Statement of CANADA

Group on Earth Observations – GEO Global Forum 2025 & GEO-20 Plenary

Statement of CANADA

Canada will join international colleagues in Rome, Italy, May 5-9 for the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Forum 2025 to advance the Post-2025 Strategy Implementation Plan. GEO’s efforts to increase access and use of Earth observation (EO) and Earth Intelligence (EI) support decision-making and key global commitments such as sustainable development goals, biodiversity, climate change, and disaster risk reduction.

Canada relies on Earth observation data to inform national evidence-based decision-making within a changing global environment. Canada also continues to invest in strategic Earth observation initiatives that leverage Earth observations that support its national and international commitments as aligned with Canada's Strategy for Satellite Earth Observation. Below are a few recent, notable national highlights:

WildFireSat

Canada’s WildFireSat Mission is the world’s first government-owned satellite for monitoring active wildfires across Canada. Starting in 2029, WildFireSat will deliver daily observations of active wildfires across Canada in near-real-time to fire managers. Canada awarded a contract of $72 million (CAD) for the design of the WildFireSat constellation in early 2025.

Early Warnings for All (EW4All)

The UN Secretary-General’s “Early Warnings for All” (EW4All) initiative aims to ensure everyone on Earth is covered by early warning systems by the end of 2027. In support of EW4All, Canada, through Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), contributes to two key early warning systems initiatives – the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative including a 4-year $10M CAD contribution, and the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) including through a one-time $1M grant. Canada joined the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) and endorsed the Getting Ahead of Disasters Charter in November 2024 at COP29.

Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy

Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy: Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada lays out a path to achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It reflects the diversity of Canadian perspectives gathered during public engagement activities and emphasizes the importance of using the best science and knowledge available. As such, the need to build upon existing national and international initiatives and data, including satellite Earth observation (SEO) data, is recognized in the Strategy.

2024 National Forum on Earth Observation

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in partnership with key federal departments, hosted the third National Form on Earth Observation in May 2024. Nearly 400 Canadian stakeholders from industry, academia, Indigenous communities, and federal and provincial governments attended the event. Participants shared their unique perspectives on EO in areas such as biodiversity, access to satellite data, and the rising importance of artificial intelligence. They also discussed next steps to ensure the ongoing enhancement of EO capabilities and cooperation nationally and globally. The event was preceded by Career Connect, an event to support youth career progression in the field of satellite Earth observation (SEO).

Canada Dark Vessel Protection Program

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) contributes to international efforts by monitoring oceans to safeguard against the illegal harvesting of shark fins, marine pollution, and unidentified maritime vessels. Canada is an expert in conducting high seas patrols, air surveillance, and satellite monitoring to detect and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This knowledge is shared with regional and international partners to help reduce illegal maritime activity.

Canada’s 2024 Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

CSA chaired the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) for 2024. In October, Canada hosted the committee’s 38th plenary meeting, which brought together 80 international representatives from space agencies and government entities. Highlights from the event included the endorsement of the Montreal Statement and the advancement of biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring using satellite Earth observation. Under Canada’s leadership, CEOS initiated a plan to support biodiversity by building on the CEOS Ecosystem Extent Task Team (EETT) in consultation with key global biodiversity players.

In addition to these national initiatives, Canada also contributes leadership and expertise directly to GEO’s regional and global activities. Building on past leadership guidance for the GEO Post-2025 Strategy and 2023 Cape Town Ministerial Statement, Canada supported the development of the new Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) and the evolution of the GEO Work Programme (GWP). This included Agriculture Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) providing agricultural expertise on the proposal review board. Canadian leadership is accompanied by national financial contribution to the GEO Trust Fund to support the advancement of Earth observation and Earth intelligence for the global GEO community. Canada’s active national GEO community further advances GEO goals for mutual gain. Below are a few examples of Canada’s ongoing involvement:

GEO BON - The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Network (GEO BON) is co-chaired by McGill University, in Montréal, Canada. GEO BON continues to grow access and global collaboration in the management of biodiversity and ecosystem observations. These observations inform Canada’s biodiversity conservation efforts and support the development of a Global Biodiversity Observing System. The work also advances monitoring science that supports the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15). GEO BON also participated in COP16 and provided guidance on the use of open-source biodiversity tools. ECCC also supports GEO BON to advance the development of biodiversity science and the inclusion of Indigenous and community-based monitoring perspectives on biodiversity challenges.

