1.1.1 ESIP Bylaws describe duties and responsibilities of the ESIP Board.
1.2.1 Nothing in the Policies and Procedures document can supercede the ESIP Bylaws. Nothing in the Policies and Procedures document is meant to amplify or constrain ESIP Directors from their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the ESIP Bylaws.
2.1.1 The principal volunteer leaders of ESIP shall be a President and Vice President who shall be Representatives of the Assembly.
2.1.2 Additional Assembly-elected volunteer leaders are defined in Article 4, Section 2 of the Bylaws.
2.1.3 All Assembly-elected volunteer leaders will be elected by secret ballot.
2.2.1 The duty of the volunteer leaders is to coordinate the activities of ESIP member volunteers. Leaders who are also members of the Board have duties outlined in the ESIP Bylaws.
2.2.2 The President shall preside at meetings of the Assembly.
2.2.3 The Vice President shall preside at meetings of the Program Committee, and in the case of absence of the President, of the Assembly.
2.3.1 If the President is unable to continue in office, the Vice President shall take over as President, and a special election shall be held to elect a new Vice President.
2.3.2 In the event that both the President and Vice President are unable to continue in office, a special election shall be held as described in Policy III, Section 1.
2.3.3 Any elected volunteer leader may be removed from office for conduct which in any way tends to substantially injure ESIP or to affect adversely its reputation, or which is destructive to ESIP's goals and activities. Any Representative to the Assembly may recommend removal of any elected volunteer leader to the Chair of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee will notify the leader concerned and ask for comment. The Governance Committee will then consider the recommendation and, if approved, will present its recommendation for removal with the comments from the concerned leader in writing to the Assembly. The Governance Committee will then petition the Representatives. If the recommendation for removal receives approval by two- thirds of the Representatives, the leader concerned shall be declared unable to continue in office.
3A.1.1 There shall be a Nominating Committee composed of five (5) members who shall be selected by the President and approved by the Board at the Board Meeting after the Annual Meeting. The ESIP Executive Director will serve as an ex officio advisory member of the committee.
3A.1.2 The Nominating Committee shall have at least one (1) representative from each of ESIP Partnership Types 1 through 3 as defined in Policy and Procedure 1.2 Section 3 of these Policies and Procedures. One of the Nominating Committee members shall be an Early Career representative, defined as a person no later than five years beyond their most recent degree, and one representative who may be external to ESIP. No more than two (2) representatives may be from the same Partnership Type.
3A.1.3 If a representative can no longer serve or resigns, the President shall appoint and the Board shall approve an eligible replacement in accordance with the procedure above (3A.1.2).
3A.1.4 Members of the Nominating Committee shall not be candidates for elected office while serving on the Committee.
3A.1.5 Members of the Nominating Committee shall promote leadership development within the ESIP Assembly, including education of roles and responsibilities for interested and/or potential candidates.
3A.1.6 The Nominating Committee shall ensure, for each elective office, one or more candidates, to be announced to the General Assembly prior to the election in accordance with the election policy ([3A.2](.../blob/master/ESIP Policies and Procedures/1.0 Corporate/ESIP P%26P 1.3 Corporate Organization.md#part-2----election-procedure-for-volunteer-leaders)).
3A.1.7 The Nominating Committee will solicit and accept nominations, including self-nominations, from the Assembly for any elective office. Self-nominations must include an endorsement from a person associated with an ESIP Partners Organization.
3A.1.8 The Nominating Committee shall accept all candidates who meet the qualifications for candidacy as stated in ([3A.3](.../blob/master/ESIP Policies and Procedures/1.0 Corporate/ESIP P%26P 1.3 Corporate Organization.md#part-3----qualifications-for-assembly-elected-volunteer-leaders)) of this policy, and who are willing to serve.
3A.2.1 The Nominating Committee shall present its slate of candidates to the Assembly no later than 15 days prior to the opening of voting.
3A.2.2 The slate shall be sent via email and posted prominently on the ESIP website.
3A.2.3 Voting shall be conducted by the methods outlined in the ESIP Bylaws further defined within these Policies and Procedures.
3A.2.4 The vote shall be conducted electronically, with a stated opening and closing date. The voting shall remain open for no less than 15 days but no more than 30 days.
3A.2.5 Election results will be announced in writing to the Assembly no later than 15 days after the close of voting, and shall include the total number of ballots cast overall and the elected representative for each position. Full results will be posted for persistent public access (e.g., ESIP website, wiki).
3A.3.1 To qualify as a candidate for volunteer leadership, a person must be affiliated with an ESIP Partners Organization that is in good standing.
3A.3.2 All volunteer leaders may stand for re-election for one additional consecutive term in the same role.
3A.3.3 There is no limit on the number of times a leader may serve, as long as all other policies are met.
3.1 Program Committee shall consist of the Elected Volunteer Leaders of the Assembly and the Chairs of all Committees.
3.2 The Program Committee will meet as needed at the discretion of the President to conduct the business of ESIP and address issues that may arise between meetings of the Assembly.
