Representatives of about 50 nations and a host of international climate and environmental organizations expressed optimism that they will be able to design a global environment-monitoring system in time for a summit scheduled for February. Officials with the international Group on Earth Observations, while conceding that much work remains to be done to win support from the world's governments, nonetheless said the major hurdles appear to have been cleared. As is the case with any endeavor that requires a broad international consensus, the proposed Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) could still,be tripped up by what might appear to be small-scale debates over whether it will be managed inside or outside the United Nations, whether it will have a small permanent staff and, if so, who will fund it.
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