GEOGLAM - AAFC continues to co-chair the Joint Experiment for Crop Assessment and Monitoring (JECAM) and participates in the GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) executive committee. AAFC also contributes to international research and development activities, and to the establishment of community standards for agricultural monitoring. This participation helps inform national crop mapping, crop condition monitoring, and yield estimation across diverse cropping systems.

GWIS - Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) leads Canada’s contributions to the Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) Fire Implementation Team by sharing fire management and Earth observation expertise. GOFC-GOLD contributes to GEO’s Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), which increases global knowledge of operational wildfire management. Canada benefits from the GOFC-GOLD community exchanges on international knowledge as well as from gaining insight on new developments and tools for fire Earth observation and national wildfire management practices.

AmeriGEO - Canada is an active member in the AmeriGEO regional community as a member of the coordination working group and as a participant in the annual AmeriGEO Week. In 2024, Canadian GEO leadership travelled to Quito, Ecuador, to deliver leadership plenary sessions including presenting Canada’s best practices for establishing a national GEO secretariat.

AquaWatch - ECCC contributes to global water quality monitoring activities including the creation of fit-for-purpose water quality products. Products such as these are leveraged by Canadian end-users for water resource management and evidence-based decision making. Canada’s participation influences the direction of future international satellite-derived water quality data and products relevant to Canadian coastal and inland waters.

Climate Change Working Group - ECCC's involvement in the Climate Change Working Group helps address global climate change challenges and mitigation strategies. It facilitates collaboration and engagement on environmental observations with national meteorological agencies, research institutions, national space agencies, and others. It also provides Canada with an opportunity to promote the satellite capabilities of the RADARSAT Constellation Misson (RCM). The RCM provides valuable insights for climate research and global climate monitoring challenges and creates international collaboration opportunities.

GEO Health Community of Practice - Through the GEO Health Community of Practice, ECCC and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) contribute expertise in heat, air quality, and vector-borne diseases to improve global knowledge. This includes sharing best practices in monitoring and response capacity to better manage health-related risks. In 2024, ECCC contributed to a workshop during AmeriGEO Week that focused on how Canada leverages Earth observation for air quality applications. Discussion included data products for air quality and smoke forecasting (fire detection), pollutant emission studies, and ozone data assimilation for forecast models. Through participation, Canada gains international expertise and best practices that can inform national products and programs that support health, safety, and the environment.

LACI - In partnership with the AmeriGEO Community and GEO’s Disaster Risk Reduction, Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is co-leading an activity with Jamaican partners under the Enhancing Capacity for Climate Risk Assessment and Catalyzing Partnerships to Inform Decisions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LACI) initiative. LACI is grounded in co-design to promote partnership building, peer-to-peer learning and training, and data synthesis and analysis to advance climate science, climate policy, and urban climate resilience. Outcomes from this work could inform national disaster risk reduction efforts in other Latin America and Caribbean regional cooperatives, other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and similar communities.

Canada’s many contributions to the GEO community — regionally and internationally — have supported global advancements in the use of Earth observations for decision-making. Canada continues to leverage GEO’s collaborative initiatives, shared resources, and knowledge exchange opportunities to benefit global, regional, and local goals.

The private sector can play an important role in the GEO community by providing innovative solutions to support the implementation of GEO’s Post 2025 Strategy. Canada continues to advocate for active industry involvement in GEO at the national and global level for the benefit of all.