GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASES FROM CEOS AGENCIES 
J.L. Faundeen * *, I Petiteville ", D. Clark ©, T. Fisher “ 
* U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD 57198 USA - faundeen@usgs.gov 
? European Space Agency, ESRIN, via G. Galilei, CP 64, 00044, Frascati, Italy - Ivan.Petiteville(@esa.int 
* National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA/NESDIS, 325 Broadway, Code E/GCxl, Boulder, CO 80303 USA - 
David.M.Clark@noaa.gov 
d Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, 588 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0Y7 Canada - Terry.Fisher(Zrogers.com 
KEY WORDS: Global Environmental-Databases, Satellite, Remote Sensing, Atmosphere, Land, 
Oceans, Environment, International. 
ABSTRACT: 
The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is an international organization charged with coordinating international civil 
spaceborne missions designed to observe and study planet Earth. Comprising 44 space agencies and other national and international 
organizations, CEOS is recognized as the major international forum for the coordination of Earth observation satellite programs and 
for the interaction of these programs with users of satellite data worldwide. 
CEOS was created in 1984 in response to a recommendation from the Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations Working 
Group on Growth, Technology, and Employment’s Panel of Experts on Satellite Remote Sensing. This group recognized the 
multidisciplinary nature of satellite Earth observation and the value of coordination across all proposed missions. 
The CEOS members collect, maintain, apply. and make available data from space missions that encompass the atmospheric, 
terrestrial, and oceanographic fields. Collectively, these members possess petabytes of Earth observation data critical to 
understanding the Earth environment. Uses include monitoring oil slicks, evaluating human-induced changes to the atmosphere, 
determining mineral exploration areas, assessing the environmental effects of volcanic eruptions, measuring the growth of urban 
areas, determining where landscapes have changed because of urban growth trends, improving the efficiency of fishing as a world 
food stock, monitoring pest infestation, managing crop production, predicting climate and weather, and numerous other applications 
vital to industry, national infrastructures, and the world as a whole. 
The vast amount of satellite obtained, environmental data the CEOS members possess represents a fertile resource for researchers 
worldwide to exploit. 
1. INTRODUCTION participants.” As a partial response to this guidance, the 
authors abstract and group within atmospheric, terrestrial and 
oceanographic scientific fields, the EO holdings offered by 
CEOS membership includes civil agencies and non- the CEOS participants. Within those fields we provide a 
governmental organizations from around the world.' Several description of the specific types of data in conjunction with 
CEOS participants manage and provide Earth observation data parameters such as temporal and spatial characteristics. 
(EO) data products. A recent report commissioned by the We also describe access means for each data provider letting 
CEOS Plenary directed the CEOS Working Group on interested researchers seek further information or obtain data 
Information Systems and Services (WGIS) to seek ways to for their project use. 
improve the utilization of EO data managed by CEOS 
  
Corresponding author. 
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