On October 23rd 2017, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. GEO delegation organized a side-event at the GEO Week to announce funding for projects that will directly support and advance the GEO Work Programme. In total, 32 projects were selected for a total investment of $17,2 million over 4 years. Seven of the funded projects will be directly contributing to GEO BON’s activities, with an eighth proposal, within the AmeriGEOSS component of GEO, supporting the development of the “Pole to Pole Marine BON”. These projects are an example of the continued strong support from the U.S. Government for GEO BON and will make major contributions to (1) the development of Essential Biodiversity Variables, (2) capacity building tools and the development of BON in a Box, and (3) the enhancement of existing national, regional, and thematic BONs.
The funded projects are the following:
- Laying the foundations of the Pole-to-Pole Marine Biodiversity Observation Network of the Americas. Enrique Montes, University Of South Florida-Tampa [within AmeriGEOSS: https://www.amerigeoss.org/]
- Expanding Wallace biodiversity modeling software to support national biodiversity change indicator calculations for GEO BON assessment and reporting. Mary Blair, American Museum Of Natural History
- Activities to advance, build, and deliver remote-sensing supported species distribution and species abundance EBVs. Walter Jetz, Yale University
- Improving Linkages Between Earth Observations and Ecosystem Service Models with Essential Biodiversity Variables. Gretchen Daily, Stanford University
- Dynamic seascapes to support a biogeographic framework for a global marine biodiversity observing network. Maria Kavanaugh, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Integration of Earth observations for decision making on biodiversity management and conservation in Colombia: Consolidation of the Colombian BON. Victor Gutierrrez- Velez, Temple University
- Ecosystem Functional Diversity of the Circumpolar Arctic. Howard Epstein, University of Virginia
- Quantifying Forest Vertical Structure Using Spaceborne Lidar: An Application in Colombia. Patrick Jantz, Northern Arizona University
You can watch the award ceremony hosted by NASA following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9q9F85gsZs&index=5&list=PLCOcU8-SEsU0v4Gc_sGcLQhdytIFBBnts