CIESIN Thematic Guides *DRAFT*CEOS was created in 1984 as a result of the international Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations and serves as the focal point for international coordination of space-related, Earth observation activities. Policy and technical issues of common interest related to the whole spectrum of Earth observation satellite missions and data received from such are addressed. CEOS encourages complementarity and compatibility among space-borne Earth observing systems through coordination in mission planning, promotion of full and non-discriminatory data access, setting of data product standards, and development of compatible data products, services, and applications. The user community benefits directly from this international coordination.
Members are those national and international government agencies with funding and program responsibilities for a satellite Earth observation program currently operating or in the later stages of system development. CEOS members include the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European Space Agency, the European Meteorological Satellite Service (EUMETSAT) , and counterpart space and Earth observation agencies in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Russia (RSA and Hydromet), and the United Kingdom. Governmental entities with a space-based Earth observation program in the early stages of development or with a significant ground segment activity that supports CEOS member agency programs may be invited to participate as an observer. Current observers are agencies from Belgium, Canada, China, European Communities, New Zealand, and Norway. Affiliate status for other international satellite coordination groups and for international scientific and intergovernmental bodies was approved by CEOS members in November 1990. To date, the Global Climate Observing System, Global Ocean Observing System, International Council of Scientific Unions including its International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, U. N. Environment Programme, World Climate Research Program, and World Meteorological Organization have affiliated with CEOS and have begun to participate in CEOS plenary and working group meetings.
CEOS Plenary meets at least once a year to pursue coordination and to receive progress reports from and provide direction to its technical working groups, which each meet up to three times a year. The Sensor Calibration and Performance Validation (Cal/Val) Working Group refocused its energies in 1991 to undertake important global change calibration activities. The CEOS Working Group on Data plays a very active role in standardizing data formats worldwide, coordinating the International Directory Network, developing a lexicon and data dictionary, and supporting the implementing agencies and the IGBP in the coordination and development of data set specifications for the global, land, 1 kilometer AVHRR data set project.
CEOS is a consultative organization -- striving for information exchange, coordination, and consensus on policy issues. Findings and recommendations of CEOS are acted upon at the discretion of each member. CEOS deliberations and recommendations help members to come to agreement on issues and to ensure appropriate coordination among national programs and across the spectrum of space-based Earth observation missions and data management activities.
Additional inforamtion can be found in the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Observation Guide and Directory Service.