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British satellite manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has just completed a landmark commercial satellite contract with BLMIT – marking the first attempt to commercialise the data services from Earth observation (EO) satellites.

At a ceremony held in Beijing, the Beijing Landview Mapping Information Technology Co., Ltd (BLMIT) signed the formal in-orbit acceptance of the high resolution EO microsatellite (Beijing-1) system built in cooperation with BLMIT, marked the commencement of the satellite‘s operational commercial service for customers.
Professor Li Wei-jian, Project Manager commented, “This pioneering project it is the first time the Chinese government has provided operational Earth observation from space through a commercial contract and we are very pleased with the results.”
The 166 kg Beijing-1 is the most capable low cost Earth Observation (EO) satellite to date, carrying two payloads that provide high-resolution (4-metre) panchromatic images alongside medium-resolution (32-metre) multi-spectral images with an ultra-wide 600km imaging swath. Beijing-1 may join the internationally coordinated Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), led by SSTL, which includes satellites from Algeria, Nigeria, Turkey and UK. With 5 satellites working together, the DMC is able to gather images of a given location daily, thus mitigating cloud cover and monitoring dynamic or rapidly changing phenomena in a way single satellites cannot.
Madam Wu Shuang (CEO of BLMIT) added, “We are very pleased with the successful cooperation with SSTL on this innovative project. Beijing-1 uses state-of-the-art small satellite technologies delivered at low cost and within just two years from contract signature. We are now ready to commence a new era of commercial EO services for our customers.”
Beijing-1 will provide the Chinese government and commercial users with information on agriculture, water resources, environment and disaster monitoring throughout China. The satellite will be used extensively for monitoring urban development and pollution, especially in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and to generate digital maps of China using the high-resolution panchromatic imager. The satellite is capable of continuously imaging Chinese territory even at the longest landmass track (3000 km) and transmit images to the groundstation in Beijing in real-time at high speed (40Mbps) with on-board programmable compression. Image data gathered outside the reach of the groundstation is stored on-board in a hard disc mass storage device for retrieval at night or later on demand.
BLMIT, a private company established to manage the commercial data distribution and services of Beijing-1, is undertaking a project to obtain cloud-free images to map the whole China within 6 months.
SSTL Group CEO, Sir Martin Sweeting said, “We are very pleased that our Chinese customer is so satisfied with the in-orbit performance of our latest operational high resolution EO microsatellite. This has reconfirmed SSTL‘s capability to deliver a fully operational EO system at low cost and to a tight schedule. We have also found working with our customers in BLMIT very positive.”
The Beijing-1 microsatellite, launched in October 2005 with a life expectancy of over five years, cost approximately GBP10M manufactured and delivered into a 686km low Earth orbit by SSTL. BLMIT and SSTL have since been working together to evaluate its performance in orbit and also exploring its full operational potential, offered by the 14 different operational modes and re-configurable on-board hardware and the software to respond to the requirements of end-users in the most timely and cost-effective way.
About Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited is an enterprise company formed in 1985 by the University of Surrey to commercialise the results of its innovative small satellite engineering research. SSTL was the first professional organisation to offer low-cost small satellites with rapid response employing advanced terrestrial technologies. Over two decades, we have built a profitable business around our unique approach to space.
Today, SSTL employs over 200 staff and has been involved in 26 small satellite missions, making it the most successful and experienced small satellite supplier in the world.
(Credits SSTL)

A forum for developers and practitioners to gather information on the latest thinking and technology. Part of RSPSoc 2006 – The Annual Conference of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society
Wednesday 6 September 2006 & Thursday 7th September 2006, Fitzwilliam College Cambridge

