Call for a host for the 5th GEO Blue Planet Symposium!

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Blue Planet Initiative invites government agencies, research institutions and NGOs to submit an expression of interest to host the 5th GEO Blue Planet Symposium.

Submission Deadline: November 1, 2019

About GEO Blue Planet

We live on a blue planet, and Earth’s waters benefit many sectors of society. The future of our Blue Planet is increasingly reliant on the services delivered by marine, coastal and inland waters and on the advancement of effective, evidence- based decisions on sustainable development. GEO Blue Planet is a network of ocean and coastal-observers, social scientists and end-user representatives from a variety of stakeholder groups, including international and regional organizations, NGOs, national institutes, universities and government agencies. GEO Blue Planet aims to ensure the sustained development and use of ocean and coastal observations for the benefit of society.

GEO Blue Planet’s mission is to:

  • advance and exploit synergies among the many observational programmes devoted to ocean and coastal waters;
  • improve engagement with a variety of stakeholders for enhancing the timeliness, quality and range of services delivered; and
  • raise awareness of the societal benefits of ocean observations at the public and policy levels.

About GEO Blue Planet Symposiums

GEO Blue Planet hosts symposia every one to two years in different regions for the purpose of increasing regional linkages, promoting linkages between stakeholders and the observing community and gathering community feedback on the focus of GEO Blue Planet activities.

4th GEO Blue Planet Symposium – Toulouse, France, 2018

The 4th GEO Blue Planet Symposium was held from July 4 – 6, 2018 in Toulouse, France. The symposium was hosted by Mercator Ocean, member of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative and entrusted by the European Commission to operate the EU Copernicus Marine Service. This was the largest symposium to date with attendance of 300 delegates from international organisations and networks, research scientists, government agencies, various industries, ocean science communicators and graduate students. For additional information, see the symposium report.

3rd GEO Blue Planet Symposium – College Park, MD, USA, 2017

The 3rd Blue Planet Symposium was held in College Park, Maryland, USA from 31 May to 2 June 2017. The symposium was co-hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Maryland and the University System of Maryland Foundation.

2nd GEO Blue Planet Symposium – Cairns, Australia, 2015

The second Blue Planet symposium for the GEO marine Task SB-01 “Oceans and Society: the Blue Planet” was held in Cairns, Australia from 27 to 29 May 2015. The symposium was co-organised by CSIRO and POGO.

Kick-off Symposium – Ilhabela, Brazil, 2012

A kick-off symposium for the new GEO marine Task SB-01 “Oceans and Society: the Blue Planet” was held in Ilhabela, São Paulo State, Brazil, from November 19 to 21, 2012. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), GEO, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and POGO and took place just prior to the GEO-IX Plenary, held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil (November 22 and 23, 2012).

Symposium Host Responsibilities

  • Coordinate with the GEO Blue Planet Secretariat on development of the program
  • Provide local organizing support
  • Support linkages with local stakeholders

Selection Criteria

  • Geographic location (Africa or Asia preferred)
  • Capacity to provide local organizing staff support.
  • Ability to provide funds for the venue, logistics and speaker travel or to seek and manage funding from financial sponsors.

Expressions of interest should be sent to info@geoblueplanet.org by November 1, 2019.

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