Mark your Calendars!  World Lake Day is on August 27th of each year. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly designated this date to annually raise awareness about the importance of lakes and to encourage activities to educate the public . You can read the UN declaration here.

The GEO Secretariat announces the GEO Global Forum 2025, taking place in Rome, Italy, from 5–9 May 2025. Below, you will find four key actions supporting your participation in this important event. We look forward to welcoming you to Rome for the GEO Global Forum 2025, as we celebrate 20 years of GEO and shape the future of Earth Intelligence together.  If you have any questions regarding registration or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.  Additional information is provided following the bulleted actions below.

·         Participant Registration – Deadline: March 31, 2025 

·         Expression of interest for Community Events – Deadline: January 31, 2025 

·         Expression of interest for Exhibits – Contact information below; Deadline to be announced at a later date 

·         Request for financial support to attend the GEO Global Forum 2025  – Deadline: February 15, 2025 

The week-at-a-glance, further details on the call for proposals for Community Events and exhibitor booths, as well as logistical information can be found on the GEO Global Forum 2025 website.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Please register to attend the GEO Global Forum 2025 through your GEO Account here (if you do not have an account, please create one). The registration is open to all individuals in the GEO Community and will close on 31 March 2025.

For GEO Member Countries and Participating Organizations, a separate email will be sent in January 2025 with instructions on how to designate your official delegation. Official delegates represent their respective Member country or Participating Organization at the GEO Plenary. Please note all participants are required to complete the registration process.

Registered participants will be able to view their status on the registration platform. Please verify with your GEO Principal or GEO Focal Point if in doubt or if the information is not accurate.

IMPORTANT: Rome celebrates its Jubilee Year in 2025, and hotel availability is expected to be limited throughout the year. We therefore urge you to make your arrangements for accommodation as soon as possible. A list of recommended accommodation options will be made available on the website later this week.

Expression of Interest for Community Events: APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!  In the run-up to the Plenary and Ministerial Segment, the collective capabilities and achievements in delivering actionable Earth Intelligence solutions will be showcased through a series of community-led events on 5 and 6 May, alongside four days of exhibition.

Community Events, formerly known as Side Events, are a highlight of the GEO Global Forum’s first two days. Popular among participants, they draw a diverse audience, including GEO Plenary delegates, Work Programme contributors, private sector representatives, and other key stakeholders, fostering broad engagement across the GEO community.  

To apply for a Community Event, please indicate your interest via the registration process by 31 January 2025.

Expression of Interest for Exhibits: APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! Exhibits at GEO Global Forum showcase innovative technologies, tools and methodologies for monitoring and analysing Earth’s systems. These booths often feature interactive displays demonstrating the use of Earth observation data and Earth intelligence solutions in addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster management. Exhibits are generally hosted by governments, research institutions and industry partners, and run throughout the week.

For further information on the available packages and pricing, please contact Ms Elisa Cannistraci – progettazione@arco-studio.net. Additional details will be included on the website in the new year.

Request for financial support to attend the GEO Global Forum 2025 : You can request invitational travel support to attend the GEO Global Forum 2025 during the registration process. The GEO Secretariat will prioritise financial support for individuals from lower-income countries from official delegations, including Principals, Alternates, and representatives of the Principals. This prioritisation will also take into account equity, diversity, and inclusion to ensure broad and balanced representation. Applications for invitational travel support will be accepted until 15 February 2025. 

 

The WWQA Modeling Workstream is conducting a review on the use of water quality indicators, and we highly value your expertise and perspective.  By participating in a brief questionnaire, you will help the workstream capture the collective insights of the WWQA community and shape the future direction of water quality indicators.

The questionnaire is quick and easy to complete.    Click here to participate

We sincerely appreciate your time and input. Thank you for supporting this important initiative.

GEO AquaWatch members and leaders Dr. Mortimer Werther, EAWAG, and Drs. Vagelis Spyrakos and Peter Hunter, of University of Stirling, and other coauthors have recently published a paper in Journal of Environmental Management entitled:

Are more data always better? – Machine learning forecasting of algae based on long-term observations

You can read the article here.

Do you have a success story or use case at the nexus of Indigenous knowledge, data sovereignty and earth observation? Consider the “Achieving Great Lakes Resilience through Indigenous People’s Ecological Knowledge, Observations and Data Sovereignty” of the IAGLR25 meeting for your abstract! Abstracts are due Dec 16th.   

Indigenous Knowledge, session 28:

Achieving resilience in any Great Lakes system requires the equitable inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, with further strength gained by recognizing their observations, data sovereignty, and the intrinsic value of their Indigenous knowledge. Addressing challenges and barriers to assessing water quality based on Indigenous knowledge and Earth observations has become a global priority to facilitate respectful information sharing with decision-makers for societal benefit. Networks such as MAGIK (Melding AquaWatch and Global Indigenous Knowledge) are exploring ways to combine Earth observation data with Indigenous Peoples’ Ecological Knowledge, which offers a deeper understanding of ecosystems beyond the scope of conventional Western science. This work has also underscored the importance of data sovereignty when information collected on Indigenous lands is made public.

In this session, we invite oral and poster presentations that share examples or case studies where Indigenous knowledge and Earth observations in Great Lakes systems, sustained engagement with Indigenous partners as equals, or cultural awareness and respect for data sovereignty were foundational to the success of national or regional resilience projects or programs.

Chaired by:
Yolanda López-Maldonado1, Merrie Beth Neely2, Jérôme Marty3, Anham Salyani4

1Indigenous Science, 2Global Science & Technology and GEO AquaWatch, 3International Association for Great Lakes Research, 4World Water Quality Alliance- UNEP

Find our more and SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACTS HERE