The GEOSS User Requirements Registry

Gary Foley, EPA; Hans-Peter Plag, University of Nevada, Reno; Gregory Ondich, Justin Kaufman, and Ric Blackman, SCG, Inc.

To achieve its goal to be user-driven, building the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) must be guided by a set of explicitly known user needs. At the core of GEOSS is the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI), which includes registries that enable users of Earth observations (EOs) to search, discover, access, and use the data and services available through GEOSS. Three of these registries focus primarily on the contributors to GEOSS. The fourth registry, the User Requirements Registry (URR), is a database for the collection, sharing, and analysis of user needs and EO requirements. The URR also provides a means for efficient dialog between users and providers. The URR is a comprehensive database describing an array of user data, such as user types, applications, requirements, research needs, and technology needs. The novel concept fo the URR is in the information captured in the Links form, where relationships between entries in the other forms can be published, including descriptions of the societal benefits of the link and implementation status. Submitted by: Gregory Ondich, SCG, [email protected]