RSPSoc, and Taylor and Francis Events are pleased to announce the launch of the Applications & Developments in Commercial Remote Sensing conference-within-a-conference at this year’s RSPSoc Annual Conference. Running alongside the main technical programme, this two day conference will feature case studies from worldwide users of remote sensing technology. It will explore the way in which remote sensing is being developed and applied by government and commercial users as well as suppliers.
This unique two-day event will bring together practitioners, scientists and vendors to discuss the current uses and future aspirations of the remote sensing user community.
Key speakers include:
- Dr Stephen Briggs, Head of the Earth Observation Applications Department, European Space Agency
- Andy Shaw, Earth Observation Coordinator, defra
- Chris Steenmans, Head of Group Geospatial Information System, European Environment Agency
- Dr Keith Porter, Environmental Information Manager, English Nature
- Dr Geoff Smith, Head of the Integrated Applications Group, Centre for Ecology and Ecology, Monks Wood
– Robin Fuller, Senior Research Associate with the Unit for Landscape Modelling, University of Cambridge
- David Gisclair, Technical Assistance Program Director, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, Office of the Governor
- Rob Cunningham, School of Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University
- Alexander P. Trishchenko Ph.D, Senior Research Scientist, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada
- Chris Duffell, Technical Advisor, Highways Agency
- Mark Rudrum, Director, Arup
- Tony Ballard, Chair, European Centre for Space Law and Partner, Field Fisher and Waterhouse
Benefits of attending:
- Learn from case studies of recent deployments of remote sensing technology
- Network with practitioners, users, suppliers, academics and scientists involved in application of remote sensing technology
- Hear about the latest uses for LiDAR
- Discuss the aspirations of the user community for remote sensing technology – what does the future hold?
- Learn about the latest licensing and regulation requirements
Who should attend?
Anyone with an interest in the commercial uses of remote sensing technology, including:
- Archaeologists,
- Transport Agencies
- Space Agencies
- Agriculture/Forestry Agencies
- Environment Agencies
- Defense/Military
- Civil Engineers
- Utility Companies
- Mining Oil and Gas
- Telecommunications
- Suppliers of Remote Sensing Technology
- Central and Local Government
- Meteorologists
For further information:
To receive a PDF of the Conference Agenda – please email: jonathan.shepherd@informa.com
Contact
Jon Shepherd
Senior Marketing Executive
Informa Plc
Haines House
21 John Street
London
WC1N 2BP
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7017 5664
Fax:+ 44 (0) 20 7017 4121
jonathan.shepherd@informa.com

A collaborative agreement has been signed between the State Office for Geo-Information and Survey (LGV) of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and CyberCity, Zurich to market and improve the massive 3D city model of Hamburg, Germany.

The city model includes more than 300.000 buildings and will be offered in three different Levels-of-Detail: non-textured block models, non-textured detailed models and textured detailed models. The city center will consist of over 2.000 buildings and will include approximately 40.000 façade images. Textures will be semi-automatically applied from oblique aerial imagery using CyberCity-Modeler’s texturing tool that is used to create a more realistic environment. The final deliverable will be available to the public via the Internet (www.cybercity.tv) in October 2006. Applications include tourism, safety, security, architecture and urban city planning and car navigation.
Fig. 1. The 3D city model of Hamburg commercially available through CyberCity, Zurich.
CyberCity has provided support and services over a 3-year period for the development of a massive three-dimensional city model of Hamburg for LGV. The deliverable also includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and a digital Orthophoto. LGV and CyberCity will co-market the 3D data. LGV will distribute the data within the municipal agencies and organizations and CyberCity will market exclusively to all other interested parties.
Fig. 2 Hagen Graeff, Managing Director LGV, and Dr. Franz Steidler, Managing Director CyberCity AG, after the signing of the cooperation agreement in Hamburg.
Additional applications/customers for Hamburg’s 3D City Model include mission and safety planning for fire and police departments, architects, urban planners and other agencies who may use CAD renderings to demonstrate project alternatives and communicate project plans. 3D city models are also being used in some car navigation systems.
Fig. 3 Textured 3D model of the Speicherstadt in Hamburg.
About CyberCity AG
CyberCity AG is a worldwide operating System- and Software-Company specializing in the creation and visualization of reality-based virtual 3D city and facility models. CyberCity applies its proprietary software to generate high-quality virtual 3-dimensional city models. Our models are produced worldwide using aerial-/satellite imagery (photogrammetry) and airborne laserscanner data (LIDAR), GIS and 3D computer graphics. CyberCity clients and partners include companies and institutions in Europe, USA and the Middle East. Applications in the field of planning, tourism, safety and navigation are offered.
More information is available on the Internet at www.cybercity.tv.
About LGV
LGV is responsible for the distribution of analogue and digital geodata of Hamburg. LGV coordinates the activities of the administration concerning geographic information systems, manages the geodata infrastructure (GDI-HH) by the Competence Center GDI and offers web-based geodata services like www.geonord.de. LGV is a service facility for the administration of Hamburg and the economy and for the public. In addition to the generation of cartographic products by order of third parties, LGV will manage the project, generate and market the orthophotos, the digital terrain models and the digital 3D city model.
More information is available on the Internet at www.geoinfo.hamburg.de.
More information:
CyberCity AG
Kilian Ulm,
Sales & Marketing
Schaffhauserstrasse 481 P.O. Box CH-8052 Zurich
SWITZERLAND
Tel. +41 44 300 13 44
E-Mail kilian.ulm@cybercity.tv
(Credits CiberCity)

