Network

< Last Update: 02 Jun. 2009 >

Obviously, many significant initiatives can cooperate with SAFE. Considering interactions with those initiatives is quite important for developing SAFE.

1. GEO and GEOSS

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations. It provides a framework within which these partners can develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments. As of November 2008, GEO's members included 76 governments and the European Commission. In addition, 56 intergovernmental, international, and regional organizations with a mandate in Earth observation or related issues have been recognized as Participating Organizations. GEO is constructing the Global Earth Observation of System of Systems (GEOSS) on the basis of a 10-Year Implementation Plan for 2005 to 2015. This plan defines a vision statement for GEOSS, its purpose and scope, expected benefits, and the nine Societal Benefit Areas of disasters, health, energy, climate, water,weather, ecosystems, agriculture, and biodiversity.

2. Asian Water-Cycle Initiative

The Asian Water-Cycle Initiative (AWCI) is based on the regionally common and sharable ideas on water-related issues in Asia and their natural and socio-economical backgrounds. Contributing to GEOSS, the AWCI was organized by 18 countries in Asia, based on a series of discussions in 2005, just after the establishment of GEO. The AWCI develops an information system of systems for promoting the implementation of integrated water-resources management (IWRM) through data integration and the sharing and improvement of understanding and prediction of the water-cycle variation as a basis for sound decision-making regarding national water policies and management strategies.