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

COSPAR fully supports GEO’s efforts to ensure global access to Earth science and climate-relevant Earth observation data from satellites. Achieving this requires high-level commitment to open data policies, robust data storage and distribution infrastructure, and the expertise to manage them. COSPAR encourages GEO to use its influence to realize this objective as far as possible.

COSPAR is committed to helping spread the relevant expertise through our Capacity Building program, supporting workshops initiated by Earth scientists in collaboration with local institutions in emerging countries. These Capacity Building workshops benefit from Open Access Data and other efforts GEO is making to improve the availability and use of Earth science data from space, and contributes to increasing participation of young people in the development of Earth Intelligence (GEO’s Post-2025 Strategy Goal n.4).

However, adequate data documentation remains a key issue, especially for newcomers to Earth observation. While open access is widely embraced, documentation is, in many cases still, neglected, incomplete or impractical. We recommend addressing this through peer-reviewed publications, which offer validated, lasting, and well-structured insights into datasets, their validation and their accuracy, while annexing data structures and formats in supplementary material.

Alongside GEO’s initiatives, promoting this publication-based approach to documentation would significantly enhance data utility for the scientific community and contribute meaningfully to global Earth science and climate research, and ensure legacy for the future generations.