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EARSC EVENT 2008: March 19th 2008 – Brussels, Belgium


In collaboration with EC-GMES Bureau and ESA

GMES has been hailed since 1998 and the Baveno Declaration as one of the flagships of Europe not only as a giant step forward in the monitoring of the environment but also as a key political framework and a possible boost to Europe in terms of scientific and technology advances as well as in terms of employment along the lines of the Lisbon Agenda.

Ten years later this initiative is becoming concrete with the study of the overall GMES architecture, the analysis of needs in terms of information access, the set up of the sentinels space segment, the finalisation of the INSPIRE directive and the initiation of the Fast Track Services.

The so-called upstream public service sector seems to be engaged in a serious preparation to operate operational services. The situation is much more confused concerning the downstream services sector. In particular the road ahead for SMEs is not clear and the dialogue with the GMES decision makers is quite limited.

The question legitimately raised by Industry is thus:
Is GMES an opportunity for the service industry?

The EARSC Workshop organised around these topics with participations from small and large industries as well as from European and national institutions and users will be an occasion to shed light on these issues and to draw with all parties involved a possible roadmap to make GMES an opportunity for the service industry. Among others, the workshop will face issues related to applications industry access to information about GMES data and service availability and schedule, and ongoing and future support to application development and deployment by the public sector and large corporations. The service industry sector is indeed a key for the success of the GMES Programme as a whole not only inside Europe itself but also to allow the benefits of the European GMES to be shared worldwide.

Draft programme will be prepared by January. If interested please send an email to secretariat@earsc.org to keep you informed about the event .

Company/Organization:
Name:
Function:
Email:
Telephone:
Mobile:
Fax:
Full address:
Country:
Website:
Interest:

EARSC Board is glad to welcome new Members in our Association.

On EARSC behalf, we are certain that new Members will contribute actively to the aims of EARSC enthusiastically involved in coordinating and strengthening the Earth-observation chain and promoting the European Earth observation industry in programmes such as GMES and GEOSS.

EARSC Membership is nowadays increasing which encourage us in the Board of Directors to continue to do our best to fulfill the tasks that you as members could expect of the association. On EARSC behalf, Welcome!

More information about the new members at:

June BoD:

September BoD:

EARSC Membership

EARSC membership represents the entire spectrum of the Earth Observation industry including all sector chain: providers, stakeholders and users. For our members, the annual membership dues are a cost-effective way to stay informed, promote their company, political and institutional representation, networking opportunities with industry players and help support the future of Earth Observation. Industry together could transform activities into meaningful action on behalf of our sector.

EARSC membership is composed by full members [1] and observer members [2]

1 Any commercial European company or partnership offering and undertaking consulting and contracting services or supplying equipment in the field of remote sensing which is based in a European Country which contributes to the European Space Agency or which is a member of the European Community shall be eligible for membership.

2 Companies from countries associated to European programs but not eligible for full membership. Any active representative organization, institution or association party in the field of Earth observation and not engaged in commercial or profit-making activities such as Public/Governmental Bodies, International Organisation, International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Private Non Profit Organisation/Foundation, Network/Association/Aggregation of Intermediaries(profit or non profit), Business Association, Universities, other?) with interest in Earth Observation.

More information on membership

“In-situ monitoring and Earth observation in the framework of GMES and GEOSS” 31 May 2007, Brussels, BE

