When GEO developed the 2009-2011 Work Plan three years ago, it adopted an activity-driven
approach to structuring its work. This involved identifying existing activities and organizing them into
Overarching Tasks. As the conclusion of the 10-Year Implementation Plan comes into view, the focus
needs to shift to ensuring that the 2015 Strategic Targets are fully addressed.
This can best be achieved through a target-driven approach that looks forward to what an operational GEOSS should look like. The 2012-2015 Work Plan has therefore been designed to meet the objectives described in the “demonstrated by” bullet points of the Strategic Targets document (see “Related GEOSS Strategic Targets” section under each Task). As a result, the titles of the 26 Tasks presented in the new Work Plan correspond to high-level outcomes identified as being necessary to meet the Targets.
A set of one or more “Components” has also been defined for completing each Task and thus
addressing the Strategic Targets. These Components define priority actions and identify voluntary
contributions available for implementation. They are based on the inputs of the GEO community and
build directly on ongoing 2009-2011 sub-tasks and new proposals (see, under each Task, the “Related
2009-2011 Work Plan Tasks” and “New Proposals” sections).
The foregoing explanation is intended to assist the GEO community in understanding the transition
from the previous Work Plan to the new one. Once the new Work Plan is in place, it will offer a
simpler and more easy-to-understand structure than exists at present. This should facilitate the
completion of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan and the engagement of additional
contributors to, and users of, GEOSS. Read More
