Societal Benefit Areas
Encyclopedia
The Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) are nine environmental fields of interest around which the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) project is exerting its efforts. These include: Agriculture
, Biodiversity
, Climate
, Disasters, Ecosystems, Energy
, Health
, Water
, and Weather
around which a preliminary hierarchical vocabulary has been created. Each area has some related fields (fifty-eight in total) of interest addressed as subcategories that specialise the goals of the entire project, the focus of the subcategories being mainly the relation between environmental issues and human activity and health.
One of the aims of GEOSS is to implement a proper system of earth monitoring and to render information deriving from this process available to a global range of users. Currently, the hierarchical vocabulary structuring these societal benefit categories and their subcategories are available only in English. However, translations have been created for French, Spanish and Italian versions by Claudia Cialone and Kristin Stock of the Centre for Geospatial Science (CGS) at the University of Nottingham, UK, with input from a number of people from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
(CNR) in Italy, the University of Zaragoza and the European Union Joint Research Centre (JRC). Translations have also been accomplished for a Slovenian version of the SBAs by the Biotehnical faculty of the University of Ljubljana
, SI.
, sea
and lake
ice, floods, volcanic eruptions
, wildland fires etc.
and injury
and so forth.
& gas
exploration
, refining and transport
operations, renewable energy
operations, global energy
management
etc.
and the consequent human adaptation to it. It therefore includes activities of understanding, assessment, mitigation of the climatic conditions of our planet.
, fisheries and habitat
, telecommunication
and navigation
, predictions
etc.
or forestry
dominating the terrestrial and hydrographical ecosystems. It is also thought to register and monitor any possible change in natural ecosystem cycles such as the carbon cycle
.
systems, the economic trade of agricultural products, for monitoring the global condition of food
including the prevention of desertification
.
of species
and more generally on the natural resources of the different ecosystems and the services available for their conservation.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, Climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
, Disasters, Ecosystems, Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, and Weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
around which a preliminary hierarchical vocabulary has been created. Each area has some related fields (fifty-eight in total) of interest addressed as subcategories that specialise the goals of the entire project, the focus of the subcategories being mainly the relation between environmental issues and human activity and health.
One of the aims of GEOSS is to implement a proper system of earth monitoring and to render information deriving from this process available to a global range of users. Currently, the hierarchical vocabulary structuring these societal benefit categories and their subcategories are available only in English. However, translations have been created for French, Spanish and Italian versions by Claudia Cialone and Kristin Stock of the Centre for Geospatial Science (CGS) at the University of Nottingham, UK, with input from a number of people from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
The Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche or National Research Council, is an Italian public organization set up to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome.-History:The institution was founded in 1923...
(CNR) in Italy, the University of Zaragoza and the European Union Joint Research Centre (JRC). Translations have also been accomplished for a Slovenian version of the SBAs by the Biotehnical faculty of the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
, SI.
The GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas
Listed below is a brief summary of the Societal Benefit categories and subcategories excerpted from the GEO's 10 year plan.Disasters
This Area is meant to increase the system of the Earth observation to protect human lives from natural hazards such as TsunamiTsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
, sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
and lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
ice, floods, volcanic eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions is a company owned by Crispin Glover. The company produces and issues Glover's work: It has released two films to date, What Is It? and its sequel, It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE . Its current plans include releasing the final film in the trilogy titled It Is Mine...
, wildland fires etc.
Health
The Health Societal Area is meant to understand and to prevent the environmental factors related to human diseases. Some subcategories included in this, concern infectious diseases, respiratory problems, environmental stress, accidental deathDeath
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
and so forth.
Energy
This Societal Benefit Area is concerned with the preservation and the operations related to energetic sources, and their renewability. Some examples of subcategories for this field are: oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
& gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
exploration
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
, refining and transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
operations, renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
operations, global energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
etc.
Climate
This area is concerned with the monitoring of the variability of climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
and the consequent human adaptation to it. It therefore includes activities of understanding, assessment, mitigation of the climatic conditions of our planet.
Water
The Water topic is inherent to hydrological research, evaluation and management and the impact of humans on the water cycle. The area includes subfields of interest such as global biogeochemistryBiogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment...
, fisheries and habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
, telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
and navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
, predictions
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
etc.
Weather
This category provides information for nowcasting, short, long, and extended forecasts specific for each country. This would serve the purpose to prevent human lives losses in critical circumstances that are time-demanding.Ecosystems
This benefit area is addressed to improve, by observing and managing, the different activities such as fisheryFishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
or forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
dominating the terrestrial and hydrographical ecosystems. It is also thought to register and monitor any possible change in natural ecosystem cycles such as the carbon cycle
Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth...
.
Agriculture
This field of concern embraces all those agricultural activities, or related subjects such as grazingGrazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
systems, the economic trade of agricultural products, for monitoring the global condition of food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
including the prevention of desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
.
Biodiversity
This area is meant to disseminate information related to the investigation on the genetic diversityGenetic diversity
Genetic diversity, the level of biodiversity, refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary....
of species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
and more generally on the natural resources of the different ecosystems and the services available for their conservation.
The Societal Benefit Areas and their translations
Note that the following table is a temporary translation. Anyone with a particular expertise in environmental and/or natural sciences can contribute with further (verified and checked) corrections of the versions already listed below.| ENGLISH | ITALIAN | SPANISH | FRENCH | SLOVENIAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disasters | Calamità | Desastres | Catastrophes | Nesreče |
| pollution events | eventi inquinanti | episodios de contaminación | pollution évènementielle | pojav onesnaženja |
| coastal hazards, tsunami | rischio costiero, tsunami | peligros costeros, tsunamis | périls côtiers, tsunami | nevarnosti ob morski obali, cunamiji |
| sea and lake ice | ghiaccio marino e lacustre | Hielo en mares y lagos | gel de la mer et de lac | morski in jezerski led |
| tropical cyclones | cicloni tropicali | ciclones tropicales | cyclones tropicaux | tropski cikloni |
| extreme weather | condizioni metereologiche estreme | condiciones meteorológicas extremas | Phénomène météo extrême | ekstremno vreme |
| floods | inondazioni | inundaciones/avenidas | inondations | poplave |
| landslides, subsidence | frane, subsidenza | deslizamientos de tierra, hundimientos | glissements de terrain, effondrements | zemeljski plazovi, udori in usadi |
| volcanoes, volcanic ash, aerosols | vulcani, ceneri vulcaniche, aerosol | volcanes, ceniza volcánica, aerosoles | volcans, cendres volcaniques, aérosols | vulkani, vulkanski pepel, aerosoli |
| earthquakes | terremoti | terremotos | tremblements de terre | potresi |
| wildland fires | incendi boschivi | incendios forestales | feu de broussailles et feu de forêtes | požari v naravnem okolju |
| Health | Salute | Salud | Santé | Zdravje |
| infectious diseases | malattie infettive | enfermedades infecciosas | maladies infectieuses | infekcijske bolezni |
| cancers | cancri | cáncer | cancers | rakasta obolenja |
| respiratory problems | difficoltà respiratorie | dificultades respiratorias | problèmes respiratoires | dihalne težave |
| environmental stress | stress ambientale | estrés ambiental | stress écologique | okoljski stres |
| nutrition | nutrizione | nutrición | nutrition | prehrana |
| accidental death and injury | morti e lesioni accidentali | muertes y lesiones accidentales | décès et blessure accidentelles | smrtne nezgode in poškodbe |
| birth defects | difetti di nascita | enfermedades congénitas | anomalies congénitales | prirojene napake |
| Energy | Energia | Energía | Énergie | Energija |
| oil & gas exploration | esplorazione di petrolio e gas | exploración de petróleo y gas | exploration de pétrole et de gaz | koriščenje nafte in plina |
| refining and transport operations | operazioni di raffinazione e trasporto | operaciones de refinado y transporte | opérations de l’épuration et la transportation | delovanje rafinerij in prevozi |
| renewable energy operations | operazioni di energia rinnovabile | operaciones en energías renovables | opérations d’energie renouvelable | dejavnosti obnovljivih virov energije |
| electricity generation | producción de electricidad | production d’électricité | proizvodnja električne energije | |
| global energy management | gestione dell’energia globale | gestión de la energía global | gestion de l’énergie mondiale | globalno energetsko upravljanje |
| Climate | Clima | Clima | Climat | Podnebje |
| understanding | comprensione | comprensión | compréhension | razumevanje |
| assessing | valutazioni | evaluación | évaluation | ocenjevanje |
| predicting | previsioni | predicción | prédiction | napovedovanje |
| adapting to | adattamento | adaptación | adaptation(au) | prilagajanje |
| mitigating | mitigazione | mitigación | diminution | blaženje |
| Water | Acqua | Agua | Eau | Voda |
| water cycle research | ricerca sul ciclo idrologico | investigación sobre el ciclo hidrológico | recherche sur le cycle de l’eau | raziskave vodnega kroga |
