[ESIP-all] From the President -- REPLY REQUESTED

[T Yunck]

Dear ESIP Federation Colleagues and Friends:

We hope you are making plans to attend the Federation meeting this 
January 4-6 in Washington DC.  We're putting together an outstanding 
Technical Program and inaugurating a new "Policy Track" to better 
connect Federation Members with potential users of your products and 
services in government, non-profits, and industry.

The Policy Track is motivated in part by our desire to engage the 
Federation in the great challenge of responsible environmental 
stewardship, captured in our unofficial motto, "Achieving a 
Sustainable Planet."  We are all in one way or another involved in 
that defining effort of civilization, which is by no means assured of 
success.  We can multiply our effectiveness by working together to 
engage the government and private interests whose decisions and 
actions shape our environment -- bring to them the tools and 
information they need to better inform their decisions.

NASA recently issued a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) that 
identifies twelve "Applications of National Priority" for special 
attention by the Earth Science Mission Directorate.  Many of them 
involve environmental management of some kind.  The Twelve are: 
Agricultural Efficiency, Air Quality Management, Aviation, Carbon 
Management, Coastal Management, Disaster Management, Ecological 
Forecasting, Energy Preservation, Homeland Security, Invasive 
Species, Public Health, and Water Management.

In addition, the Working Group on Earth Observations recently issued 
its draft Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation 
System, identifying nine areas of Societal Benefit to be targeted by 
GEOSS - the Global Earth Observation System of Systems.  Six of these 
(Disasters, Agriculture, Human Health, Ecology, Water, Energy) 
coincide with NASA application areas while three (Weather, Oceans, 
Climate) are distinct.

For the Policy sessions at the winter meeting we plan to have 
presentations and panel discussions that identify networking 
opportunities with policy-makers in some of these critical areas of 
concern.  In preparing these sessions we would like to (1) identify 
representatives of outside agencies and other groups who help shape 
policy in these areas and bring them to the meeting, and (2) target 
Federation members who are active in one or more of these areas and 
engage them (you) in organizing and participating in the sessions.

With that in mind we have two simple requests:

1.  We're preparing a matrix correlating Federation Members against 
the 12 NASA National Applications priority areas and the three GEOSS 
areas not covered by the NASA list.  If you are a Federation PI or 
voting rep, please take 60 sec to reply to this email and place two 
XXs after the Applications below in which your ESIP has direct, 
immediate involvement, and one X after those you indirectly support 
(e.g., your data is used by others in those areas).  Leave the rest 
blank.  Use your judgment in distinguishing XX, X, and blank.

Weather
Climate
Oceans

Agricultural Efficiency
Air Quality Management
Aviation
Carbon Management
Coastal Management
Disaster Management
Ecological Forecasting
Energy Preservation
Homeland Security
Invasive Species
Public Health
Water Management

2.  Please reflect upon the outside user and policy-making 
organizations with which you do (or could do) business, particularly 
in the 15 areas on this list, and suggest any you feel can contribute 
to our Policy Track sessions.

Please reply directly to me and cc Carol Meyer at:

carol.meyer at earthsciencefoundation.org

Your active participation is essential to the success of these 
sessions.  We will be scouring the Member rolls (and roles), 
organizing the information, and calling upon many of you individually 
to engage this process.  We hope to expand and formalize these 
sessions over time to build a vital support network for bringing 
essential Earth and environmental science information directly to 
those who can put it to the most effective use.  Thank you all for 
your interest and patience.

Best wishes,

Tom Yunck, President
Richard C. Wertz, Executive Director

Foundation for Earth Science
3839 Calmes Neck Lane
Boyce, Virginia 22620
(540) 837-9613
(540) 837-9614 fax
(571) 437-6586 cell

-- 
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T. P. Yunck                 Ph: 818-354-3369
JPL, M/S 126-347            Fax: 818-393-5471
4800 Oak Grove Drive        e-mail: tpy at jpl.nasa.gov
Pasadena, CA  91109
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