First EnerGEO Summerschool

Energy Resources - Demand & supply and the impact on biodiversity and ecosystems
 

The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is a coordinating and integrating network of Earth observing and information systems, contributed on a voluntary basis by Members and Participating Organizations of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The  vision for GEOSS is to realize a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information. The purpose of GEOSS is to achieve comprehensive, coordinated and sustained observations of the Earth system, in order to improve monitoring of the state of the Earth, increase understanding of Earth processes, and enhance prediction of the behaviour of the Earth system.  EnerGEO supports the implementation of the GEO Workplan, in particular for the Energy Societal Benefit Area.
In this context, the 1st EnerGEO Summer School is been organized in Salzburg, Austria, to coincide with the annual co-located meeting of the GEO Committees (12 – 14 September 2011) with the objective to explore synergies with committees and experts attending the Meeting. 

The program
The policy framework on regional and national levels will set the scene (day 1) for an overview of earth observation based methodologies to assess energy resources potentials and models to estimate demand & supply (day 2 and 3). With the focus on biomass energy, a fieldtrip (day 4) is been organized which provides insight into the EnerGEO biomass pilot area in Austria. Day 5 & 6 are dedicated to establish the indicators for impact assessment (on biodiversity and ecosystems), to explore the potential of the GEO-Portal for access to relevant data, and to confer with experts on energy and biodiversity/ecosystems monitoring. On the final day of the Summer School, the participants will present a set of recommendations for future research needs and policy actions for debate by a panel of GEO experts.
The methodology of the Summer School consists of lectures and practical lab sessions (day 1 – 3), fieldtrip (day 4), group work and discussion sessions (day 5 – 7).

For more information click here.

registration
The Summer School is limited to 15 participants. Please indicate your interest to participate by sending an e-mail to lisa.meingassner@sbg.ac.at and peter.zeil@sbg.ac.at. Registration closes at July 28, 2011. Your mail should contain the following information:
Full name, institution, present position, current research activities
In general it is expected that participants will cover the costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence from their own funds. A limited amount of funding may be provided through the EnerGEO project.
A website for the Summer School will be available soon.