Short Notice Invite: Access to Earth Observation Data - Industry Panel - Oct. 27 in DC

[Art Botterell <acb@incident.com>]

Friends -

(Just got off the phone with the conference coordinator and got a  
broader picture of what we're doing next week.)

Basically, the multi-agency federal team that's working on an  
architecture for integrating and sharing earth observation (i.e.,  
mainly, satellite) data is reaching out to the private sector for  
insights on their desires and requirements for a data sharing  
architecture.

On the morning of Thursday, October 27th they'll be conducting a set  
of industry panels to brief the participants on various topics, as  
part of a workshop at the Reagan Building in downtown Washington DC.   
These briefings will be stimulus for participant working groups, and  
the results will feed into federal and international (the U.S.  
Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS) and the Global Earth  
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) architectures.

The panel I've been asked to assemble was entitled "Geo-Referenced  
Emergency Alerting," but I've persuaded the conference coordinator  
that we need also to look at the various emergency decision-support  
and analysis applications that could link observation data to (among  
other things) warning decisions and dissemination.

So... in that broader context... I'm looking for about four panelists  
who could talk to these assembled earth observation data officials  
and contractors for about twenty minutes each, to review from their  
perspectives:

>     * The current state-of-the-practice
>     * Key enablers (technologies, policies, processes...)
>     * Key issues and constraints
>     * Areas that have potential leverage (lots of bang for the buck)

Quoting from the conference announcement:

> The purpose of the Industry Panels is to provide the opportunity  
> for attendees to hear and comment on the ideas and insights of key  
> stakeholders prior to the deliberations of the working groups.  The  
> panels should also provide a board overview of the subject area for  
> attendees who are unfamiliar with it.

In short, this is an important opportunity for any of us who hope to  
enhance our products and services with earth observation data to help  
write the rules of the game.

I realize this is sort notice... and no, there's no travel money (I'm  
eating this one myself)... but if your firm might be able to  
participate in this panel, please drop me a note off-list ASAP.  I'd  
like to have the list of participants firmed up in the next few days.

Thanks!

- Art