Farming & Your Freedom

Tsunami, there's a word that has seared itself into the world's consciousness since December. The phenomenon is as old as the planet, but the devastation the recent waves caused is our only collective memory of asuch a vast tsunami. Scientists and engineers have stepped up to the plate to see what they can do to forecast these natural doomsdays.

Scientists have been working to develop something called a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, a long-winded way of saying, they think they can provide a more advanced warning of such disasters through science. The GEOSS aims to be a predictor, a system that can warn of impending natural disaster and the possibility of epidemic diseases, such as malaria, and even West Nile or the dreaded SARS virus.

For agriculture such a system of systems could be of great importance in predicting weather patterns and other natural "happenings" that affect the fortunes of the world's farmers.

During the next ten years or so, scientists will work to develop the GEOSS by enlisting the help of as many nations as possible to maker the resulting system truly worldwide in concept and reality. While God may look down on our world, we will, quite soon, be looking right back--so to speak!

GEOSS has developed out of a summit hosted by the U.S. in 2003 called the Earth Observation Summit, which brought together 33 nations and the European Commission, all of whom were asked to make a political commitment to development of what has evolved into GEOSS. A year later, another summit in Japan saw 50 nations adopt a ten-year implementation schedule for GEOSS.

Basically, the system will tie together all of the other systems we have for weather and climate observation, utilizing new hardware and software and making all of it compatible worldwide. The system of systems would provide all of its data to member nations free of charge.

According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fact sheet, GEOSS could give us a world in which:

• You can forecast next winter's weather months in advance;

• Predict where and when malaria and other vicious viral diseases are likely to strike;

• Reduce U.S. energy costs by nearly $1 billion annually;

• Effectively monitor forest fires and predict the effect of air quality on sensitive populations--in real time;

• Provide farmers with immediate forecasts to help maximize crop yields; and

• Predict the pattern of the North American monsoon, from which, for instance, Arizona derives two-thirds of its water each year.

The challenge, scientists say, is to bring together all of the world's existing data indicators and tie them into the GEOSS. There are thousands of free-floating and moored buoys around the world in the oceans and seas, thousands of land-based facilities and over 50 environmental satellites up there, all providing millions of data sets, and most of these techno wonders do not talk to each other. But they will when GEOSS comes to town!

It is nice to know that the U.S. is spearheading the GEOSS effort and leading the effort around the world, in an unusual collaboration of 15 federal agencies (you know how hard that is!) and several White House offices. They have been developing something called the Draft Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System.

The EPA believes the vast new mother-of-all-systems will benefit society in general through improved weather forecasting, reduction of life and property loss from disasters (Hosannas from the insurance industry, no doubt!), protect and monitor the two-thirds of the earth that are oceanic, understand and predict climate variability and sudden change, and support sustainable agriculture and forestry, while combating degradation of land resources. Management of energy and water resources will also be huge societal benefits.

While GEOSS will protect life and limb and help predict natural disaster, like everything else, there is a bottom line to consider. No matter what it costs, the system of systems will improve the effort to save money that is spent annually on weather and climate-related problems. Here in America, that amounts to $3 trillion. Yup.

I'll see ya!