Would we know how and when the Earth has changed forever?

This burning question is one of the potential themes proposed for the first SAEON Summit to be held from March 26 to 28 next year.

According to Johan Pauw, head of SAEON, the Summit will mainly be a forum for stakeholders to contribute to a core Earth observation science plan for SAEON, a complex task due to the multi-scale and multi-disciplinary nature of Earth observation.

Long term monitoring of the impact of fires is vital to define their complex role in the environment. Photo: © Johan Pauw

SAEON’s six primary observation themes have been defined as Water; Substrate/Sediments; Nutrient Cycling; Biodiversity; Disturbance; and Climate/Atmosphere. The first SAEON observation node, Ndlovu, has been established in the Lowveld Savannah. Other nodes aimed at the coordination of observation data and data products are in the pipeline. These include a fynbos node, coastal-inshore node and marine-offshore node.

What SAEON now requires is a basic core observation programme to link the different nodes conceptually and to allow for the detection and assessment of large-scale changes in important environmental parameters. Knowing where to expect to monitor dramatic environmental change would be just as important as monitoring a general but seemingly “small and slow” change such as a rise of 0,5°C in average daily temperature over ten years. Both can have far-reaching and irreversible consequences for the environment and society.

The first SAEON Summit is designed to initiate a process by means of which the Earth observation science and research community can contribute directly to the development and deployment of a core observation programme linking the SAEON nodes. Following the Summit a core observation plan will be drafted by a team of authors who may have to conduct discipline-based workshops with expert groups in areas where monitoring standards are still elusive.

Equally challenging is the continued development of the other two pillars on which SAEON is based: an information management system to link the different nodes with the user community, and an education-outreach programme that will maximise the scientific capacity building benefits to be obtained from creating direct links between the education system and a broad-based environmental science platform such as SAEON.

In essence the SAEON Summit will differ from other scientific conferences in that it will be focused on observation science, rather than research. Invited papers will deal with monitoring systems rather than fundamental science – on the road towards environmental monitoring by design and for a purpose.

A multi-disciplinary approach will investigate the role of various drivers, including some from a human sciences point of view (society interacting with nature), whether high impact (economic growth) or more subtle (for example HIV/Aids), whether large in scale or insidious. Some monitoring techniques will be relatively simple, whereas others could be highly complex, involving physical labour and costly equipment.

Insightful discussions during the Summit will assist in crystallising key issues, strategies and implementation plans to serve as a baseline for SAEON’s core function of environmental observation.

 
Summit programme

The first day of the SAEON Summit will be devoted to a context-setting series of invited plenary papers on a broad range of topics aimed at reviewing the status of local Earth observation and environmental monitoring systems, information management systems and environmental science education. These papers will be supported by a one-hour poster session where authors will interact with delegates.

The morning of the second day will be devoted to parallel workshops on the above three topics that represent SAEON’s core areas of activity. This will be followed by a plenary report-back session.

The main output from the Summit will be the publication of refereed invited papers in a bound volume of proceedings along with transcripts of the report-back session and the poster abstracts. This document should serve as a baseline for the SAEON science plan for many years to come.

How YOU can participate

A process has been initiated to invite papers from experts in various related disciplines from across South Africa in environmental observation, information management systems and environmental science education.

A call for posters will go out in due course to students, researchers and lecturers at tertiary institutions, science councils, government departments and independent research bodies who pursue Earth observation as part of their studies/daily work. The deadline for submission is 15 February 2006. Reviewers will be signed up to evaluate papers and posters.

SAEON partners will have the opportunity to exhibit literature for promotional purposes, and footage for audio-visual displays.

And last but not least, this is an invitation to YOU to participate in the Summit . YOUR input will inform the mandate, way forward and ultimate success of South Africa ’s Earth observation programme which, due to its link to GEOSS, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, will contribute significantly to global Earth observation and will inform global policies aimed at protecting and preserving life on our planet.