A document titled "Community of Practice Terms of Reference for GEO Societal Benefit Areas" that was drafted in 2005 defines a community of practice (CP) as A user-led community of stakeholders, from providers to the final beneficiaries of Earth observation data and information, with a common interest in specific aspects of societal benefits to be realized by GEOSS implementation." The general objectives are:

• To identify, gather, and seek agreement on their particular user community requirements;
• To provide a forum for cooperation for activities where GEOSS adds value to existing initiatives, to identify linkages and opportunities for collaborative strategic and technical projects and to coordinate the delivery of some GEOSS targets to enable the realization of societal benefits;
• To report on progress and provide updates to the User Interface Committee, GEO and other stakeholder communities as appropriate;
• To advise the User Interface Committee, other CPs and GEO on matters relating to their particular area of interest or societal benefit, and on cross-cutting issues of interest to the CP;
• To provide an informal point of contact for members or other jurisdictions on the specific benefit or interest area that affect more than one organization.

With regard to membership, each Community of Practice would include representatives from GEO member states, participating international organizations and any other stakeholders/organisations that have similar interests, goals, and or objectives, working closely together to create a forum for efficient and effective intelligence and advice to be provided to GEO for the successful implementation of GEOSS. Both developing and developed countries will be represented.

The illustration below, also from the Terms of Reference document, shows the composition of a CP: