Overview

The role of GOFC-GOLD is to establish the link between space agencies, science community and the users of earth observation data and data products. The primary function of the Land Cover Implementation Team (LC-IT) is to develop and evaluate methods, tools and products for land cover measurements and monitoring using space-borne and in-situ observations. The LC-IT assesses current needs and deficiencies for global and regional monitoring to support Global Change research, national and regional forest inventories and international policy.

The LC-IT cooperates closely with other GOFC-GOLD implementation teams and regional networks worldwide. Within this framework, the ESA LC-IT Project Office (PO) helps to strengthen the GOFC-GOLD framework, to coordinate, promote and fulfil the GOFC Land Cover implementation plan, and to support the European Space Agency and related projects and services.

Specific objectives of the LC-IT project office for the second period (2007-2009) are:

1. Staff and operate the GOFC-GOLD LC PO for a period of three consecutive years.
2. Manage and coordinate the execution of the GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Implementation Plan in close cooperation with the GOFC-GOLD Executive Committee.
3. Support ESA in the coordination of land cover harmonization and validation activities focussed on the development of a user information service for the
• reporting and exchange of validation results and
• information relating to the operational activities of satellite platforms and data delivery (GLOBCARBON and GLOBCOVER projects).
4. Provide ESA with appropriate progress and annual reports and attend regular review meetings at ESA ESRIN, Italy.

The ESA LC-IT office is led by Prof. Christiane Schmullius (Co-chair LC-IT) jointly with Curtis Woodcock (Co-chair LC-IT) from the Boston University. The Project Office is located at the Department of Earth Observations of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany and is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).