3.3 Meetings of the Program Committee also may be called by petition endorsed by at least three of the Program Committee members with at least seven days' notice.
3.4 The Program Committee will have the authority with respect to appropriations as described in Section 4.
3.5 The Program Committee shall report on its activities at each meeting of the Assembly.
3.6 The Program Committee shall ensure that mechanisms are provided for notifying all ESIPs of official ESIP business.
4.1 ESIP shall hold an Annual Meeting of the Assembly of Representatives which shall be called by the Board. Rules for announcing and holding ESIP Assembly meetings are included in the ESIP Bylaws.
4.2 Additional meetings of the Assembly may be called by the Board.
5.1.1 In the case of Administrative Committees other than the Board, the Chair of the Committee shall be elected by simple majority of a secret ballot of the Assembly.
5.1.2 In the case of Administrative Committees other than the Board, three Administrative Committee members in addition to the Chair shall be elected by simple majority of a secret ballot of the the Type Caucuses in the Assembly. The Chair of each Committee will have the authority to appoint one additional individual to address deficiencies in the way that membership of a Committee represents the goals and activities of ESIP. The Assembly will also have the authority to appoint one additional member to each Administrative Committee for the same reason.
5.1.3 If any member of an Administrative Committee, other than the President or Vice President, leaves office before the end of the normal term, the ESIP Board Chair shall appoint an eligible replacement to serve out the remainder of that term.
5.1.4 Any Chair of any Administrative Committee may be removed from office for conduct that in any way tends to substantially injure ESIP or to affect adversely its reputation, or that is destructive to ESIP's goals and activities. Any Representative to the Assembly may recommend removal of any Chair to the ESIP President of the Assembly. The President will notify the Chair concerned and ask for comment. The Board will then consider the recommendation and, if the recommendation for removal receives approval by a simple majority of the Board, the Chair concerned shall be declared ineligible to continue in office.
5.1.5 In the event that the elected Chair of an Administrative Committee is unable to continue to execute the duties of that office, the Board Chair shall appoint an eligible replacement to serve out the remainder of that term.
5.2.1 The Governance Committee shall consider all amendments to the Policies and Procedures. This committee will also respond to any Member Organization requests for clarification of the Policies and Procedures document.
5.3.1 The Finance Committee may not include the ESIP President or ESIP Vice President of the Assembly among its members.
5.3.2 All financial resources of ESIP shall be considered by the Finance Committee, for approval by the Board.
5.3.3 As a general courtesy from the Board, the Program Committee may authorize annual expenditures that total less than 10% of the annual ESIP financial resources at its discretion without approval by the Finance Committee or the Assembly. The Program Committee shall submit an annual report of its past year's expenditures to the Finance Committee prior to each Annual Meeting.
5.3.4 Proposals for the expenditure of ESIP financial resources shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Finance Committee.
5.3.5 Upon receipt of a proposal, the Finance Committee will promptly notify the Assembly that proposals are under review. The Finance Committee will assure that appropriate, timely reviews of the proposals are carried out and then forward its recommendations to the Program Committee for further review. If the Program Committee also recommends funding, appropriate actions will be taken to allocate the funds upon approval by the Board. Alternatively, the Finance Committee may submit proposals to the Board for review. If the Board recommends funding, appropriate actions will be taken to allocate the funds.
5.3.6 Category 4 ESIPs, as a group, may send one representative as a non-voting observer to Finance Committee meetings.
5.3.7 The Finance Committee will report on its actions at each Meeting of the Assembly and submit an Annual Finance Report and Proposed Budget for the coming year at each Annual Meeting of the Assembly.
5.4.1 The Partnership Committee shall receive in writing from each applicant the nature of the organization, its history, products, and services, and their expected benefits and contributions to ESIP.
5.4.2 The Partnership Committee shall consider applications promptly based on their merit and immediately inform the applicant of its decision either to reject the application or to recommend the application to the Assembly.
5.4.3 The Partnership Committee shall ensure that the application is circulated to the Assembly at least thirty days prior to the election.
5.4.4 If the Partnership Committee recommends approval of an application to join ESIP, it will also recommend to the Assembly the appropriate ESIP category for each candidate.
5.4.5 If the Partnership Committee rejects an application, the Partnership Committee shall notify the applicant of its right to appeal to the Assembly in writing.
5.5.1 The Meeting Committee shall oversee ESIP's twice annual meetings. This committee will also respond to any meeting feedback.
5.5.2 The Vice President of ESIP will server as the Chair of the Meeting Committee.
5.5.3 Membership to the committee is open to any ESIP participant who wishes to contribute.
6.1.1 Standing Committees are created by amendment of the Policies and Procedures to include a new Section in Bylaw V. Proposals to amend the Policies and Procedures to create a new Standing Committee must state the name and general activities and responsibilities of the proposed Standing Committee.
