Much of the standards coordination with organizations outside IEEE is being done by a sister organization, the IEEE Committee on Earth Observations (ICEO) Standards Working Group (IWSG) which meets twice a month by teleconference with anticipated cross membership with SCC40 in the future. Once gaps in earth observation standards are identified in about two years, SCC 40 will begin to sponsor new standards development within IEEE. This provides an opportunity for greater collaboration on standards activities between IEEE Technical Activities which sponsors the ICEO group and the IEEE-SA. The IEEE has taken on the leadership role for facilitating standards interoperability in the international and intergovernmental GEO (Group on Earth Observation) which has put together the GEOSS 10 Year Implementation Plan.
The GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan prescribes a user-driven approach to the creation of GEOSS. GEOSS includes observing, processing, and dissemination capabilities interfaced through interoperability specifications established and adhered to by all contributing systems. It emphasizes building on existing systems and initiatives, and points to the importance of using existing international standards organizations and institutes in the identification and adoption of standards to achieve GEOSS interoperability objectives.
The many organizations developing diverse standards applicable to observing systems will need to cooperate in order to maximize effectiveness while setting strategy, allocating resources, building communication links, and enacting standards outreach and training programs. The GEO must help find agreement on standards for each technical component of GEOSS. The GEO must also identify the areas where new standards are required and then must enact a process to help get them formalized and implemented. In addition, the GEO must support education and outreach for international participants and help increase technical and public awareness. A standards facilitator working within the GEO efforts will help greatly in these efforts. Although GEO will establish and oversee the interoperability arrangements needed for GEOSS, a standards facilitation role would leverage a system of systems approach to standards and, at the same time, not displace the activities of any organization currently working on GEOSS-relevant standards.
In particular, the IEEE (ISWG) is taking on this role by helping to facilitate the GEO Standards Interoperability Forum (SIF), a standards survey, a review of earth observation portals, and a number of pilot standards interoperability projects.
It has already designed the GEOSS Standards and Interoperability Registry on a website hosted by IEEE-SA and is helping to define a standards taxonomy appropriate for GEOSS standards. http://seabass.ieee.org/groups/geoss/
b) Objectives and Goals for past year and the SCC’s performance relative to them
As indicated in a) above, the standardization coordination activity is being done within the ISWG.
c) IEEE staff support requirements.
No additional support required at this time
d)Summary of other activities
No other activities.
e) Meeting schedule Once new standards development is identified, SCC 40 is expected to meet by teleconference monthly with one yearly face to face meeting, possibly in conjunction with related conferences. Much of the work will be done by electronic correspondence.
