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As part of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), GPC supported the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) in the planning, design, development and delivering of the Abu Dhabi Eye On Earth Summit. The framing of the Summit represented a two-year process involving a global consortium of over 400 individuals representing hundreds of organizations to Convene a broad community of thought and action leaders in the fields of environment and technology, to Converge this community around selected areas of critical focus in the world today to be addressed at the Summit, and to establish a permanent forum by which this community could continue to Collaborate beyond the inaugural event. The Convene, Converge, Collaborate became the central theme of the inaugural Summit.
Speaking at the Summit, former US President Bill Clinton relayed…”The declaration Eye on Earth participants agreed a few minutes ago states an intention to develop further the Eye on Earth Community, supported and facilitated by UNEP and AGEDI, to progress the special initiatives and other such projects and programs, both existing and in the future…
In our view, this Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi demonstrates leadership in a region that has enormous potential – a region that is currently under-recorded and under-represented in the effort to build global networks that work together for sustainability and the protection of environmental and human health. To us, the Eye on Earth Summit is a beacon to others throughout this region – in this neighborhood, if you will – offering to help all in this neighborhood claim their rightful place in the global effort…
If this baseline is established, and we believe it is well underway, there are many others throughout the global community who are already helping and stand ready to do even more. Capacity building, in particular, seems to be an area where the forward march of the Eye on Earth can make a real difference. We need to find myriad ways to integrate the wealth of information that already exists into decision-making efforts at the national and sub-national level for the benefit of people from all walks of life and for nations as a whole…”
Highlights
Eye on Earth focused on many topics related to environmental information networking, including Disaster Management, Oceans & Blue Carbon, Water Security, Innovative Cities, Networks Beyond Information Technology – and more. Working Groups and Open Sessions helped reach a consensus on the key data and information issues that Rio +20 needs to focus on. These would subsequently be presented to Rio + 20 by AGEDI, on behalf of the Eye on Earth Community in the Eye on Earth Declaration.
The Summit
Over four days Eye on Earth addressed the crucial importance of environmental and societal information and networking to decision-making. On the final day, the Summit delivered its conclusions, special initiatives and a declaration towards Rio+20. Keynote speakers throughout the four days of the Summit included President Bill Clinton and H.E. Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahd, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, as well as 62 high-level, world-renowned main stage plenary speakers and 80 speakers for Working Group breakout sessions
The Exhibition
The Exhibition featured the best in new geospatial observation and data processing technologies. Highlights included the Abu Dhabi Pavilion, Technology Showcase, Innovation Forum, and the One UN Pavilion that brought together UNEP and other UN agencies, funds and programmes to display information and products that illustrate the multi-dimensional international work the UN is doing in the area of environmental data and information.
As the lead contractor for the inaugural Eye on Earth Summit 2011, The GPC Group worked with EAD and AGEDI management to facilitate an international consortium including UNEP and the Taylor Group to deliver the Summit to widely accepted success. The GPC Group additionally focused on:
- Conceived the idea of the Summit in collaboration with EAD leadership and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
- Fine-tuned, commanding Program Management for the Eye on Earth Summit;
- Facilitated the development of the content for the summit, through an extensive and highly inclusive array of Working Groups and Committees over a two-year process;
- Organized and shaped the content for the summit, involving 62 high-level, world-renowned main stage plenary speakers and 80 speakers for Working Group breakout sessions;
- Promoting and coordinating the collaborative development of 9 Special Initiatives;
- Outreach to over 4,500 invited participants;
- Extensive content and special event delivery for the Eye on Earth Exhibition;
- Formulation of the Eye On Earth Alliance, a collaboration of key organizations to oversee the future development and evolution of the Summit objectives.