Synergy between all kind of observations – being from active or passive, wireless or wired, fixed or mobile, remote or in situ sensors – is primordial to support a better understanding of the complex interactions between human activities and environmental pressures and impacts.
This was the recurrent issue highlighted by a hundred of participants to the workshop jointly organised by the Information Society and Media Directorate-General (DG INFSO) of the European Commission and the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC).
This workshop held in Brussels – with no seat left – on 31 May 2007 was the 3rd in a series to gather stakeholders in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Environmental Risk Management. These experts, coming from industry, research centers, universities, space agencies and European organisations reported about ongoing activities and identified opportunities, issues and requirements for a smarter monitoring of our environment in relation to the goal of developing a Single Information Space for the Environment in Europe (SISE) and contributing to international initiatives like GMES and GEO.
On the ICT side, it was stressed that we are in the middle of a wireless revolution which enables new applications of sensors and sensor networks. Important achievements in miniaturization of sensors (e.g. RFID) open the perspective for a massive deployment a small, cheap connected detectors.
Several European research projects are innovating in the field of network control strategies and data propagation. Others are developing adaptable and scalable system architectures to optimise the management of networks of heterogeneous sensors with easy plug-in / plug-out, self-healing and reconfigurable functionalities. Such developments points towards the same goal of smarter monitoring, with the possibility to lower the cost of monitoring and improve the quality and adequacy of data depending on the process which is monitored. In addition, new platforms like Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAV) are currently investigated for disaster management applications that could offer complementary spatial or temporal resolutions to existing fixed, sea, air and space platforms.
Overall, the participants recognised that above trends would lead to more data flows and stressed on the need for new developments in the fields of multiple source data fusion and standardisation. From an operational point of view, main identified challenges include robustness and stability of the emerging technologies for easy take-up and upgrade of legacy systems, accuracy and uncertainty propagation along the information cycle, as well as non-technical issues like the sustainability of monitoring networks over time and the human factor itself, perceived as a very limiting factor in the definition and deployment of a monitoring and alerting system.
Workshop report and PDF versions of the presentations made by the participants are available at:
For additional information, please contact:
DG INFSO – unit “ICT for Sustainable Growtth” : INFSO-ICTforSG@ec.europa.eu

EARSC Board is glad to welcome Oracle Belgium in our Association

On EARSC behalf, we are certain that new Members will contribute actively to the aims of EARSC enthusiastically involved in coordinating and strengthening the Earth-observation chain and promoting the European Earth observation industry in programmes such as GMES and GEOSS.
EARSC Membership is nowadays increasing which encourage us in the Board of Directors to continue to do our best to fulfill the tasks that you as members could expect of the association. On EARSC behalf, Welcome!
More information about the new member at:
EARSC membership represents the entire spectrum of the Earth Observation industry including all sector chain: providers, stakeholders and users. For our members, the annual membership dues are a cost-effective way to stay informed, promote their company, political and institutional representation, networking opportunities with industry players and help support the future of Earth Observation. Industry together could transform activities into meaningful action on behalf of our sector.
EARSC membership is composed by full members and observer members
Full Corporate Members
Any commercial European company or partnership offering and undertaking consulting and contracting services or supplying equipment in the field of remote sensing which is based in a European Country which contributes to the European Space Agency or which is a member of the European Community shall be eligible for membership.
Observer Members
Companies from countries associated to European programs but not eligible for full membership. Any active representative organization, institution or association party in the field of Earth observation and not engaged in commercial or profit-making activities such as Public/Governmental Bodies, International Organisation, International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Private Non Profit Organisation/Foundation, Network/Association/Aggregation of Intermediaries(profit or non profit), Business Association, Universities, other?) with interest in Earth Observation.
More information on membership at EARSC

As reported in the previous EOMag, ESA has contracted Vega to execute an update to the Analysis of the State and Health of the EO Service Industry. This will assess how the industry has evolved since 2003 and what are the dominant issues presently facing the industry.

The information collected will be analysed to identify priority issues to be addressed by ESA EO Exploitation Programmes. This is essential to ensure that ESA activities continue to effectively support the European and Canadian EO service providers by addressing the dominant opportunities, threats and other concerns facing the industry.
Basic company information, together with details of the product and service portfolio for each company will also be used by EARSC to populate the EO-PAGES website. This is an EARSC promotional activity intended to foster improved communication between the EO service industry and customer organisations in other industrial and market sectors.
The information collection phase has now started. A web based set of questions together with a Microsoft Excel based financial spreadsheet will be made available from 23 April.
All European and Canadian EO service providers identified by the study team will receive an email notification of their username and password that will enable them to access the EO Survey Website:
If you have not received an email by 27 April and you wish to participate in the survey, or if you have any other questions regarding the survey, contact the following email address:
Alternatively, contact Gordon Campbell from ESA at the following address:
Active participation by the EO service industry is a critical component in ensuring that the survey can meet the objectives of furnishing a sufficiently comprehensive and accurate snapshot of the current industry status and health. Without this, there is a risk that ESA EO exploitation programmes do not respond adequately to the EO Service Industry agenda.
To foster the maximum level of participation possible, a major effort has been conducted by the study team to ensure that the level of effort required to complete the question set is minimised. For example, in many cases responses have been pre-compiled with information from the previous survey so that companies need only enter new information where updates are necessary. Initial testing of the question pages indicates that the total time for completion is less than 1.5 hours. In addition, the questions can be completed over several sessions if necessary in order to maximise the flexibility and ease of completion.
(Source ESA-EOMD)

