Canada is a long-standing member of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and looks forward to engaging with the wider community at the 2026 GEO Symposium and GEO-21 Plenary. Canada remains committed to advancing Earth Observation (EO) to inform national actions and advance global priorities related to climate change, biodiversity, and agriculture.

Canada continues to improve data accessibility, international cooperation, and innovation in support of advancing national Earth Observation initiatives and the national Strategy for Satellite Earth Observation to strengthen national capabilities and support informed decision-making.

Over the last year, Canada highlights several national activities advancing EO intelligence.

RADARSAT-2 Tropical Forests" (R2TF) – The initiative provides global access to RADARSAT-2 satellite data for researchers, government agencies, and organizations working in areas such as biodiversity, environmental monitoring, and climate change studies. The R2TF was showcased at both AmeriGEO Week 2025 as well as within the GEO Indigenous Alliance community. R2TF was launched through a collaboration with Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA Space), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO).

European space investment – Canada recently made an investment of €407.71 million into European Space Agency programs, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with Europe. The investment in the ESA programs will support collaboration between Canadian space sector organizations and the European industry, with the aim of advancing research and development and contributing to the growth of Canada’s space sector.

Artificial intelligence (AI) integration weather model - Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched a hybrid weather forecasting model. The hybrid model combines AI and traditional meteorological methods to improve weather forecasting accuracy and the delivery of severe weather alerts for conditions such as winter storms, heat waves, and atmospheric rivers. Canada also continues to support the United Nation’s “Early Warnings for All” initiative, which aims to achieve global coverage of early warning systems by the end of 2027.

smartEarth innovation – The CSA’s funding initiative, smartEarth, has awarded $5 million in investments to 20 companies to develop innovative solutions to biodiversity challenges using satellite data. In addition to driving innovation within the space sector and supporting biodiversity, these projects strengthen Canada’s economy by creating skilled jobs, fostering collaboration among Indigenous Peoples, provinces and territories, and helping to protect ecosystems and species. 35 percent of smartEarth project leads are new investment recipients. As a result, CSA is helping grow and diversify Canada’s space sector through innovation.

Next generation of experts - CSA has awarded $5.4 million to 15 post-secondary institutions through its Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology program. The grants will help the institutions train the next generation of scientists in space science and technology.

EO Milestones – Canada is a founding member of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, and proudly marks 25 years of participation in 2026. This global collaboration is an effort among international space agencies to provide time-sensitive satellite data in support of disaster response worldwide. Canada is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the RADARSAT program. RADARSAT is a national flagship synthetic aperture radar program that supports national services including disaster management, climate monitoring, and maritime navigation.

GEO AI data services – GEO AI’s latest update contributes over 275,000 km² of new AI-generated geospatial data to Canada’s open geospatial data platform GEO.ca. This new data is part of NRCan’s GEOAI data series - an initiative designed to produce frequent updated topographic data layers about Canada's land, water, and infrastructure. The data is extracted from high-resolution data (50 cm or finer) using automated AI algorithms to help monitor environmental changes over time.

These initiatives demonstrate Canada’s ongoing investments in EO. They reflect the growing importance of the sector and its benefits for monitoring our changing environment. Canada’s GEO community includes partners from government, academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations that participate in GEO networks and initiatives to advance shared goals. Below are a few highlights:

GEO BON - McGill University is completing its sixth and final successful year as co-chair and lead of the Secretariat for the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) in Montréal, Canada. The Montréal-based Secretariat has played a central role from 2020-2026 in transforming global biodiversity monitoring. Its work has included:

GEO BON has positioned Canada as a global hub for biodiversity science, data, and policy implementation through several key achievements. This includes contributing scientific and technical expertise to the KMGBF development, operationalizing BON in a Box for national monitoring systems, and strengthening leadership and partnership in global initiatives such as COP15 (2022), COP16 (2024), and the Living Data 2025 Conference (Bogotá, October 2025).

GEOGLAM - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) continues to provide national leadership to the GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) Executive Committee and serves as co-chair of the Joint Experiment for Crop Assessment and Monitoring. This year, AAFC is co-hosting the “15 Years of GEOGLAM" forum session at the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Congress, on July 4-11, 2026, in Toronto, Canada. The event will include two days of meetings focused on advancing monitoring techniques and developing data standards. Knowledge shared through GEOGLAM directly informs Canada’s national agricultural practices including crop condition monitoring and yield estimation.

GWIS - NRCan contributes EO and fire science expertise to the Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) Fire Implementation Team. The team supports the GEO’s Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS) in integrating global fire information and providing tools to inform wildfire management practices. This international collaboration facilitates knowledge exchange among GOFC-GOLD members to advance national, regional, and global benefits in areas such as application development and the definition and adoption of international standards. NRCan and CSA also contribute to the global fire management community through its leadership of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Land Surface Imaging Wildfire Subgroup, helping to advance complementary objectives and align efforts toward shared goals.  

AmeriGEO - Canada participated actively in the regional AmeriGEO caucus and coordinated working group meetings to advance regional EO priorities. In 2025, Canada provided financial support for AmeriGEO Week 2025, hosted by Colombia, in partnership with the broader AmeriGEO community and shared expertise across the programme through contributions from ECCC, CSA, AAFC, and GEO BON.

GEO Data and Knowledge Working Group – Canada participates in the Data and Knowledge Working Group, which focuses on enhancing the use of EO through improved data interoperability and best practices in data management. Recently, Canada’s Veritas Terrae highlighted the DataStream initiative, an open-data platform that provides access to Canadian in-situ freshwater data.

GEO Health Community of Practice – As co-chair, ECCC contributes leadership to the Health Community of Practice and its role to advance EO technologies that strengthen regional and global capacity for managing and monitoring health-related risks. Together, ECCC with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), contribute national EO expertise to advance activities in vector-borne diseases, water-related pathogens, extreme heat, air quality and connecting member countries’ meteorological services with ministries of health. Recent national publications from PHAC highlight the use of EO in the assessment of zoonotic diseases including ticks and malaria. Participation in this community of practice gives Canada access to international knowledge that can inform national programs and enhance global approaches to public health. 

In addition to the highlights above, Canada continues to participate in the GEO Work Programme and contribute to the GEO Trust Fund, which recognizes the importance of international knowledge exchange and cooperation. Expanding global data access and strengthening capacity for EO across national, regional, and global communities supports informed decision-making and policy development for a more sustainable planet.