GOIN was initiated in 1993 by the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Japan, under the United States-Japan Framework for a New Economic Partnership. It is a cooperative effort between agencies of both governments to strengthen Earth observation information networks, involving both satellite and in-situ data.

Over the past two years, GOIN has expanded to include Asia-Pacific regional partners. Of particular interest would be the addition of European earth observation research organizations, such as the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy.