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Defra - Earth Observation Week - 13-15 November 2007
The Earth Observation and Innovation Team is pleased to invite you to participate in Earth Observation Week events from 13-15 November. Most events are open to all with some seminars requiring registration. If you would like to attend any of the events, please contact the EO Team so that security passes can be arranged.
What is Earth Observation Week?
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of space, the Defra Earth observation (EO) Team is organising a series of awareness raising events. These events are intended to demonstrate how EO technology, science and solutions are delivering tangible benefit to policy makers in Defra. The events planned also offer a means for technology and knowledge transfer to occur, relationships and networks to be formed, fitting with the aims of the EO Strategy, namely for Defra ‘to become an intelligent customer for EO products and services that meet our requirements’.
Plan for the week
Three days of events are planned around the emerging themes for the Defra EO strategy.
Day 1 (Tuesday 13 November): Earth observation science into policy
Since Earth observation science is fundamental to much of our current evidence base on critical global issues such as climate change, the day explores opportunities for using EO to inform policy. As well as a day of interactive exhibitions, there will be a series of speakers from 14.30 to 16.30 pm in the Atrium of Nobel House. The speakers include,
Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Advisor
Professor Chris Rapley, Science Museum Director
Dr Stephen Briggs, European Space Agency
David Williams, BNSC Director General
Professor Alan O’Neill, National Centre for EO Science Director
Ed Parsons, Google Geospatial Technologist
Day 2 (Wednesday 14 November): Earth observation for operational applications
The day explores ways in which Earth observation technologies and applications are beginning to help Defra and its delivery bodies on the ground. In addition to an interactive exhibition showcasing EO technology and commercial services, a series of seminars by staff from Defra, its network as well as external specialists will be held at Nobel House throughout the day. The morning seminars will be hosted in the Atrium:
10.00-11.00 Current uses of EO within Defra
11.15-12.30 New technology, techniques and services
14.00-14.30 Opportunities for exploitation of EO
The afternoon events (14.30-16.00) require registration and will include three parallel workshops exploring recent EO strategy work:
Room 809 Land observations: Biodiversity, ecosystems, agriculture statistics, waterloo quality
Conf. Room D Marine observations: Marine environment, water quality, flood risk management
Conf. Room E Atmosphere observations: Emissions inventory, ozone, aerosols
Day 3 (Thursday 15 November): Seeking behaviour change through the application of a new generation of virtual globe technologies (e.g., Google Earth or Microsoft’s Virtual Earth).
An interactive exhibition showcasing EO services will be held throughout the day in the Atrium. From 10.00 to 13.30, teams from across Defra as well as external Earth observation specialists will be demonstrating how EO and tools such as Google Earth are already helping us engage the public and support our objectives – this event will be hosted in Room 808 and requires registration.
To register for EO Week events or for further details please contact the team at EO.Team@DEFRA.GSI.GOV.UK
All events will be hosted at:
Nobel House
Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
