The 6th Asia-Oceania Group on Earth Observations (AOGEO) Workshop was recently held successfully at the University of Macau (UM). Over 80 representatives from 18 countries, including Japan, Australia, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, attended the event, with over 6,700 participants joining online. The conference was organized by the National Remote Sensing Center of China and the AOGEO, co-sponsored by UM and Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), and live-streamed on the online platforms of the Journal of Remote Sensing and the International Journal of Remote Sensing. The theme of the workshop is “Demand-driven Innovation of Earth Observation Application Technology,” aiming to promote regional collaboration in the Asia Oceania region and to deepen the integration of Earth observation innovation with regional social development.

Zhao Jing, Director of the National Remote Sensing Center of China, Cheng-Zhong XU, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology of UM, representatives of the GEO Secretariat, and three co-chairs of the GEO delivered the opening speeches. Zhao Jing shared AOGEO’s contributions in Earth observation applications, talent cultivation, and enhancing the Earth observation capabilities in developing countries. She also emphasized that the workshop provided an important platform for exchanging and sharing Earth observation data in the Asia Pacific region, promoting technical cooperation and sharing of achievements among countries, international organizations, and institutions. She expressed her hope that the construction of Earth observation capabilities in the Asia Pacific region could be further promoted in the near future, and that effective communication channels would be established for young scholars in the region.

The international workshop offered a deep discussion regarding typical issues, focusing on the three sub-regional comprehensive research demonstration areas of the Himalayas, the Mekong River Basin and the Pacific Island countries, the formulation of the third decade strategic plan of the Earth Observation Program, and the global ecological environment. Carry out in-depth exchanges and discussions on important topics such as environmental monitoring and mapping, earth observation data sharing and knowledge base, application and capacity building oriented to regional needs. The closing ceremony of the workshop also successfully released the “Declaration of the 6th Asia Oceania GEO Symposium,” advocating for continued deepening of regional cooperation, continuous strengthening of Earth observation data and knowledge sharing, increasing participation of various sectors, especially young scholars, in the GEO program, building an innovative cross-disciplinary, cross-industry collaboration ecosystem, empowering the development of developing countries, and promoting regional balanced development.

As a co-organiser for the first time, UM aims to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms and to promote technical cooperation, and share Earth observation resources and facilities within Asian region.  By using Earth observation technology to solve practical problems and applying it to key areas of social and economic development, UM hopes to contribute to the response to the challenges of sustainable development, global warming, and major disasters.