Earth Observation is at a turning point world wide. The awareness of the risks inherent to an uncontrolled development of human activities has led to environmental protocols and to the setup of new partnership, such as Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), to develop synergies between available capabilities internationally or the European GMES initiative (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security).

GMES has already gathered substantial momentum through the actions of the European Union and European Space Agencies and through the wide ranging participation of European industry. Indeed European Remote Sensing companies have all the competence and experience needed for a successful GMES. This encompasses in-situ, airborne and spaceborne sensor deployment, ground infrastructures and data processing, value added data production and interpretation, extending to aid for Environment and Security decision-making.
GMES is a complex undertaking and the process of developing applications for new end users, many of whom may be decision makers or policy makers in the public and private sectors, requires research and/or the integration of multiple sources of data and information. Equally important are the conditions under which data and/or applications are made available to users, requiring that issues such as the timeliness, continuity, and stability of data; reliability of access; viability of data formats and processing; intellectual property rights; and operational cost-effectiveness be addressed satisfactorily. All of these elements come into account for most data access and use techniques, in particular in-situ and remote sensing.
It is by now well recognised that the proper monitoring of our planet will require the joint use of in-situ and remote sensing techniques. While those approaches are operationally very different, they need to be considered together in any serious plan to monitor a site, a region, a country or the Earth as a whole. Unfortunately this synergy is not yet realised, in part because of the different technologies involved and skills required to operate them, in part because of the resilience of traditional working practices, in part also because of arguments linked to training, to the need to implement new tools and models, and to many other aspects.
The objectives of the symposium are:
* first: to bring together experts from the two sides to increase mutual knowledge of their communities
* second: to quickly reassess the importance of in-situ and remote sensing techniques in Global Earth Monitoring
* third: to explore the mechanisms of synergy between in-situ and RS and to evaluate its impact.
* fourth: to foster the development of the synergy at European level.
The presented workshop will be an opportunity to draw on the experience gained through the industry and other stakeholders as European Union and European Space Agencies
Target Audience: Industry, Research centres and Space Agencies, European Union Agencies involved in GMES and GEO representatives.
Format: Round panels for discussion
Venue: May 31st – Brussels, 2007
CCAB, Centre Borschette
Rue Froissart, 36 – 1040
(metro: Schuman / Maelbeek)
Organization:
-European Commission Information Society Directorate General (DG INFSO)
-EARSC, The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies.
For more information please consult EARSC website in the coming weeks
¡¡¡ REGISTRATION CLOSED !!!
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Welcome (09h00-09h30)
G. Weets (DG INFSO), P. Kamoun (EARSC)
Discussion 1: Sensors network architecture: (09h30-10h30)

Moderator: J. Pereira (EU-DG-INFSO)
Current trends in sensor networks, J. Pereira (DG-INFSO)
Sensor networks interoperability, R. Denzer (SANY)
Open architecture for smart and in-situ sensor networks, D. Tacyniak, S. Jirka (OSIRIS)
Self-organized wireless sensor networks, P. Capodieci (WINSOC)
Data base integration of multiple sensors, W. Van de Weghe (ORACLE)
Coffee Break
Discussion 2: Pilot implementations: (10h45-12h30)
Moderator: K. Fabbri (EU-DG-INFSO)
Sensors for forest fire detection: C.C. Tassini (EU-FIRE)
Sensor networks for tsunami monitoring: J. Wächter (DEWS)
High Altitude Platforms for environmental monitoring and risk management: N. Lewycky (OSIRIS)

