New sensors and networks have the potential to transform the way communities plan for climate action and manage local environments. Worldwide, communities may soon have the ability to measure fine-scale variations in greenhouse gases, air and water quality and help design and test policies against those variations.

We will discuss current use cases and explore new instrumentation and data guidelines in support of local environmental policymaking. The session will be a mixture of information, discussion and workshop, and aligns with AGU strategic goals to partner with other organizations to address scientific and societal challenges and promote an inclusive scientific culture.

The event is organized under the auspices of the Global Environmental Measurement & Monitoring (GEMM) Initiative, a joint effort of The Optical Society (OSA) and AGU. GEMM is bridging the gap between policymakers, modelers, and technology for improved environmental and climate change impact planning. The initiative is engaging multidisciplinary regional centers and leveraging experts already in place at academic institutions worldwide. These centers and experts are focusing on creating and sharing new measurement technologies and climate models, all to enable better government and commercial industry decision-making.

We propose a half-day session conducted virtually but also could include in-person local participation. A virtual or hybrid session will enable wider engagement and participation of potential speakers and workshop participants across the globe and with GEMM regional centers monitoring environments in Europe, North America, the Arctic and Oceania.

Professor Donna Strickland, 2018 Nobel Laureate in Physics, is invited as a keynote speaker. Other invitees will represent the GEMM partners as well as the United Nations Habitat Programme, Urban Flooding Open Knowledge Network, Public Lab, Thriving Earth Exchange and iSeeChange.

https://www.gemminitiative.org

• OSA: The Optical Society -