Thomas Regnier is a spokesman for European Commission for sovereignty, defense, space and research, and discusses Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Program.
Earth Observation (EO) – Gathering information about the Earth’s surface, water and atmosphere is important to achieving European policy goals and providing a better society for all. EO data can be used to inform policies and actions across a wide range of industries, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, health, transportation, and tourism.
The EO component of the European Union’s Space Program is Copernicus, designed to see our planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens. The programme is administered by the European Commission and is implemented in collaboration with member states, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Weather Satellite Satellite Satellite Agency (EUMETSAT), the Medium-Range Weather Prediction Centre (ECMWF), the EU agency, the European Environmental Agency (EEA), and the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Copernicus collects a vast amount of global data from satellite and ground-based, aerial and coastal shipbuilding measurement systems to help service providers, public agencies and other international organizations improve quality of life for European citizens.
We spoke with European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier to learn more about the programme by speaking with spokesman for high-tech sovereignty, defense, space and research.
What is a Copernicus program designed to achieve?
Copernicus Services is based on the European idea of providing new public services to our citizens to improve our planet’s understanding, protect the environment, stimulate the economy and accentuate sustainability.
Who can use the Copernicus service?
Copernicus’ data policies promote access, use and sharing on a completely, free and open basis. For commercial or non-commercial purposes, there are no restrictions on use, breeding, and redistribution, with or without adaptation. Anyone can use our data and services for any reason.
What are the key components of the program?
Copernicus includes many web portals for accessing Sentinel Reference Products and/or Copernicus Services Reference Products. The main source is the Copernicus Space Data Ecosystem (CDSE) portal. It includes a variety of data processing tools as well as visualization tools to help you search and discovery. It also provides access to on-demand processing and cloud processing environments.
Additionally, Copernicus Services for Land Surveillance, Marine Environmental Surveillance and Air Surveillance provide consistent quality-controlled information related to soil and vegetation, marine data and air pollution, solar energy, greenhouse gases and climate, anywhere in the world.
Similar to the Environmental Copernicus Services above, Copernicus Emergency Management Services (CEMS) provides geospatial data and information to support all stakeholders involved in disaster management. Only authorized users (usually civil protection agencies) can request that they activate their use and benefits of the Services. CEMS’ On-Demand Mapping Component can provide detailed information about disasters through activation services in a specific area of interest that supports every stage of the disaster management cycle, from all stages of the disaster management cycle to emergency response and recovery.
Can you share an example of how the Copernicus program can help Europe?
During the catastrophic wildfires in the Gironde region of France in July 2022, Copernicus emergency management services were activated to provide rapid, high-resolution satellite mapping. These maps were crucial for first responders and national authorities to plan the size of the fire, coordinated fire operations, and evacuation and recovery measures.
This quick and accurate support exemplifies how Copernicus translates European investment in space infrastructure into direct life-saving actions on the ground.
This article will also be featured in the 23rd edition of Quarterly Publication.
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