Summit and Special Initiative Participants
- Aarhus Centers
- Abu Dhabi Global Environment Data Initiative
- Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure
- Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council
- ACC
- AfricaEIN
- Andean Community, Information Network Infrastructure for the Andean Amazon
- Arab Town Organization
- Arabian Gulf University
- Article 19
- Asian Development Bank
- Association for Progressive Communications
- Association of American Geographers
- Blue Ventures
- Brazilian Development Bank
- CAF-The Latin American Development Bank
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network
- Center for National Policy
- Central European University
- CIDG-MEDEEM
- Cisco
- Cities Alliance
- Conservation International
- Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
- Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute, The George Washington Univeristy
- Developing and developed country governments
- Development Gateway
- Digital Earth
- Earth Council Alliance
- Earth Cubed Ltd.
- EIS-Africa
- Environmental Agency-Abu Dhabi/ Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative
- ESRI
- European ECO-Forum
- European Environment Agency
- European Environmental Bureau
- European Umbrella Organization for Geographic Information
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Forest Trends
- Foundation for Environmental Education
- Gaia Geomatics
- Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente
- GeoEye
- Geographic Planning Cooperative
- GeoSUR
- Global Alliance for ICT and Development
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility
- Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery
- Global Pulse (Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General)
- Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Amazon Project
- Group on Earth Observation
- Group On Earth Observations
- Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
- IBM Smarter Cities
- ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability
- ICMA (City Links, International Program)
- Information International Associates
- Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Instituto Panamericano de Geografia e Historia
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- International Business Machines
- International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
- International Telecommunication Union
- International Telecommunication Union-World Summit on the Information Society
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Islamic Development Bank
- Johns Hopkins
- Joint Research Center (Ispra)/Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe
- Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- MapAction
- Microsoft
- Mubadala
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Regional Visualization and Monitoring System (Server)
- National Environment Agency-The Gambia
- National Environment Management Authority Kenya
- National Geographic Society
- NatureServe
- Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
- Office of Information and Communications Technology, UN Secretariat
- Open Geospatial Consortium
- Open Geospatial Consortium and Open Geospatial Consortium members including ESRI, Microsoft and
- Open Government Partnership
- Open Knowledge Foundation
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
- Other development aid organizations (government and foundations)
- Other sovereign funds
- Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific
- Planetary Skin Institute
- Public Laboratory for Open Science and Technology
- Red Cross and Red Crescent
- Regional Centre for Mapping Resources for Development
- Regional Environmental Center-Central and Eastern Europe
- Regional Environmental Centers-Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, and Moldova)
- Regional Visualization and Monitoring System
- Scripps Orbit and Permanent Array Center
- SENSEable City Laboratory-Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sister Cities International
- Slum Dwellers International
- South African Environmental Observation Network
- The Access Initiative- Network of Civil Society Organizations (CSO)
- The Australian Agency for International Development
- The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- The Ecological Society of America/ Philip Williams and Associates
- The Inter-American Development Bank, Environmental Safeguards Division
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Rockefeller Foundation
- The World Bank-Urban Anchor
- Trimble Navigation LTD
- UN-HABITAT
- United Arab Emirates Academy
- United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- United Arab Emirates National Crisis and Emergency Management Agency
- United Nations Development Program
- United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
- United Nations Environment Progam GRID -Arendal
- United Nations Environment Program
- United Nations Environment Program/ World Conservation Monitoring Centre
- United Nations Environment Program/The Division of Early Warning and Assessment
- United Nations Environment Program/World Conservation Monitoring Centre
- United Nations Environment Programme GRID-Arendal
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- United Nations Institute for Training and Research
- United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs
- United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency
- Response
- United Nations Spatial Data Infrastructure
- United Nations Statistics Division/Global Geospatial Information Management
- United States Agency for International Development
- United States and Global Green Building Councils
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
- United States Department of State
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
- United States Geological Survey
- University of Queensland
- University of Twente-Spatial Planning and Decision Support; Geo-Information Science and Earth
- Observaton (ITC)
- Ushahidi
- Vietnam Veterans of America
- William J. Clinton Foundation-C40 Program and MEDEEM
- World Bank
- World Bank Statistical Division
- World Resources Institute
- World Vision
- World Wide Web Consortium