Aligning user requirements and in-situ Earth observations: from G-REQS to interoperable standards in OGC GONAR

Environmental research infrastructures increasingly rely on in-situ Earth observations to address complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, air pollution, etc. While the availability of observing systems and data services continue to increase, the effective use of in-situ geospatial data remains fragmented due to the lack of common data management practices and limited interoperable mechanisms to align user demands with data provisions.

This contribution presents the G-REQS (Geospatial in-situ Requirements), a database and methodology developed within the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to systematically capture, manage, and analyse user needs and requirements for in-situ observations. G-REQS enables the identification of technical barriers to data access and use, as well as gaps in spatial and temporal coverages, and supports a structured matchmaking process between data users, data providers and data intermediary actors or networks that supply or could supply that data. Through this process, opportunities for improved data access can be identified, while recurring requirements can reveal systemic gaps that can be escalated within GEO to inform coordinated actions and future data production.

Building on the G-REQS experience, the Geospatial Observation Needs and Requirements (GONAR) Standards Working Group has been established within the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). GONAR aims to standardize the capture of user needs and requirements for geospatial observations through a common data model and a proposed “OGC API – Requirements”, enabling exploitation, interoperability, and reuse of requirements across systems. By establishing open, interoperable, and machine-actionable representations of observational requirements, this approach sets the foundation for more automated, user-cantered, and fit-for-purpose environmental data services.

This work is funded by the European Environment Agency (EEA) under the EEA-RTD SLA on "Enhancing the access to in situ Earth observation data in support of climate change adaptation policies and activities" know as GEO-IDEA project (Framework Contract No EEA/DIS/R0/24/007), as a continuation of the EEA-RTD SLA on "Mainstreaming GEOSS Data Sharing and Management Principles in support of Europe's environment" known as InCASE project (Framework Contract No EEA/DIS/R0/21/016).