Publications & Key Documents

Thematic Observing Strategies

CEOS coordination activities span a wide range of thematic areas and have over the years produced a number of milestone strategy documents. This page provides a summary overview of these thematic observing strategies and provides links to the relevant documents for reference.

Thematic Area	Title
Atmosphere	Monitoring Surface PM2.5:An International Constellation Approach to Enhancing the Role of Satellite Observations Greenhouse Gas Roadmap Issue 1 (2020) Greenhouse Gas Roadmap Issue 2 (2024) Geostationary Air Quality Constellations Validation Strategy (2019) Greenhouse Gas White Paper (2018) Geostationary Air Quality Constellation (2011)
Carbon	CEOS Strategy for Carbon Observations from Space (2014)
Climate	CEOS Global Stocktake Strategy (2021) Lessons Learned and Recommendations from Space Agencies’ Support for the First Global Stocktake (2025) Essential Climate Variable Inventory Analyses (2018) Space Agency Response to GCOS IP (2018) Space Agency Response to 2022 GCOS IP (2025) ECV Inventory Gap Analysis Report (2024) WGClimate Coordinated Action Plan (2024)
Cross-Cutting	Sustainable Development Goals Data Supply Analysis and Strategy (2020) CEOS Analysis Ready Data (CEOS-ARD) & Product Family Specifications (PFS) CEOS Ecosystem Extent Task Team White Paper V1.1 – Space-based Earth Observation and Ecosystem Extent: Exploring Opportunities CEOS Statements to the Group on Earth Observations (2022, 2023, 2025)
Disasters	CEOS Working Group on Disasters Strategy Paper Promoting Space Data for Disaster Risk Management (2020)
Land	CEOS AFOLU Roadmap (2023) Land Sector Emissions: CEOS AFOLU Discussion Paper (2020) Agriculture: CEOS Response to GEOGLAM Requirements (2019) Forests: Space Data Strategy for GFOI (2011)
Ocean	International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team-led Document on Applications (20xx) International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group-led Document on Aquatic Carbon Strategy (2022) Updated Vision for Ocean Surface Topography (2022) Next-Generation Sea Surface Temperature Constellation (2020) 15 Year Vision for Ocean Surface Topography (2009)
Water Cycle	Global Satellite Precipitation Constellation: Status & Requirements (2021) Feasibility Study for an Aquatic Ecosystem Earth Observing System (2018) CEOS Strategy for Water Observations from Space (2015)

Best Practices and Guidelines

CEOS Working Groups, Virtual Constellations and Ad Hoc Teams bring together world-leading experts in Earth observation. Over the years these teams have produced numerous best practice and guideline documents for a wide range of topics and they are presented here for the reference of the community.

Working Group	Title
WGISS	Data Stewardship EO Preserved Data Set Content EO Data Preservation Guidelines CEOS Persistent Identifier Best Practice Generic Earth Observation Data Set Consolidation Process Long Term Preservation of Earth Observation Space Data:  Preservation Workflow (Glossary of Acronyms and Terms) CEOS Technical Content and Associated Information Preservation Best Practice Measuring EO Data Usage Best Practice Shared Collection Lifecycle Management Principles for Earth Observation Data Data Discovery and Access WGISS CDA OpenSearch Client Guide v1.0.1 CEOS OpenSearch Best Practice CEOS OpenSearch Developer Guide WGISS CDA Error Handling Guide v1.0 WGISS FedEO Data Partner Guide-OpenSearch v1.1 WGISS CWIC Data Partner Guide-OpenSearch v1.0 WGISS CWIC Data Partner Guide for CSW v1.0 CEOS Service Discovery Best Practice v1.1 CEOS EO Collection and Granule Discovery Best Practices with STAC v1.0.1 Other Resources Data Interoperability and Use CEOS Interoperability Terminology Interoperability Handbook (Feb 2008, v1.1) Other Resources Technology Exploration AI/ML White Paper (living document) Jupyter Notebooks Best Practice v1.1 Other Resources
WGCV	Land Product Validation Subgroup Validation Protocols Aboveground Woody Biomass Soil Moisture Albedo Land Surface Temperature Leaf Area Index Infrared and Visible Optical Sensors Subgroup (IVOS) Good Practice Guidelines for UAV-based Surface Reflectance Validation Atmospheric Composition Subgroup (ACSG) Best Practice Protocol For The Validation Of Aerosol, Cloud, And Precipitation Profiles
WGCapD	Capacity Building & Data Democracy Training: Methods & Best Practices CEOS Webinar Creation Guide Writing Learning Objectives Guide Conducting a Needs Assessment Guide Promoting CEOS Webinars Guide
LSI-VC	CEOS Analysis Ready Data (CEOS-ARD) & Product Family Specifications (PFS) CEOS-ARD Website CEOS-ARD Strategy 2024 Synthetic Aperture Radar A Layman’s Interpretation Guide to L-band and C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar Data (v3.0, 2023) [PDF] [Google Colab Notebook] Interoperability CEOS Interoperability Terminology WGISS Interoperability Handbook (Feb 2008, v1.1)

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