Global Observation Information Network to exchange Earth observation data

In 1993, President Clinton of the United States and Prime Minister Miyazawa of Japan initiated the Global Observation Information Network (GOIN) project under the Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective. The purpose of GOIN is to stimulate the exchange of global Earth observation data and related information via communication networks within and between the United States and Japan. Since 1997 GOIN activity has expanded beyond bilateral collaboration between U.S. and Japanese agencies and institutions to promote multilateral collaboration among Asia Pacific countries' agencies and institutions. GOIN network activity includes arranging a network environment for GOIN, measuring network performance, and doing some pilot projects such as Internet based video conferences. At GOIN99 in Hawaii, USA, several pilot projects successfully demonstrated the use of high end networks. These projects included Earth observation satellite data exchange over high performance networks in the Asian region, Internet based video conferences among Asia Pacific agencies and the use of information technology to visualize Earth observation data. In addition, same kind of demonstration was done at Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Plenary meeting in Stockholm on November 1999. This paper describes the highlights of these projects and shows future directions for high performance network activity.