Earth Observation Benefit Assessment (EOBA)
Since its pioneering work on the benefits of Global Earth Observation in the project GEO-BENE, IIASA’s ESM group has been at the forefront of Earth Observation benefit assessment, in which policy partners and other stakeholders are showing increased interest. In its FP7 projects, for example, the European Commission actively asks for quantification of benefits to be weighed against the costs of obtaining better Earth Observations (e.g., in the project GEOCARBON).
Earth observation is widely perceived as playing a vital role in improving the information needed to make crucial policy decisions. IIASA has—in the framework of several projects (i.e., GEOBENE, EUROGEOSS, GEOCARBON)—developed different methodologies to approach benefit assessment across multiple societal benefit areas. Methods include Systems Dynamics Modeling, Scenario Analysis, a Real Options Framework, Portfolio Optimization, Bayesian Decision Theory, and Value Measuring Methodology, among others.
Many of ESM's modeling efforts culminated in the publication of a chapter in The Value of Information, (2012) (R Laxminarayan, MK Macauley, eds.) Here the Expected Value of Information (VOI) is shown. The VOI is a fraction of the overall mitigation costs, but is very high in absolute terms (e.g., 2 billion US$ for a 10% decrease of uncertainty).
Presentations at the 2012 EuroGEOSS Conference in Madrid (see proceedings of EuroGEOSS Conference) also helped to raise the visibility of IIASA’s activities and methodologies in this context. This has led to an increased appreciation among participating policymakers and other stakeholders of the importance of improved information for decision making.
Efforts are continuing in this field under the GEOCARBON Project. ESM is helping to form a community of practice around Earth Observation benefit assessment.
Main collaborators
Related Links