GEO (Group on Earth Observations) is a partnership of governments and organizations that envisions a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations.

GEO membership includes 103 Member governments and 103 Participating Organizations comprised of international, regional, scientific, and technical bodies with a mandate in, and/or use of Earth observations.

Together, the GEO community is creating a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) that links Earth observation resources worldwide across multiple Societal Benefit Areas - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sustainability; Disaster Resilience; Energy and Mineral Resources Management; Food Security; Infrastructure & Transportation Management; Public Health Surveillance; Sustainable Urban Development; and Water Resources Management - and make those resources available for informed decision-making.

Priorities as a partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) will bring its experience and expertise in the areas of open data, data sharing and shared infrastructure to the Global Partnership discussions to help identify practical, sustainable solutions to the Sustainable Data challenge.

GEO’s experience over the past ten years in identifying the gaps in earth observations, data, information, the needs of user communities, and the solutions required brings a unique perspective to the Global Partnership and could result in building more successful approaches and ensuring less duplication of effort. By contributing its experience and expertise, GEO anticipates that the Global Partnership will take a more efficient and effective approach to its agenda and identify potential solutions that build on existing best practices. Evidence will include incorporation of elements, practices and policies of data sharing and broad, open-data principles, and data sharing infrastructure approaches with proven effectiveness, developed by GEO and other international data infrastructure initiatives into the proposed solutions presented by the Global Partnership to the UN General Assembly.

GEO has devoted its first decade to developing and advocating broad, open data and data sharing principles, as well as the innovative data infrastructure Discovery and Access Broker (DAB), across a range of environmental and societal areas of relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Finally, GEO will help populate and maintain the Data4SDGs Toolbox segment on Earth observations with how-to information and links useful to those creating measures of progress for the Global Goals at regional, national, and community scales.