The European Space Agency donated a composite satellite image of global land cover provided by its Envisat satellite to the United Nations in Geneva, as a testimony to the current state of our planet, to be handed down to future generations.

The image will be exhibited permanently in the new access building by the Pregny gate in the Palais des Nations compound. Mr Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director General of the UN Office in Geneva, accepted the mosaic on behalf of the United Nations from Dr Volker Liebig, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes, donating it on behalf of the European Space Agency.
The image is a mosaic of global land cover images taken by the MERIS instrument onboard ESA’s environmental satellite which shows the entire planet ‘in its true colours’. To produce the mosaic, a total of 1561 satellite orbit passes were used over the period May-November 2004. “Forests, desert, mountains and oceans are clearly visible. The mosaic shows the state of the planet at the beginning of the 21st century from a perspective only satellites can deliver”, said Volker Liebig.
Launched in 2002, Envisat is the largest Earth observation spacecraft ever built. It carries ten sophisticated optical and radar instruments to provide continuous observation and monitoring of the Earth‘s land surface, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps. Envisat data combined collectively provide a wealth of information on the workings of the Earth system, including insights into factors contributing to climate change.
The Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) measures the solar radiation reflected by the Earth, at a ground spatial resolution of 300m, with 15 spectral bands in the visible/near-infrared regions and programmable in terms of width and position. It provides global coverage of the Earth every three days.
ESA and UNOSAT, the UN project concerned with satellite imagery access and applications, are partners in several initiatives and programmes aimed at extending the use of satellite technologies to facilitate the work of the international community and UN agencies in particular. UNOSAT, which forms part of UNITAR, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, promotes projects and programmes designed to enable developing countries and local communities in particular to gain access to such technologies and supports humanitarian aid activities.
ESA cooperates closely with UN specialised agencies. Since 2000, it has launched initiatives with a view to using observation technology to support the implementation of key multilateral environmental agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, ESA has been cooperating closely with UNOSAT and UN agencies on sustainable development projects and projects geared to Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) service development.
For further information, please contact:
Simonetta Cheli
Head of Public and Institutional Relations Office
ESA/ESRIN
Tel.: + 39 06 94180350
E-mail: Simonetta.Cheli@esa.int
(Credits ESA)

NOAA’s budget includes financial resources to purchase two next generation satellite programmes

Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere asked 1 Million US Dollar to cover National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA)’s satellite activities, which represents 30 % of the whole Agency’s budget.

NESDIS (NOAA Satellite and Information Service) will allocate its financial resources to purchase its two next generation satellite programmes: GOES-R (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) and NPOESS (National Polar- orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System).

