Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Plenary Meeting – October 2018

The 32nd Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Plenary Meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium, over 16-18 October 2018. Nearly 100 attendees from country space agencies discussed how to contribute to the advancement of space-based Earth Observation community efforts. The CCEO and CSIRO was represented by Dr Alex Held, Jennifer Zhu and Dr Cindy Ong, and together with colleagues from Geoscience Australia, made up the Australian delegation.

Through engagement with the CEOS community and leadership of several CEOS initiatives, Australia builds the credibility and relationships necessary for supply of Earth Observation data. Over the two days, there was the chance to hear updates from several Space Agencies, input into the overarching work plan, and meet with European, American and Vietnamese partners to discuss new and ongoing collaborations and the potential for cooperative missions.

Topics that were discussed ranged from climate observatories, to disaster monitoring, to data interoperability, to forest carbon and greenhouse gases, to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A highlight of the meeting was the beautiful location in the heart of Europe, home to the European institutions, and even the chance to join a chocolate making class!

For more information and the agenda (including presentations, papers and space agency updates), please see http://ceos.org/meetings/32nd-ceos-plenary/