Second GEO meeting planned

Brussels, 21 Nov 2003

The European Commission and the Italian Council Presidency will host the second plenary meeting of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) on 28 and 29 November 2003 in Baveno, Italy.

The GEO, an ad hoc working group launched at the Earth Observation Summit in July 2003, is currently developing on a 10-year plan to set up a comprehensive earth observation system. Featured speakers will include GEO Co-Chairs Achilleas Mitsos and Conrad Lautenbacher.

Understanding global challenges means collecting accurate information about the earth and its environment. Remote sensing satellite systems are increasingly a part of this.

In Baveno, the GEO will review the first draft of the GEO Framework Document, which will lead to a 10-year plan to be presented at the Tokyo ministerial meeting next spring.

Mitsos, European Commission Director-General for Research and Technological Development, and Lautenbacher, retired US Navy Vice Admiral and current Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, will be joined by Co-Chairs Akio Yuki, Japan's Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Rob Adam, South Africa's Director General of the Department of Science and Technology.

For more information:

The Earth Observation Summit

Group on Earth Observations

Earth observation takes centre stage at Washington summit

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES)

DG Research
http:///europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/research/i ndex_en.html
Item source: http:///europa.eu.int/comm/space/articles /news/news81_en.html