Multi-parametric approach to water quality: L. Sanfilippo (WARMER)
Visual sensor integration: P. Chrobocinski (DYVINE)
Lunch Break
Discussion 3: Integration of in-situ and EO sensors: (14h00-15h00)
Moderator: P. Kamoun (EARSC)
Combining EO and in-situ: T. Hamre (INTERRISK)
Sensor Fusion Services: Z.A. Sabeur (SANY)
Cooperating EO sensors: (INDRA, GIM)
Round Table 1: Integration of in-situ and EO sensors: (15h00-16h00)
Moderator: P. Kamoun (EARSC)
Mapping of in-situ communities: C. Steenmans (EEA, EIONET)
Meteorology and air pollution: U. Gartner (Eumetnet)
Integration in mapping: P. Pitteurs (TELEATLAS)
GMES fast track applications: W. Steinborn (GMES Bureau)
Coffee Break
Round table 2: Infrastructure and Policies: (16h15-17h00)
Moderator: M. Monteiro (EU-DG-INFSO)
INSPIRE: H. De Groof, (DG-ENV)
UNSDI: S. D’Elia, (ESA)
UNOSAT: A. Rétière (UN)
Final Round table: ”Technology and Systems Roadmap: what’s next” (17h00-17h30)
Moderator: M. Schoupe (DG-INFSO)
Participants: DG-INFSO, DG-ENT, EUMETSAT, GEO, EEA , EURISY

EARSC Board is glad to welcome three new Companies in our Association.

On EARSC behalf, we are certain that new Members will contribute actively to the aims of EARSC enthusiastically involved in coordinating and strengthening the Earth-observation chain and promoting the European Earth observation industry in programmes such as GMES and GEOSS.
EARSC Membership is nowadays increasing which encourage us in the Board of Directors to continue to do our best to fulfill the tasks that you as members could expect of the association. On EARSC behalf, Welcome!
More information about new members at:
EARSC membership represents the entire spectrum of the Earth Observation industry including all sector chain: providers, stakeholders and users. Membership of EARSC is currently 500 Euros per annum. For our members, the annual membership dues are a cost-effective way to stay informed, promote their company, political and institutional representation, networking opportunities with industry players and help support the future of Earth Observation. Industry together could transform activities into meaningful action on behalf of our sector.
EARSC Membership
Full Members
Any commercial European company or partnership offering and undertaking consulting and contracting services or supplying equipment in the field of remote sensing which is based in a European Country which contributes to the European Space Agency or which is a member of the European Community shall be eligible for membership.
Observer Members
Companies from countries associated to European programs but not eligible for full membership. Any active representative organization, institution or association party in the field of Earth observation and not engaged in commercial or profit-making activities such as Public/Governmental Bodies, International Organisation, International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Private Non Profit Organisation/Foundation, Network/Association/Aggregation of Intermediaries(profit or non profit), Business Association, Universities, other?) with interest in Earth Observation.
(Source EARSC)

EARSC Symposium: Brussels, May 31st, 2007
“In-situ monitoring and Earth observation in the framework of GMES and GEOSS”

