Terrestrial Carbon Observation (TCO) panel

The TCO initiative was started in 1999 by the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P) in response to the policy and scientific communities need for carbon cycle data. Spatial and temporal distribution of carbon sources and sinks in the terrestrial biosphere is needed for countries to make informed decisions about limiting the introduction of CO2 into the atmosphere. A number of observations are needed to understand terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes, including: land cover and land use history; net primary productivity; fire and biomass; atmospheric fluxes; and soil carbon.

The Prague 2002 workshop is the first step in the implementation of the Terrestrial Carbon Observation (TCO) initiative. The workshop meets the need of TCO to identify and access various types of terrestrial data sets and establish strong collaborative scientific links at the regional level.

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) regional programme

GTOS Regional programmes build collaboration among research sites, and international and national organizations. This allows regional and global data gaps to be identified and filled but also increases the free exchange of data needed for developing and implementing national, regional and global programmes.

Data Management (Dynamic Atlas)

The survey carried out by GTOS on environmental information systems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has revealed that despite the vast range of environmental data routinely collected in the region and the considerable amount of resources dedicated to this purpose, users of environmental information have difficulty accessing the data, especially in a regional context. The survey concluded there is a clear need, at both the national and regional level, for environmental information management and systems that facilitate access and exchange of data.

GTOS activities are intended to facilitate the management and exchange of environmental information horizontally (between disciplines and nations) and vertically (from the national scale to the regional and global scale) in CEE. During the workshop the importance of information publishing and access was highlighted and training in the use of the FAO Dynamic Atlas software was provided.