Earth observation: Serving the needs of an increasingly global society

In this chapter, we examine the potential of geodesy from the point of view of what society needs in terms of Earth observations to ensure the security of people and resources, and to achieve a sustainable utilization of ecosystem goods and services. Many of these applications depend on Earth observations, both in situ and remotely from space or airborne sensors. The framework for these observations is dominated by a few international programs, such are implemented and supported by GEO, IGOS-P, Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the European Commission (EC), United Nations (UN) agencies, and national contributions.