The Forum on Earth Observations V will convene in Washington, D.C. on June 14, with the theme, “Creating a National Strategy for Environmental Intelligence.” The forum defines environmental intelligence as, “the result of a critical supply chain that begins with science and observations – ground sensors, ocean buoys, stream gauges, satellites, etc. – and ends with actionable information that allows decision-makers to better respond and adapt to a changing planet.”
The event aims at defining the national strategy in light of the fact that the U.S. environmental information supply chain is threatened and becoming weaker. There are significant gaps in the capacity in light of the following developments:
- Earth-observing satellites are operating well past their expected lifetimes, with replacement satellites either not ready or not planned
- Ocean observations are too sparse to estimate the amount of oil spilled
- Essential data, such as global carbon measurements, aren’t available at all
- Computing capacity is insufficient to run sophisticated models
- Data isn’t accessible and formatted in a way to easily integrate for model creation and decision-support tools
This one-day conference is the fifth in a series to involve public and private sector partners in the important dialogue of earth observation capacity and necessity. Details on registration and the program agenda can now be found on the conference website.