More on NOAA

Earth‘s wetlands are vital to the water cycle and havens for wildlife, but they are under threat. GlobWetland, an ESA-led initiative in collaboration with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, has been addressing this issue by using satellite imagery to provide detailed wide-area views of individual wetlands to aid national and local conservation efforts.

Because the success of wetland conservation ultimately comes down to individual wetland managers, the GlobWetland products and services are user-oriented and based on specific requests of users across 50 sites in 21 countries worldwide.
Based on user requirements, GlobWetland products include base maps, land use-land cover (LULC) maps and change detection maps – with historical Earth Observation (EO) satellite images being compared with current acquisitions to see what changes have occurred during the last ten years or more.
Integrating the EO-derived products and services into the user’s traditional working procedures requires training to secure capacity building and to achieve a well-defined amount of competence. This is especially important in Africa where the lack of updated geo-information and the inefficient in-situ monitoring networks hinder the conservation efforts of wetland managers and water authorities.
In support of all African countries participating in the project, GlobWetland – which is funded by ESA’s Data User Element (DUE) – hosted a five-day training seminar, developed jointly by Wetlands International and Vexcel, last week from 24-28 April in Lake Naivasha, Kenya, for users to understand and integrate the EO-derived products and services into their work.
Participants from Algeria, Egypt, Lake Chad, Senegal, South Africa and Kenya attended the training which featured lectures, ‘hands-on’ work with sample products and field work methods carried out in an area adjacent to the training facility.
Remote Sensing Officer for the Lake Chad Basin Commission Garba Sambo Hassan, said: “The training has been really stimulating. I used to perform these tasks manually, which is tedious and cumbersome. I am now anxious to get back to the office and use these products to update my past work. It is marvellous.”
The seminar also sought to help African users critically assess their requirements, suggest new products, identify inefficiencies and take over the process. All the training materials were consolidated on a CD and given to all African end users at the close of the session. In addition, all attendees received an ESA TIGER initiative training kit. GlobWetland makes up an integral part of the TIGER initiative, which focuses on the use of EO data for improving water resource management in Africa.
Abundant water makes wetlands the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, more productive even than tropical rainforests. Unlike rainforests, they are scattered across the world, providing regional flood and erosion prevention, water purification and nutrient recycling.
For much of the 20th Century, wetlands were drained or otherwise degraded. However, growing understanding of the vital importance of wetlands led to the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971.
Today more than 1 424 wetlands – a total area of 129 million hectares – have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance. The Ramsar Convention‘s 145 national signatories have committed to maintaining the ecological character and are obliged to report on the state of listed wetlands they have designated.
(Credits ESA)

A frieze depicting planet Earth, assembled from satellite pictures on a scale of 1:1,000,000,000 will be unfurled around UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters as part of the Organization’s 60th birthday celebrations.

