Operators of commercial imaging satellites are supportive of an international effort to boost coordination in Earth observation but cannot be expected to donate services free of charge, industry officials said. The coordination effort in question is the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), a 10-year program conceived in 2003 to maximize the use of existing assets to change the way nations use Earth observation for purposes such as economic growth and environmental and disaster monitoring. Under the agreement, developed nations that launch Earth observation satellites will coordinate among themselves to fill gaps in the availability of specific types of sensors. The GEOSS charter was signed in January by nearly 60 nations, and the first organizational meeting is slated for May 2-4 in Geneva.
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