From GCI towards a GEOSS Platform to better serve data users

The latest progress on implementation of the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS) was highlighted at GEO Week 2017, during the 14th Plenary of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Washington, DC.

In the current era of big data, the number of Earth observation resources is growing exponentially. Despite the existence of more data, users often can't find or connect to the resources they need for their work and decision making.

In response to this challenge, the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) connects users with over 400 million Earth observation resources from over 5,000 data providers, all accessible through a single portal. These numbers continue to grow as more data providers make their data and information discoverable through the GCI.

In order to better serve data users, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Research Council of Italy (CNR –IIA) are working in close collaboration with the GEO Secretariat, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the University of Geneva to move the GCI towards a ‘GEOSS Platform', which will house customisable instruments and services for diverse user communities.