Earth Observations : GEO Ministerial Summit occurred in Geneva
On 17 January 2014 occurred in Geneva the Ministerial Summit of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) immediately after its tenth Plenary Session. GEO is located in Geneva under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and was established in 2003 with the aim of increasing cooperation on the collection of data measuring the state and the development of the environment. The main objectives of this initiative are: to support the improvement of the quality of collected data and to promote the provision of access to these data to a wide range of users and decision-makers so that they can make well-founded decisions. In Geneva convened ministers and representatives appealed to nations, scientific organizations and private sector to redouble their efforts to provide open access to all available data and unanimously endorsed the continuation of GEO to 2025 and the retention of its current structure. The Group on Earth Observations is an intergovernmental and independent organization of the United Nations, based on the voluntary participation, having at present nearly 90 Member States including Italy and many European countries and 70 international organizations. The participation of the private sector as provider and as beneficiary of data should also be increased. The key objective of GEO is to create by 2015 a "system of systems" (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) that means a central system providing access to the different systems used to observe the Earth intended to help with the prevention and reduction of losses due to disasters, the enhancement of water and energy management, the protection of ecosystems, agriculture and biodiversity or to improve meteorological forecasts and climate models, in a few words to improve quality of life throughout the Globe.