GEO AQ Community of Practice: Resources

Main ESIP page >> Main AQ Work Group page >> GEO AQ Community of Practice: Role, Mission, Objectives

Community of Practice as suggested by GEO

Definition

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a user-led community of stakeholders, from providers to the final beneficiaries of Earth observation data and information, with a common interest in specific aspects of societal benefits to be realized by GEOSS implementation.

Objectives

Each CoP will have slightly different objectives, however common objectives will include:

• Identify, gather, and seek agreement on their particular user community requirements;
  • GEO Task US0901a collects EO needs from users and makes explicit statement to "Wherever possible, the Advisory Groups involve members of the GEO Communities of Practice."
• Provide a forum for cooperation of activities where GEOSS adds value to existing initiatives, to identify linkages and opportunities for collaborative strategic and technical projects and to coordinate the delivery of some GEOSS targets to enable the realization of societal benefits
• Report on progress and provide updates to the User Interface Committee, GEO and other stakeholder communities as appropriate;
• Advise the User Interface Committee, other CoPs and GEO on matters relating to their particular area of interest or societal benefit, and on cross-cutting issues of interest to the CoP.
• Provide an informal point of contact for members or other jurisdictions on the specific benefit or interest area that affect more than one organization;

Participants

Each Community of Practice should include representatives from GEO Members, Participating Organizations and any other stakeholders that have similar interests, goals, and or objectives - working closely together to create a forum for efficient and effective intelligence and advice to be provided to GEO for the successful implementation of GEOSS. Both developing and developed countries will be represented.

Active, GEO-recognized CoPs

• Biodiversity Observation Network
• Coastal Zone Community of Practice
• Energy Community of Practice
• Agricultural Monitoring System

Other Views of Communities of Practice

Wikipedia Definition: Community of Practice The concept of a community of practice (often abbreviated as CoP) refers to the process of social learning that occurs and shared sociocultural practices that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals.

Other pages on DataFed wiki about CoPs

GEO AQ Community of Practice Evolution

• Dec 2005: AQ Cluster Forms at ESIP Winter Meeting (ESIP AQ Cluster History)
• May 2008: GEOSS UIC Plenary, Toronto - plenary session declared that it would be desirable to create an Air Quality GEOSS Community of Practice.
• July 2008: ESIP Summer Meeting, AQ Cluster meeting - Gary Foley encouraged the ESIP AQ cluster to be the starting point for the evolving Air Quality GEOSS Community of Practice.
  • At 2008 Summer meeting, ESIP AQ Cluster members have expressed interest in being the starting point of the GEOSS AQ Community of Practice. Further decision required.
• May 2009: ISRSE meeting AQ and GEOSS session highlighted potential participants, issues and need for AQ Community of Practice and need for better connection between EU and US.
  • David McCabe, EPA, USA: The GEO Air Quality Community of Practice: From Observations to Decision Support (.ppt) paper submitted to ISRSE (.doc)
• June 2009: Frascati meeting to connect EU-US AQ network.