEO. Alan retired from the European Commission in May 2013. He is currently engaged as an expert in the GEO 2016-2025 Implementation Plan Working Group. close [x]

4. "Key points for the GEOSS implementation Post-2015 from the Commission perspective" by Gilles Ollier (EC RTD.I4 Head of Sector of the Earth Observation Sector)(5')

Gilles Ollier EC RTD.I4 Head of Sector of the Earth Observation Sector Mr. Gilles OLLIER has joined the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission in 1993. Since that time, he has devoted most of his career to managing EU research and innovation activities for the Environment across various EU Framework Programmes for research and technological development. He is currently heading the Sector on Earth Observation in DG RTD, contributing to the implementation of research and innovation activities in this domain, and acting as contact point for the European Commission for the international GEO initiative (Group on Earth Observations). He is particularly involved in the coordination of Earth Observation research in Europe, the international cooperation in the field of Earth observation and the various issues relevant to handling and processing Earth Observation data (including big data and computing infrastructures). Mr. Gilles OLLIER has a background of geologist. He graduated at the French Institute Petroleum and has been working at the French Oceanographic Institute (IFREMER) for 10 years as a marine geoscientist. He has notably been involved in the International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) and contributed to it on the occasion of a sabbatical year at Columbia University. close [x]

5. "Introduction to the discussion tables" by Michel Schouppe (EC RTD.I4 Policy officer of the Earth Observation Sector)(5')

PART II (55')

6. The audience will be structured into four 'discussion groups', each of them animated by a facilitator:

- "What GEO/GEOSS benefits from increased synergies with major EU initiatives in Earth observation (Copernicus, INSPIRE,…)?" facilitated by Silvo Zlebir (DG ENTR, Unit G2 Copernicus services)

- "What future engagement in GEO/GEOSS of the European business sector?" facilitated by Gilles Ollier (DG RTD, Earth observation sector)

- "How to fill out the data gap in the renewed GEOSS including in situ and socio economic data and new type of data streams including crowdsourcing?" facilitated by Stuart Marsh (University of Nottingham, UK, and co-chair of the GEO Institutions and Development Board)

Stuart Marsh University of Nottingham, UK, and co-chair of the GEO Institutions and Development Board Stuart Marsh is an international expert in Earth Observation (EO) systems and datasets and their geoscience applications. He is Professor of Geospatial Engineering in the Nottingham Geospatial Institute, University of Nottingham. This appointment in 2013 built on 20 years' experience in developing, winning and delivering both European Space Agency and EC Framework Programme 5,6 & 7 research projects, implementing the Inter-Governmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the EC's Copernicus (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) Programmes. During this time, he worked for the British Geological Survey (BGS); first as their Head of Earth Observation, when he developed EO applications to geological mapping, 3D and elevation modelling, geohazard mitigation, mineral, energy and water resources, waste management and environmental change; and then as their Head of Geoscience Technologies, responsible for leading BGS's development of digital mapping, EO, shallow geophysical monitoring, 3D, property and process modelling, and immersive, stereo 3D visualisation systems. He has over 100 publications to his name ranging from peer-reviewed papers, through books and maps, to Congress keynotes and international strategy documents. From 2010-13 he was Chairman of EuroGeoSurveys' Earth Observation Expert Group. On behalf of the UK GEO partners, he currently co-chairs GEO's Institutions and Development Implementation Board. close [x]

- "User engagement and usability of GEOSS data: what path for the next generation of the GEOSS infrastructure?" facilitated by Alessandro Annoni (DG JRC and co-chair of the GEO board on Infrastructure Implementation and the GEO Data Management Task Force)

PART III (50')

8. Outcome presentation by each of the four ‘discussion tables’ and plenary discussion animated by Stuart Marsh (University of Nottingham, UK, and co-chair of the GEO Institutions and Development Board)(50’)

Stuart Marsh University of Nottingham, UK, and co-chair of the GEO Institutions and Development Board Stuart Marsh is an international expert in Earth Observation (EO) systems and datasets and their geoscience applications. He is Professor of Geospatial Engineering in the Nottingham Geospatial Institute, University of Nottingham. This appointment in 2013 built on 20 years' experience in developing, winning and delivering both European Space Agency and EC Framework Programme 5,6 & 7 research projects, implementing the Inter-Governmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the EC's Copernicus (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) Programmes. During this time, he worked for the British Geological Survey (BGS); first as their Head of Earth Observation, when he developed EO applications to geological mapping, 3D and elevation modelling, geohazard mitigation, mineral, energy and water resources, waste management and environmental change; and then as their Head of Geoscience Technologies, responsible for leading BGS's development of digital mapping, EO, shallow geophysical monitoring, 3D, property and process modelling, and immersive, stereo 3D visualisation systems. He has over 100 publications to his name ranging from peer-reviewed papers, through books and maps, to Congress keynotes and international strategy documents. From 2010-13 he was Chairman of EuroGeoSurveys' Earth Observation Expert Group. On behalf of the UK GEO partners, he currently co-chairs GEO's Institutions and Development Implementation Board. close [x]

9. Concluding remarks by Kurt Vandenberghe (EC RTD.I, Director for Climate action and resource efficiency)(5’)