The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) serves as a focal point for international coordination of the satellite Earth Observation (EO) programs of the world's government agencies, along with agencies that receive and process data acquired remotely from space. As the “space arm” of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO), CEOS is promoting exchange of data while implementing high priority actions to optimize societal benefit and inform decision making for securing a prosperous and sustainable future for humankind.

A new generation of EO satellites creates significant volumes of data with comprehensive global coverage that for many important applications, a ‘lack of data’ will no longer be the limiting factor. Recent research and development activities have resulted in new applications that offer significant potential to deliver impact to important environmental, economic and social challenges, including at the regional and global scales necessary to tackle ‘the big issues’.

Many satellite data users, particularly those in developing countries, lack the expertise, infrastructure and internet bandwidth to efficiently and effectively access, process, and utilize the growing volume of space-based data for local, regional, and national decision-making. Furthermore, even sophisticated users of EO data typically invest a large proportion of their effort into data preparation. This is a major barrier to full and successful utilization of space-based data, and threatens the success of major global and regional initiatives supported by CEOS. As data volumes grow, this barrier is becoming more significant for all users.

New architectures and players are removing obstacles to data uptake with advanced cloud storage and processing capabilities.

CEOS is currently performing a study of future data access and analysis architectures. One major outcome of the study will be a report listing recommendations for the way forward for CEOS and its agencies, including in relation to standardisation, interoperability etc, and how the current CEOS priorities might benefit from the proposed activities.

The Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS) is a subsidiary body of CEOS tasked with promoting collaboration in the development of systems and services that manage and supply these observatory data. WGISS creates and demonstrates prototypes supporting CEOS and GEO requirements. WGISS also addresses the internal management of EO data, the creation of information systems and the delivery of interoperable services. The activities and expertise of WGISS span the full range of the information life cycle from the requirements and metadata definition for the initial ingestion of satellite data into archives through to the incorporation of derived information into end-user applications.

Through WGISS, CEOS is harmonizing the aspects of data systems necessary to facilitate interoperability.

WGISS will continue to work towards a common understanding of the information model for satellite data, the identification and testing of common search criteria for satellite data products, and adaption and testing of the common standards and protocols to describe, search, and access satellite data.

WGISS recognizes that existing Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) play an important role in EO applications in many societal benefit areas. WGISS anticipates the evolution of future data system architectures and SDIs are effective tools to support the activities related to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations (UN).