 The recent Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Plenary was hosted in Lucca, Italy by the Italian Space Agency on 8 and 9 November 2011. The Committee endorsed and committed support for the Satellite Data Strategy of the Global Forest Observation Initiative, an initiative the Australian Government strongly supports.
In supporting this strategy, Australian representatives provided a presentation on the Forest Carbon Tracking Taskforce, which promotes coordinated Earth Observations capabilities in providing satellite data to support forest carbon measurement. This initiative aims to coordinate the response from international space agencies and consider how future satellite missions will support the strategy.
The Australian Government sees this as a positive way forward in securing the necessary long-term continuity of satellite data acquisition that will be needed to support the efforts of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with deforestation world-wide, a necessary step in achieving a low carbon future.
This satellite data strategy underpinned the full Global Forest Observation Initiative implementation and acceptance at the Group on Earth Observation Plenary which took place on 15-17 November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. This Plenary session marked the start of the implementation process for the Satellite Data Strategy of the Global Forest Observation Initiative.
For more information on the CEOS Plenary please visit: http://www.ceosplenary2011.org/. |