| resource management | gestione delle risorse | gestión de recursos hídricos | gestion des ressources | upravljanje z vodnimi viri |
| impacts of humans on water cycle | impatto dell’uomo sul ciclo idrologico | impacto de la actividad humana en el ciclo hidrológico | impacts humains sur le cycle de l’eau | vpliv človeka na vodni krog |
| global biogeochemistry | biogeochimica globale | biogeoquímica global | biogéochimie mondiale | globalna biogeokemija |
| ecosystem and water quality assessment | valutazione della qualita’ dell’ ecosistema e dell’acqua | evaluación de la calidad del ecosistema y del agua | evaluation de la qualité de l’écosystème et de l’eau | ekosistemi in ocena kakovosti voda |
| land use planning | pianificazione dell’uso del territorio | ordenación del territorio | Urbanisme | načrtovanje rabe tal |
| production of food | produzione alimentare | producción alimentaria | production alimentaire | pridelava hrane |
| weather prediction | previsioni metereologiche | pronóstico meteorológico | prévision météorologique | napovedovanje vremena |
| heavy rainfall flood prediction | previsione di pioggia intensa ed inondazioni | predicción de lluvia torrencial e inundaciones | prévision des fortes précipitations et des inondations | napovedovanje poplav zaradi močnih padavin |
| drought prediction | previsione di siccità | predicción de sequías | prévision de la sécheresse | napovedovanje suš |
| climate prediction | previsioni climatiche | predicción climatológica | prévision climatique | napovedovanje podnebja |
| human health | salute dell’uomo | salud humana | santé humaine | zdravje ljudi |
| fisheries and habitat | pesca e habitat | pesca y hábitat | pêcheries et habitat | ribištvo in habitati |
| management | gestione | gestión | gestion | upravljanje |
| telecommunication - navigation | telecomunicazioni - navigazione | telecomunicaciones - navegación | télécommunications - navigation | telekumunikacijska navigacija |
| Weather | Tempo | Tiempo | Temps | Vreme |
| nowcasting forecasts (0 - 2 hs) | previsioni immediate (0 - 2 ore) | predicciones inmediatas (0 - 2 horas) | prévisiones immediate (0 - 2 hs) | zelo kratkoročne napovedi (0 - 2 uri) |
| very short-range forecasts (2 - 72 hs) | previsioni a brevissimo termine (2 - 72 ore) | predicciones a muy corto plazo (2 - 72 horas) | prévisiones à très court terme (2 - 72 hs) | kratkoročne napovedi (2 - 72 uri) |
| medium-range forecasts (3 – 10 days) | previsioni a medio termine (3 - 10 giorni) | predicciones a medio plazo (3 - 10 días) | prévisiones à moyen terme (3 - 10 jours) | srednjeročne napovedi (3-10 dni) |
| extended forecasts (10 – 30 days) | previsioni estese (10 - 30 giorni) | predicciones a largo plazo (10 - 30 días) | prévisiones à long terme (10 - 30 jours) | dolgoročne napovedi (10 - 30 dni) |
| Ecosystems | Ecosistemi | Ecosistemas | Écosystèmes | Ekosistemi |
| land, river, coast & ocean management | gestione territoriale, fluviale, costiera e marittima | gestión terrestre, fluvial, costera y marítima | gestion des terres, rivières, gestion côtière et océnanique | upravljanje s tlemi, rekami,obalami in oceni |
| agriculture, fisheries, forestry | agricoltura, pesca, attività forestali | agricultura, pesca, silvicultura | agriculture, pêcherie, sylviculture | kmetijstvo, ribištvo, gozdarstvo |
| carbon cycle | ciclo del carbonio | ciclo del carbono | cycle du carbone | ogljikov krog |
| Agriculture | Agricoltura | Agricultura | Agriculture | Kmetijstvo |
| food security | sicurezza alimentare | seguridad alimentaria | sécurité alimentaire | prehranska varnost |
| fisheries | pesca | pesca | pêcheries | ribištvo |
| timber, fuel and fiber | legname, combustibile e fibra | madera, combustible, y fibra | bois, combustibles et fibres | les, gorivo in vlakna |
| agricultural economy and trade | economia e mercato agricoli | economía y mercado agrícolas | économie et commerce agricoles | kmetijska ekonomika in trgovina |
| grazing systems | sistemi di pascolamento | sistemas de pastoreo | systèmes de pâturage | sistem pašne živinoreje |
| Biodiversity | Biodiversità | Biodiversidad | Biodiversité | Biodiverziteta |
| conservation | conservazione | conservación | conservation | ohranjanje |
| invasive species | specie invasive | especies invasoras | espèces invasives | tujerodne vrste |
| migratory species | specie migratorie | especies migratorias | espèces migratrices | selitvene vrste |
| natural resources and services | risorse naturali e servizi | recursos naturales y servicios | ressources naturelles et services des écosystèmes | naravni viri in storitve |
See also
External links
- Group on Earth Observation GEOSS on-line
- GEO portal
- GEO FAC