GEOGLAM-CEOS Workshop on Data Reqs for Operational Ag Monitoring
From April 17-19 2018, the GEOGLAM-CEOS Workshop on Data and Systems Requirements for Operational Agricultural Monitoring, hosted at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy, brought together operational users of satellite data for agricultural monitoring at national, regional, and global scales, and provided an opportunity for discussion with CEOS representatives and data and service providers, in the context of GEOGLAM. The workshop was co-organized with DG GROW, GEOGLAM and NASA Harvest. The objective of the workshop was to develop a holistic characterization of requirements for agricultural monitoring, from data needs to infrastructure and information services, in the GEOGLAM context.
Since 2011, the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) Initiative has coordinated Earth observation data for those undertaking cropland and rangeland monitoring at national, regional, and global scales. Since 2012, as a critical partnership with the Initiative, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has maintained an Ad Hoc Working Group on GEOGLAM, tasked with evaluating and assisting with the implementation of GEOGLAM data requirements and requests for data acquisition. The April workshop significantly advanced the community’s understanding of the state of use of EO by national, regional, and global monitoring systems. This knowledge is critical for identifying gaps and steps to move forward on progressing the uptake and use of EO.
The summary of the workshop was released this month. It reviews how Earth observation (EO) data are acquired, accessed and used for global agricultural monitoring by different operational entities, describes the status of and opportunities for information and computation technology platforms within the GEOGLAM community, and provides recommendations for enhancing GEOGLAM’s role as the curator of data, products, knowledge and technology. It also conveys feedback to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) on potential collaborative areas for expanding the adoption and sustained use of EO data.