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Background The Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations (IGWCO) Theme was approved by the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P) in November 2003. The IGWCO-Secretariat will be a distributed Secretariat with distributed responsibilities for WCRP, JAXA and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The IGWCO Theme has made a major contribution to the definition of targets and work packets for the Water Resources Societal Benefit Area of the Global Earth Observations Systems of Systems (GEOSS). About 60% of the World population lives in Asia, and their various social activities including agriculture are run by the bountiful Monsoon rain. In the other aspect, the vast water cycle variation in Asia can be the cause of drought, flood, and consequently, may spread an enormous human and economic damage like a poor water quality. Therefore, it is important to better understand the mechanism of Asian water cycle variability and to improve its predictability, and further more to interpret the information applicable to various water environments in different countries, then to help the mitigation of water-related disasters and the efficient use of water resources. Reacting to the issues, Asia Water Cycle Workshop was held in October 2005 and discussed about construction of fAsian water cycle observing system which contributes to GEOSS and it has reached agreement on the basic plan. The second Asia Water Cycle Workshop will be held in January 2007. In 2006-2007, IGWCO’s high priority will also be given to completing those aspects of its implementation plan that relate to the GEO work plan. One priority here is to take action in GEO WA-06-06 and to coordinate with GEO on several work plan goals including the organization of water cycle workshops in 2007. WA-06-06: Promote best practice in Earth observation application for Integrated water resource management in developing countries by supporting a series of workshop in South America, Asia, Africa and small island nations. In this context, a focus will be placed on moving the Capacity Building activities forward through efforts in South America (Buenos Aires, 2005) followed by a workshop Africa in collaboration with the Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environment Research (TIGER) Project. This workshop in Asia is also one of the series. What are the Objectives and Expected Output?
The workshop aims to:
Expected output from the workshop is a proposal based on real regional needs on regional the capacity building projects for applications of Earth observations for water resource management... The outcome of the workshop will be reported to the GEO Plenary in November 2006, and also input to the 2nd Asian Water Cycle Workshop to be held in January 2007 in Tokyo, Japan to discuss Asian Water Cycle observation system to contribute to GEOSS. Where and When Will the Workshop Be Held? The workshop will take place on September 26(Tue.)-28(Thu.), 2006 at Ramagarden Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. The venue is located 4 km south of Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport. Who Should Attend? Water management decision makers, operators of reservoirs and energy facilities, irrigation users, government water program developers and policy makers who wish to find out more about how Earth observations can be used to support the sustainable development of water resources and the sectors that are dependent on these resources. Why Should You Attend? The rates of advancements in science and technology have moved capacity building from an altruistic goal to a global necessity. Those who participate in this workshop will gain knowledge of: the wide range of Earth observations data and application opportunities that are available for decision making;
In addition, participants will benefit from consultations on how to use this data and knowledge to contribute to better decision making in the context of their regional needs through examples of how these data and tools have been applied for better decision making in other areas. Participants will also have the opportunity to influence some of the priorities and policies of IGOS-P activities. Funding There will be no registration fee for attending this meeting. Some limited financial assistance will be available to selected participants, from the agencies and organizations supporting the event. Requests for funding assistance should be made, no later than 21 July 2006, through the Workshop Secretariat ws-eowm@a-a-r-s.org. Accommodation at Ramagarden Hotel will be arranged with special workshop discount rate and more details can be found sent to you within few days. Posters There will be limited space available for the presentation of posters. Priority will be given to registered participants who will be available on site to discuss their work, and who submit posters relevant to the topics of the workshop. Posters will be accepted on a first come, first accepted basis until the space is filled. Maximum width of the posters should be no more than 0.90. How Do I Register? Although there is no registration fee to participate, for security reasons, all attendees are required to register for this event no later than 25 August 2006. Since space is limited, registrations from specialists in/with water management organizations, or engaged in programs related to water management issues in ASIA will be given priority. Please make sure that your registration is received by the workshop secretariat before the deadline. To register, please fill in the on-line registration form, which can be found at : http://www.a-a-r-s.org/ws-eowm/registration.php, or print it and send it by fax to: +66-2-524-6147, attention: the Workshop Secretariat. Language The languages of the workshop will be English. Visa You’re are required to secure entering visa to Kingdom of Thailand through the Royal Thai Embassy of Thailand. There are some nationalities who could enter without visa. More Information will be available to you with further correspondence. |