The “Belle île en ciel” exhibition, which offers visitors a voyage around the world in 600 metres, has been opened on 29 March (5p.m.) by Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director-General of the European Space Agency; and Jean Mallot, President of Vulcania European Park.
The exhibition, supported by the European Space Agency, the Parc européen Vulcania, PlanetObserver, Spot Image, RATP (Paris public transport authority) and L’Express magazine, raises awareness of the Earth’s fragility. Assembled from pictures in the PlanetObserver database, the frieze will go on display with 60 panels illustrating the major challenges facing humanity and the protection of its heritage; from water cycle management to biodiversity, pollution, deforestation, global warming and natural disasters, as well as education, communication, dialogue between civilizations and the preservation of human cultures.
Humanity’s most important heritage is the Earth, “a beautiful island in the sky” where, for better or worse, over 6.5 billion people live. The advent of observation satellites has helped to raise awareness of our home planet’s limits. Study of our environment, using satellites such as Meteosat, ERS and the ESA’s Envisat polar platform, has helped to shed light on major climate changes underway. The data gathered enables scientists to model those changes’ long-term impact. To improve and feed the models, the ESA has set up satellite projects in the framework of the “Living Planet” programme intended to enhance our knowledge about such major issues as ocean circulation, ocean salinity, atmospheric dynamics and the melting of the polar ice caps. In addition, with the European Union it is planning the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) initiative in order to coordinate observations from space for the protection of the environment and people.
The themes dealt with in the exhibition highlight the issues on which UNESCO and the ESA have been cooperating since 2000. Those projects use aerospace technologies to meet humanitarian needs, protect the environment, manage natural disasters, improve education and preserve culture. The satellites’ global coverage and ability to fly over the same regions on a regular basis make them a key tool for managing the planet.
In 2001, for example, the ESA and UNESCO launched the BEGo (Build Environment for Gorillas) project, which uses optical imagery and radar by satellite to help protect mountain gorilla habitats in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Special products have been developed from the data in cooperation with the main organizations involved in protecting the gorillas, such as the WWF, International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and WildLife Conservation Society.
In 2002, after the Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development, the ESA and UNESCO launched the TIGER initiative, which uses satellite data to manage water resources in Africa. Designed to meet Africa’s water needs, TIGER brings together over 150 organizations – water agencies, remote detection centres and universities — that take part in its various activities, workshops and training sessions. In this way, TIGER supports decision-making processes and contributes to technical, human and institutional capacity-building to ensure sustainable water resources management.
Since 2003, the ESA has also participated in the protection of the 812 World Heritage Sites, under a cooperation agreement that enables UNESCO to use satellite data to help monitor and manage the sites
Contact
Press Relations Section,
tel. +33 (0)1 45 68 17 06
(Credits UNESCO)

Sympoisum on Key Trends and Challenges in the Global Marketplace, September 2006

Don’t miss this opportunity to network and be a part of an international dialogue
on:
• Commercial Remote Sensing Policy
• The Business Landscape of Commercial Remote Sensing
• What’s next? Bringing Commercial Remote Sensing to Market
• Commercial Remote Sensing in a Global Context: Trends from Outside the U.S.
• The Role of Commercial Remote Sensing in Natural Disaster Assessment and Response
GEOSS and the Commercial Remote Sensing Sector
• The Industry View: An International Dialogue with CEOs
When?
September 13-15, 2006
Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC
Event details can be found at: www.CRSSymposium.com

The European Commission is to boost resources devoted the development of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. In a decision taken on 8 March 2006, the Commission has established a new focal point for its GMES-related activities.

To be known as the GMES Bureau, the new body will be responsible for creating an implementation strategy for GMES, developing a federated and structured demand for GMES services across the Commission and promoting GMES to both stakeholders and the wider general public.
The Bureau’s pan-Commission role will be reflected in its staffing. While it will comprise a new unit within the Directorate-General for Enterprise, the decision itself has been proposed jointly by Vice-President Günter Verheugen and Commissioners Janez Potocnik and Stavros Dimas. Staff working within or associated with the Bureau will be drawn from several Directorates-General, including users of GMES services, such as the Agriculture and Rural Development, and Fisheries and Maritime Affairs DGs.
GMES moves up a gear
Set for a 1 June 2006 launch, the Bureau will be guided by a Steering Committee composed of representatives of all Directorates-General with an active interest in GMES. The Commission has already commenced internal recruitment procedures to ensure a timely appointment of the head of the Bureau.
The Commission’s Decision also looks ahead to the next phase of the GMES initiative. The Bureau’s tasks will include developing proposals for managing GMES service provision beyond the Commission to include other EU institutions and bodies. The Bureau should therefore have the capability to encompass other participants, including the Member States.
(Credits Europa)

Jacqueline McGlade, the Executive Director of the European Environmental Agency called for a comprehensive, integrated and sustained infrastructure for observation and early warning to apprehend natural disasters.