6.1.2 Each Standing Committee shall have a Chair elected by simple majority of a secret ballot of the Assembly. Each Standing Committees shall have a Vice Chair elected by a simple majority of the members of the Committee.
6.1.3 Standing Committees shall each year hold at least one physical meeting. All ESIPs will be notified not less than four weeks in advance of the meeting date.
6.1.4 Standing Committees shall report program and/or project activity to the Assembly at least quarterly.
6.1.5 Any Chair or Vice Chair of any Standing Committee may be removed from office for conduct that in any way tends to substantially injure ESIP or to affect adversely its reputation, or that is destructive to ESIP's goals and activities. Any Representative to the Assembly may recommend removal of any Chair or Vice Chair of a Standing Committee in writing to the President of the Assembly. The President will notify the Chair or Vice Chair concerned and ask for comment. The Program Committee will then consider the recommendation and, if approved, will present its recommendation for removal with the comments from the concerned Chair or Vice Chair in writing to the Assembly. The Program Committee will then petition the Representatives. If the recommendation for removal receives approval by two-thirds of the Representatives, the Chair or Vice Chair concerned shall be declared unable to continue in office.
6.1.6 Any Standing Committee may be removed if its activities are no longer contributing to the goals of ESIP by amendment of the Policies and Procedures.
6.1.7 In the event that the elected Chair of a Standing Committee is unable to continue to execute the duties of that office, the Program Committee shall appoint an eligible replacement to serve out the remainder of that term.
NOTE: The Products and Services Committee was retired on a unanimous vote of the ESIP Program Committee, July 11, 2017. This Part can be reused as needed in the future.
6.3.1 ESIP shall include a Standing Committee for Information Technology and Interoperability. Its roles are:
a. To provide a forum and resource for interoperability and new technology transfer, development, and infusion that will improve Earth science data, information, and knowledge;
b. To encourage the use of best information technology practices to ensure the quality, usability, and breadth of Earth science data, information, knowledge, products and services; and
c. To ensure that data, information and services can be readily discovered, exchanged and integrated through the use of interoperability standards and protocols.
6.4.1 ESIP shall include a Standing Committee for Data Stewardship. Its roles are:
a. To develop, evolve, foster, and adopt best practices and standards that ensure continued and reliable information content, quality, and usability of Earth system science data for as long as they are deemed to be of value.
b. To facilitate the long-term preservation and stewardship of Earth system science data.
c. To facilitate reference to and access to Earth system science data.
6.5.1 ESIP shall include a Standing Committee for Semantic Technologies. Its roles are:
a. To encourage and promote research and development of semantic technologies in support of Earth science data management, data discovery, data dissemination and data analysis
b. To collaborate with ESIP members, working groups, clusters, and standing committees to identify semantic methods and tools that support the adoption of semantic technologies within ESIP and across its member organizations.
c. To foster sharing and reuse of ontologies and controlled vocabularies within ESIP and its member organizations.
d. To provide a collaborative environment for the development of ontology-based standards and controlled vocabularies.
e. To maintain a long-term agenda and roadmap for integration and evaluation of semantic projects within ESIP.
f. To collaborate with external groups and agencies, including international organizations, on behalf of ESIP in regards to semantic technologies and furthering the aforementioned roles.
6.6.1 ESIP shall include a Standing Committee for Education. Its purpose is to make accessible to educators and learners at all levels in both formal and informal educational contexts the Earth science data, information, tools, and curricula available within ESIP. Its roles are:
a. To promote and facilitate the development and dissemination of Earth science educational products, information, and tools to a broad user community using the wealth of Earth science data and expertise available in ESIP.
b. To promote and facilitate the collaboration of multiple ESIP's to develop educational applications of Earth science data products, information, and tools
c. To provide a central organization for ESIP educational materials to facilitate and standardize dissemination/distribution
d. To develop collaborative relationships with other organizations involved in educational activities
7.1.1 Working Groups are created by resolution of the Assembly or by simple majority vote of a Committee.
7.1.2 Each Working Group shall have a Chair elected by a simple majority of the Assembly or Committee that created the Working Group.
7.1.3 All ESIPs will be notified promptly by the Assembly or Committee that created the Working Group of the Working Group's goals, activities, and expected duration.
7.1.4 Individuals from all ESIPs and from outside will be allowed to participate in any Working Group. However, only the designated ESIP Representative as described in Bylaw I can vote.
7.1.5 Due notice of all Working Group meetings and teleconferences shall be given to all ESIPs.
7.1.6 In the event that the elected Chair of a Working Group is unable to continue to execute the duties of that office, the Executive Committee shall appoint an eligible replacement to serve out the remainder of that term.
8.1.1 ESIP Clusters may be established by any group of ESIP members by reporting the name and activities of the Cluster to the Vice President of the Assembly.
This Policy was revised and approved by the ESIP Board on October 29, 2019. This Policy was revised on this site on November 29, 2019.