Earth Monitoring is at a turning point world wide. The awareness of the risks inherent to an uncontrolled development of human activities has led to environmental protocols, to the setup of new partnership, such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the European GMES initiative (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security), and to develop synergies between available capabilities internationally. GMES has already gathered substantial momentum through the actions of the European Union and European Space Agencies and through the wide ranging participation of European industry. This encompasses in-situ, airborne and spaceborne sensor deployment, ground infrastructures and data processing, value added data production and interpretation, up to extending aid for Environment and Security decision-making.
GMES is a complex undertaking and the process of developing applications for new end users, many of whom may be decision makers or policy makers in the public and private sectors, requires research and the availability of multiple operational sources of data and information. Equally important are the conditions under which data and/or applications are made available to users, requiring that issues such as the timeliness, continuity, and stability of data, reliability of access, viability of data formats and processing, intellectual property rights, and operational cost-effectiveness be addressed satisfactorily. All of these elements come into account for most data access and use techniques, in particular in-situ and remote sensing.
It is by now well recognised that the proper monitoring of our planet will require the use of both in-situ and remote sensing techniques. While those approaches are operationally very different, they have each an essential role to play in any serious plan to monitor a site, a region, a country or the Earth as a whole. Unfortunately this synergy is neither yet realised nor fully appreciated, in part because of the different technologies involved and skills required to operate them, in part because of the resilience of traditional working practices, in part also because of arguments linked to training, to the need to implement new tools and models, and to many other aspects.
The objectives of the workshop are:
* first: to bring together experts from the two sides to increase mutual knowledge of their communities
* second: to quickly reassess the importance of in-situ and remote sensing techniques in Global Earth Monitoring
* third: to explore the mechanisms of synergy between in-situ and RS and to evaluate its impact.
* fourth: to foster the development of those techniques and their exploitation at European level.
The presented workshop will be an opportunity to draw on the experience gained through the industry and other stakeholders as European Union and European Space Agencies
Target Audience: Industry, Research centres and Space Agencies, European Union Agencies involved in GMES and GEO representatives.
Format: Round panels for discussion
Venue: May 31st, 2007, Brussels
Sponsors: Industry and Space Agencies
Sponsorship fee for Industry – 500 Euros
Tentative Programme
PROGRAMME
MORNING
: 9h – 13h
1. Sensors and sensors integration
a. Architectures: OSIRIS
b. Automated applications
c. Technologies
d. Sensor web SANI
e. R&D and Standards
f. Transition technologies: ad hoc networks, proxy sensors INTERRISK
2. Implementation
a. In-situ
b. Mobile
c. Airborne
d. High Altitude
e. Read out
f. Examples
i. Tsunami
ii. Nuclear
iii. Oceanography
iv. Air/Water Pollution
AFTERNOON: 14h – 17h
3. Data Policy
4. Integration of in-situ, space and other sensors
a. Meteorology and air pollution
b. Meteorology and oceanography
c. Other applications: water management, risk management,…
5. ROUND TABLE: ”Technology Roadmap: what’s next”

ESA EO Development and Exploitation Programmes must continue to respond to the issues faced by the European EO Service Industry.

To ensure this, it is essential that ESA has access to up to date and accurate information on the state and health of the European and Canadian EO service industry and the issues that the industry is facing in the short and medium term.
In 2004, ESA ran a contract to analyse the state and health of the European (and Canadian) EO Service Industry led by the UK company, Vega. This covered the evolution of the industry over the 3 year period 2000 to 2002. The results of this study fed directly into the programme of work and contracts issued under the EO Market Development Programme for the following years.
Since this period, the industry has been exposed to significant change drivers – for example, the evolution of GMES, new European and national legislation such as the Inspire directive and an increase in the number and performance capabilities of EO satellites. ESA has therefore kicked off a follow-on contract to characterise how the EO service industry has evolved since 2002 and the extent to which issues faced by the industry have changed or been addressed.
As in the original study, the work will be led by Vega and the core analysis will be based on information gathered from the industry. Initial work has started to prepare the information gathering exercise which will be leaner and easier to complete than the questionnaires set up under the original study. It is planned to start gathering information in early March using a secure web tool and continue for a period of approximately six weeks.
The accuracy of the information collected and the extent to which it represents a comprehensive sample of the EO Service Industry is critical. It is intended to elaborate future EOMD workplans based on the findings and conclusions from this analysis. In addition, discussions such as the role of industry within European developments (eg GMES) must be informed by timely and accurate information. Without this, the value and impact that ESA programmes can generate for the industry as a whole and for individual companies is at risk. Clearly, the strong support of both EARSC and the EO Service Industry for this analysis is an important factor in ensuring the continued success and impact of ESA EO Exploitation Programmes.
(Source ESA-EOMD)

EOvox project: an opportunity for companies to voice their viewpoint on the EO service Industry

Information on the project reports. Main results from this activity can be found at www.eovox.org
Industry is invited to review and comment upon these reports, and in particular to respond to the “Open Issues” presented at the end of the reports.