1. Execute the Australian Earth Observation Community Plan – 2026, and provide community EO coordination that supports the goals of national space and EO agency(ies) policies;

  2. Enable agencies, businesses, companies, individuals and institutions involved in or dependent on EOS, to meet in a neutral context and location, to promote open discussion and sharing of knowledge, and where required develop national collaborations and coordination across the community;

  3. Identify and record current and planned activities and future EOS and derived data needs by all agencies, businesses, companies, individuals and institutions involved in or dependent on EOS, including development of national statements on EO research priorities;

  4. Contribute to the periodic update of national plans for the continuity of earth observation data, for operational and research purposes, and other relevant national activities such as the Attorney General’s Critical Infrastructure Program – Space Group,  and the anticipated rolling review of government EOS requirements;

  5. Based on the discussion of common EOS activities, and defined gaps in data, knowledge or ability to collect and process EOS data, foster joint activities to address these issues, including providing a forum out of which opportunities for public-private partnerships may arise;

  6. Identify potential duplication of EOS activities and seek remedies to reduce them and increase sharing of data, process and knowledge;

  7. Act as a forum to identify, prioritise and coordinate future multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional co-investments into ground and space-based EOS infrastructure (e.g. new calibration/validation facilities and programmes, new ground reception antennas, contributed new sensors on partner space-agencies, etc.);

  8. Identify training needs and higher levels skills and research leads to be used for guiding EOS activities in higher education;

  9. Establish a clear direction and pathway to private industry and government for research in the EOS sector, and development of appropriate research partnerships;

  10. To act as a coordinating and entry point for industry, government and research in Australia to EOS resources and activities;

  11. To provide reports on the above activities to the meetings or briefings for the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Government Earth Observation from Space Working Group (AGEOSWG), along with any other national Space or EO agency and to address their requirements for interacting with the EOS community.

Note: EOS in the above refers to Earth Observation Systems

Banner image: Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and calibration targets being deployed at the Warra site in Tasmania. Image provided by Dr Kasper Johansen.