PROSPECTS AND PRIORITIES FOR SATELLITE MONITORING OF GLOBAL TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY
(Agenda Dec 10-12 2014)¶

Working Group Meeting 1: Integrating science and technology to monitor global biodiversity patterns and trends¶

Working group leaders: Frank Davis (NCEAS), Dave Schimel (JPL), Ryan Pavlick (JPL), Mark Schildhauer (NCEAS)
When: December 10-12, 2014
Where: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. 735 State Street, Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA.

Meeting Objectives:

• Identify grand challenges in biodiversity research and how broad spatial coverage of imaging spectroscopy can address those challenges as a complementary fourth dimension of biodiversity science

• Collaborate on a Perspectives article. Goals of the article would be to promote the synthesis of hyperspectral imagery as a complementary fourth dimension in biodiversity science, identify needs for integrating hyperspectral with functional, genomic and phylogenetic information, suggest requirements for a spaceborne hyperspectral mission to address the urgent need for truly global biodiversity data, and inform the NASA Decadal Survey process.

• Develop a plan for integrating the spectral, functional, and phylogenetic/taxonomic information resources necessary to complete a proof-of-concept case study

Meeting structure¶

The first day will focus on reviewing the current state of science and technology in four interrelated topical areas: Global biodiversity research; Remote sensing of biodiversity; Plant functional traits and functional diversity; Informatics considerations for global biodiversity monitoring. Short plenary presentations and discussions will be followed by topical breakout group discussions.

The second day will focus on conceptual and technical challenges to integrated biodiversity monitoring via remote sensing and ground observations, including: phylogenetic diversity vs. functional diversity concepts and methods; integrating biodiversity observations from remote sensing and ground sampling; incorporating global biodiversity information into earth system models; conceptual design of a multi-scale biodiversity observation system.

Day 3 will be devoted to synthesis of discussions from the first two days into an outline for the Perspectives paper, and design of one or more proof-of-concept case studies that will be completed before the second Working Group meeting.

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Detailed Agenda

Wednesday, December 10

9:00 – 9:30. Welcome (FD, DS) and introductions (All). Overview of project and meeting objectives. Review of agenda.

9:30 – 12:30 Overview talks

9:30 - 10:00 Global Biodiversity Research Challenges (Walter Jetz)

10:00 – 10:30 Discussion

10:30 - 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:15 Remote Sensing of Biodiversity (Dave Schimel)

11:15 – 11:45 Discussion

11:45 – 1:00 PM Lunch (Breakout groups)

1:00 – 1:30 Plant Functional Traits; Functional Diversity (Jeanine Cavender-Bares)

1:30 -2:00 Discussion

2:00 – 2:30 Informatics and Data Management Considerations (Mark Schildhauer)

2:30 – 3:00 Discussion

3:00 – 3:15 Break

3:15 – 4:15 Topical Breakout Groups

1. Biodiversity science

2. Remote Sensing Science

3. Plant Functional Traits and Functional diversity

4. Informatics

4:15 – 5:00 Report backs

6 PM Reception (Location TBD)

7 PM Dinner (Location TBD)
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Thursday, December 11

9:00 – 9:15 Discussion of the day's agenda and objectives

9:15 – 11:15 Breakout group discussions

Group 1: Integrating phylogenetic diversity concepts and measures with functional/physiognomic diversity concepts and measures

Group 2: Relating remote sensing and traditional ground-based measures and models of biodiversity.

11:30 – 12:00 Report backs

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 3:00 Breakout group discussions

Group 1: Incoporating remotely-sensed information on global biodiversity into global earth system models.

Group 2: Integrating ground, aircraft and satellite-borne sensor data for biodiversity assessment

3:00 – 3:15 Break

3:15 – 4:15 Report backs

4:15 – 5:00 Synthesis of breakout group discussions: key findings and issues

7:00 Dinner (Location TBD)
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Friday, December 12

9:00 – 10:00 Discussion of Perspectives paper

10:00 – 12:30 Design of case study

Adjourn