Roundtable Workshops

Roundtable Workshop 9: Hazards Watch: Reducing Disaster Losses Through Improved Earth Observations

Workshop Summary

October 22, 2003

The National Academies
Room 100
500 Fifth Street
Washington, DC

AGENDA

Objective: The United States hosted an Earth Observation Summit on July 31, 2003 to promote the development of an integrated Earth observation system among governments and the international community to understand and address global environmental and economic challenges. Following the Summit, the ad hoc intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) began the process of developing a conceptual framework and implementation plan for building this integrated Earth observation system.

Hazard Watch: Reducing Disaster Losses through Earth Observations will address this opportunity to transform the tools available to emergency managers and policy makers by taking advantage of the earth observing systems and information already available and by influencing the systems of the future. Of particular interest is the opportunity to gain critical disaster reduction information required to make informed decisions at all levels, from local to international, from response to long-term mitigation.

8:30 AM Welcome and Introductions
William H. Hooke, American Meteorological Society; Chair, Disasters Roundtable

8:40 AM Introduction of Workshop Objectives
Helen M. Wood, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Chair, Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction; Member, Disasters Roundtable

8:50 AM The Vision for an Integrated Earth Observation System: Opportunities for Disaster Reduction (Download Presentation)

Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Co-Chair, Group on Earth Observations

10:00 AM Break

10:15 AM Achieving Integrated Earth Observations: Current Status

Moderator: Ron Birk, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Presentations and moderated discussion on the successful use of earth observations in current international disaster reduction efforts.

Salvano Briceno, Secretariat on International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (Download Presentation)

Gregory Withee, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Chair, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (Download Presentation)

Michel Jarraud, World Meteorological Organization (Download Presentation)

11:20 AM Current Status: Questions and Discussion

12:00 PM Lunch Break

1:00 PM Identifying Critical Earth Observation Gaps and Opportunities Related to Disaster Reduction

Moderator: Gene Whitney, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Presentations and moderated discussion on the critical gaps in current earth observation strategies and systems.

Charles "Chip" Groat, U.S. Geological Survey

Terry Egan, Washington Military Department (Download Presentation)

Susan Conard, USDA Forest Service (Download Presentation)

2:30 PM Critical Gaps and Opportunities: Questions and Discussion

3:00 PM Break

3:15 PM The Way Forward: Developing a 10-Year Plan for Integrated Earth Observations

Moderator: Helen M. Wood, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Chair, Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction; Member, Disasters Roundtable

Presentations and moderated discussion of key outcomes, and the related implementation planning.

Richard Anthes, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Chair, NRC Committee on NASA-NOAA Transition from Research to Operations (Download Presentation)

Ghassem Asrar, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Download Presentation)

William Gail, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. (Download Presentation)

4:20 PM The Way Forward: Questions and Discussion

4:50 PM Closing Remarks
William H. Hooke, American Meteorological Society; Chair, Disasters Roundtable

5:00 PM Adjourn