(SAR) to Support Agricultural Monitoring 2 - Group on Earth ...

International GEO Workshop on <strong>SAR</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring
Don Ball then gave instructions for the breakout sessions. The discussions of Scientific and
Operational issues were combined in<strong>to</strong> one session of three hours, while the discussion of
Capacity Building and Transition <strong>to</strong> Operations <strong>to</strong>ok place for ninety minutes on Wednesday
afternoon. The breakout groups were asked <strong>to</strong> fill out Table 1.
Table 1 Recommended Approach <strong>to</strong> Breakout Sessions
Challenge Solution Action/ Next Steps Owner / Lead
(What is discouraging
greater use of <strong>SAR</strong>
data)
(High level or
strategic step(s) <strong>to</strong>
overcome the
challenge)
(The first few specific
or tactical steps <strong>to</strong>
implement the
solution)
16
(Class of stakeholders
who could undertake
the action(s) e.g.
governments, data
providers,
universities, …)
In order <strong>to</strong> build a Recommended Approach, the groups were asked <strong>to</strong> identify the key
challenges (fac<strong>to</strong>rs which discourage greater use of <strong>SAR</strong>) and for each challenge what are
the main solutions (high level or strategic step(s) <strong>to</strong> overcome the challenge) and the main
actions or next steps (the first few specific or tactical steps <strong>to</strong> implement the solution). The
groups were also asked, time permitting, for each action <strong>to</strong> identify recommended owner or
lead (class of stakeholders who could undertake the action(s) e.g. governments, data
providers, universities, …). The owner / lead was specifically not supposed <strong>to</strong> be an
individual nor a specific organization, but rather a class of stakeholders.
The breakout groups were divided according <strong>to</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring applications:
• Crop Production
• Water Availability
• Land Management.
Workshop participants were given the choice of which application category they would like
<strong>to</strong> join. The workshop organizers felt that the groups might consider different fac<strong>to</strong>rs,
depending on which of these application categories they related most closely <strong>to</strong>.
To facilitate the process of identifying key challenges/ solution/ actions, participants were
provided with the ideas that were included in the survey. <strong>Group</strong>s were encouraged <strong>to</strong> build
these ideas and provide innovative ideas not covered by the survey results.