2008 June

The introduction of geospatial technologies such as Google Earth™, Microsoft® Virtual Earth™, ESRI’s ArcGIS™ Explorer and other Earth visualization systems has greatly increased the number of computer users who think about geography and Earth Observations (EO).

By Peter B. De Selding, Berlin, Space News Staff Writer (June 9, 2008)

The mission of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is “to serve as a global forum for the collaboration of developers and users of spatial data products and services, and to advance the development of international standards for geospatial interoperability.”

Addressing the global issue of biodiversity loss, participants from all over the world recently gathered in Germany to attend the UN’s Convention of Biological Diversity Conference of Parties.

Whether for surface imagery, altimetry, studies of aerosols and clouds or recording the Earth’s magnetic field, satellites permit a global view of our Earth and in combination with more precise local in situ measurements offer enormous potential in understanding how the Earth ’system’ works from the planet’s core out to the stratosphere, helping us to manage our Earth.

2 June 2008.