Euro space leaders outline new phase for monitoring the planet's environment

22 September 2004

Logo: European Space Agency

Release of €40m to fund next stage of GMES initiative in UK and Europe.

The future of Europe's global vision for monitoring the environment from space was outlined today at a key European Space Agency (ESA) meeting in the UK.

Agreement was reached to release a total of €40m to fund the next stage of projects in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, and to prepare for future European satellites to monitor our environment.

GMES is a joint European Commission-ESA programme to expand the use of space satellite information on the environment at global, national and regional levels. This will help policy-makers react more effectively to problems ranging from climate change to assisting relief agencies respond to natural and man-made disasters.

Dr Steven Wilson, Chairman of the ESA Earth Observation Programme Board and Director of Earth Observation at the British National Space Centre (BNSC), said, "ESA Member States have now agreed the provision of key information services for critical aspects of our environment, and the underpinning technologies to guarantee comprehensive monitoring of our environment from space.

"Space satellites will play an increasingly important role in helping us understand our planet and respond to disasters, natural or man-made.

"The UK is playing a leading role in both the science and engineering capabilities in this field as well as developing ground-based services to utilise satellite data."

The new environmental information services, which were agreed during a meeting of ESA's Earth Observation Programme Board, at the Eden Project, in Cornwall, include:

Marine and Coastal Environment Services

Supporting the implementation of a range of key marine and coastal environmental protocols in European coastal waters, such as the EC Water Framework Directive, and based on underpinning work carried out at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory on the monitoring of harmful algal blooms (see Case Study 1).

Geo-hazard Environment Services

Providing services on ground motion risk, for example subsidence, in urban areas, to support national and local authorities, and industry responsible for planning and ensuring security in areas at risk. Early case studies include the impact of mining and pottery industries in Stoke-on-Trent, and seismic risk in Istanbul. The work is underpinned by the Terrafirma initiative, led by UK company NPA, with the support of the British Geological Survey (see Case Study 3).

The decisions also pave the way for a further expansion of the Respond Humanitarian Aid initiative, which has already provided mapping to a variety of humanitarian aid organisations in a wide range of operational and management roles. Recently, this has included providing satellite-derived maps to those involved in the Sudan Darfur humanitarian crisis (see Case Study 2).

As well as new information services, ESA Member States have also agreed the preparatory activities that will underpin a series of European environmental monitoring satellites, to support the requirements of GMES. This work will prepare the way for the development of technologies for the satellites themselves, which will monitor the land, oceans, atmosphere and ice sheets. Detailed socio-economic benefits analyses will demonstrate the contribution of such systems to our economy.

The Eden Project has as one of its aims to provide a venue for experts to assemble and discuss solutions to environmental challenges facing our planet. It provides just the right backdrop for ESA member states to agree the next step for monitoring the environment from space.

Prof José Achache, Director of Earth Observation, at ESA, said, "Natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ivan in the Caribbean and the floods which devastated Eastern Europe in 2002, are becoming increasingly frequent and violent. In order to understand their connection with global man-induced changes and to mitigate their impact, there is an increasing need for better global monitoring and forecasting capabilities. This is what GMES will provide."

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. BNSC is a partnership of Government Departments and Research Councils with an interest in the development or exploitation of space technologies. BNSC is the UK Government body responsible for UK civil space policy, to help gain the best possible scientific, economic and social benefits from putting space to work.

2. BNSC is a partnership of Government Departments and Research Councils with an interest in the development or exploitation of space technologies. BNSC is the UK Government body responsible for UK civil space policy, to help gain the best possible scientific, economic and social benefits from putting space to work.

3. Global Monitoring for Environment & Security (GMES) is a joint initiative of the European Commission (EC) and ESA. It is a response to the growing concerns among European policy makers to ensure access to information on the environment at global, regional and local scales, with the emphasis on global change, environmental stress and natural and man-made disasters.

4. While GMES is looking to expand the use of space based systems, the development of operational GMES services will incorporate the advanced technical and operational capability offered by terrestrial, airborne and space borne observation systems.

5. The initial phase 2001 to 2003 ended in December 2003 with the issue of a joint final report and a Commission Communication laying the basis of a way forward for GMES. Currently, GMES is funded through two separate streams of activity, subscriptions of ESA Member States and EC Framework calls.

6. An action plan for the next (interim) period 2004-2005 has been proposed, managed through a GMES Programme Office set up in early 2004 that brings together EC and ESA staff and a number of key stakeholders, such as the European Environmental Agency and EUMETSAT. The Programme Office and an Advisory Committee of Member States are endorsed and supported by the Director Generals of the Commission Directorates for Environment, Research, Information Society and the JRC, in addition to Director General of ESA.

7. A key requirement of this next stage is to identify the priorities for GMES services through a number of preparatory activities, including a study in the socio economic case for GMES themes. This could lead to a proposal for the implementation of the GMES Earth Observation space component in time for the Ministerial Council meeting currently scheduled for June 2005.

8. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has led the last phase of GMES activity for the UK. However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), also a BNSC partner will now take the lead in Government as the relevant user department. Defra also leads the UK government position on the international Group for Earth Observation (GEO). The DTI actively supports Defra in these roles, as does NERC.

9. Links have also been established across a number of other government departments and with stakeholders that include the Met Office and UK Industrial Associations.

10. During the initial stage of GMES ten consortia have completed their contracts to establish the basis of Service Centres for different environmental areas and two are still in progress. UK industry, academia and other organisations have been participants in these projects and in two cases are the leading the work i.e.

Terrafirma aims to provide a Pan-European ground motion hazard information service, to be distributed throughout Europe via the national geological surveys.
Respond, an alliance of European and International organisations working with the humanitarian community to improve access to maps, satellite imagery and geographic information. Respond are currently providing support to humanitarian aid workers in Darfur, Sudan.

Euro space leaders outline new phase for monitoring the planet's environment

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