Group on Earth Observations

Acronym: GEO

Address: Av. de la Paix 7bis, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Website: https://earthobservations.org/

Stakeholder group: NGOs and associations

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) provides Earth Intelligence to support evidence-based decision-making. GEO draws upon a global network of 116 governments and 162 organisations, including leading space agencies, research institutes, the technology sector, civil society, and UN agencies, to drive international consensus and systems change.

GEO co-designs open, reproducible, and scalable information products with public agencies, academia, and the private sector, driving innovation and creating value. GEO’s services are tailored to stakeholder needs, delivering Earth Intelligence that drives positive change and measurable impact.

Contents

Digital activities

GEO empowers everyone, everywhere to use and contribute to Earth Intelligence, enabling better decisions for people, the planet, and nature.

Harnessing the power of interdisciplinary collaboration

GEO draws upon the expertise of an extensive global network of Earth system experts, comprising 116 governments, 162 international, private sector, and civil society organisations. This diverse network includes the world’s leading space agencies, renowned research institutes and UN agencies. By convening relevant stakeholders across sectors, GEO has the unique ability to forge international consensus and drive evidence-based decisions to promote system change.

Strategic approach

GEO builds strategic partnerships among public agencies, academia, and the private sector to co-design information products that are open, reproducible, and scalable. This approach ensures that the expertise and technology of different stakeholders are leveraged to drive innovation and create tangible value for them. By organising and translating Earth observation (EO) data into trusted open tools and services, GEO helps bridge the digital divide and close knowledge gaps between stakeholders and the Earth observation data they need.

Providing demand-driven services

GEO offers a portfolio of demand-driven services that drive positive change and deliver measurable impact. By tailoring its solutions to meet the specific needs of diverse stakeholders, GEO ensures that its Earth Intelligence products are both relevant and actionable.

Digital policy issues

Data governance

GEO recognises that the societal benefits arising from Earth Intelligence can only be fully achieved through the sharing of data, information, knowledge, products, and services. Ever since its inception, GEO has been a strong advocate for broad and open data-sharing policies and practices (Open Earth Observation Data). The Data Sharing Principles (2005-2015) inspired a few members and participating organisations to evolve from restricted data policies to open data approaches. Data sharing was also recognised as one of the greatest successes of the first GEO decade. Embracing the international trend of open data, GEO principals endorsed a new set of Data Management Principles. These principles promote ‘open data by default’ and address the need for discovery, accessibility, usability, preservation, and curation of data.

GEO has established the Data and Knowledge Working Group to support the implementation of its data principles.

To enable indigenous peoples to equitably participate in and benefit from data creation, application, and stewardship within contemporary data environments, the GEO Indigenous Alliance advocates for the implementation of CARE (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics) with FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles. The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance are people- and purpose-oriented, reflecting the crucial role of data in advancing indigenous innovation, and self-determination. These principles complement the existing FAIR principles, encouraging open and other data movements to consider both people and purpose in their advocacy and pursuits.

Sustainable development

GEO leads global initiatives that explore our planet’s ecological health, climate challenges, disaster readiness, resource optimisation, urban sustainability, and public health priorities. By integrating Earth Intelligence with global frameworks like the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, GEO demonstrates our commitment to fostering a healthy, sustainable, and resilient world.

GEO addresses eight specific thematic areas: Agriculture and food security; land and water sustainability; ecosystems, biodiversity, and carbon management; weather, hazard and disaster resilience; climate, energy, and urbanisation; One Health; equity and inclusion; and open data, open knowledge and infrastructure.

Driven by the GEO Post-2025 Strategy, Earth Intelligence for All, GEO is committed to co-producing actionable insights with and for our diverse user base.

The GEO Work Programme is the primary instrument to encourage collaboration among our members, participating organisations, associates, and other partners. It aims to fulfil GEO’s mission and vision by addressing information needs in various fields where EOs play a crucial role.

GEO is increasingly incorporating AI into its Earth Intelligence initiatives, with approximately half of the GEO Work Programme activities identifying as advanced or medium-level AI users. AI applications within GEO primarily focus on image classification, change detection, and predictive modelling for Earth observation data. GEO contributes to the global ‘AI for Good’ vision and participates in global AI discussions, including representation at UNFCCC’s High-Level Event on AI at COP28 and the 2024 AI for Good Summit.

Digital tools and initiatives

The current flagship programmes in the GEO Work Programme are GEO Land Degradation Neutrality, GEO Biodiversity Observation Network, GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring, the Global Forest Observation Initiative, and the Global Observation System for Mercury. To facilitate access to Earth Intelligence applications, we have the GEO Knowledge Hub, a digital library. Ministers and ministerial representatives adopted the Group on Earth Observations 2023 Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on 10 November 2023. The Declaration endorses the GEO Post-2025 Strategy Earth Intelligence for All, which charges GEO with developing an implementation plan to guide the execution of the strategy, and reaffirms the integral role of young people as catalysts for sustainable development, among other statements.

GEO assists countries in its region in addressing sustainable development challenges. The vision of the GEO Indigenous Alliance is to protect and conserve indigenous cultural heritage by using science, data and technology to create a knowledge base that sustains the Earth we live on.

GEO has developed a series of tools and initiatives to promote the use of Earth Intelligence as evidence for decision-making.