On 20 March 2006, in front of an audience attending a European Parliament Joint Public Hearing on “Natural Disasters – How should Europe respond?”, Jacqueline McGlade, the Executive Director of the European Environmental Agency called for a comprehensive, integrated and sustained infrastructure for observation and early warning to apprehend natural disasters. She also warned on long term gaps if financial mechanisms are not quickly put in place to build and implement satellites and in-situ observing systems.
***
Chair,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have heard eloquent testimony this afternoon from the representatives of victims of natural disasters. I am very grateful that the European Environment Agency (EEA) has been invited to add its voice to this important joint hearing on how Europe should respond.
In the time available I would like to address three issues:
First, what are the facts? What do we know about the occurrence of floods, fires and droughts in Europe in recent years?
Second, what can we say about some of the drivers of recent phenomena? Without over-stating the scientific case, I will say a few words here about climate change.
And third, what can we say about the alert systems we have in place to forewarn us and to allow us to take action – where possible – to minimise the effects of natural disasters.
The Facts
So let us start with some facts; In 2003 the European Environment Agency produced a report “Mapping the impacts of recent natural disasters and technological accidents in Europe”. Copies of this report have been made available for this hearing.
The report looked beyond floods, fires and droughts to also focus on storms, landslides, snow avalanches as well as technological accidents such as oil spills, industrial accidents and mining accidents.
Although the report did not try to discern trends in extreme events themselves, for instance whether they are becoming more frequent, it did map the human, economic and environmental impacts of such events in Europe over the period 1998-2003.
So what has been happening in terms of floods, fires and droughts in the last couple of years?
Flooding:
Between 1998 and 2005, Europe suffered about 100 damaging floods causing some 700 fatalities, the displacement of about half a million people and at least 25 billion EUR in insured economic losses.
Around 1.5 % of the population of Europe was affected.
Looking at the flood events recorded between 1975 and 2005 in EM-DAT, the number of flood events per year increased over the period. However, the number of deaths per flood event decreased somewhat, probably due to improved warning and rescue systems.
Fires:
Turning to the subject of fires, in the five Mediterranean Member States of what was the EU-15 – France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain – the area burnt in forest fires has varied between 200 000 and 600 000 hectares a year over the past 25 years.
In that period the total number of fires reported has risen sharply from around 20 000/year to 60 000/year, although this may partly reflect improved reporting procedures.
The summer of 2003 was particularly bad for forest fires in much of southern Europe.
Portugal, for example, experienced its worst forest fire season in 23 years as at least 215 000 hectares (5.6 % of its total forest area) burned. Forest fires often claim human victims, not least among fire fighters. The summer 2003 fires in Portugal, for instance, caused 15 deaths.
Economic losses generated by fires are estimated at 1 000-5 000 euro/hectare burnt but this figure may underestimate other costs such as landscape loss, with consequences for rural and eco-tourism, that are much harder to quantify. The Portuguese government has estimated the cost of the summer 2003 fires at 925 million euros.
Droughts:
Turning now to droughts, over the past decade severe episodes have taken place across Europe. This is not a phenomenon isolated in a few Member States. Droughts have occurred from Finland to Portugal and from the United Kingdom to Greece.
In the summer of 2003, for example, record low water flows were recorded in the River Danube in Bulgaria. Other European rivers, such as the Rhine, also had unusually low water levels. This situation contrasted with heavy flooding the summer before.
In Europe, droughts do not trigger famines and so they do not kill people. However, human, environmental and economic impacts can be devastating, especially when droughts are associated with heat waves. The fatal effects of heat waves were demonstrated during the summer of 2003, when temperatures in some areas (France, western Germany, south-west England) climbed to record highs. A heat wave across much of Europe during August 2003, considered the warmest August month on record in the northern hemisphere, claimed possibly as many as 35 000 lives, with France alone recording almost 15 000 deaths, mostly among elderly people.
The Science
These are some of the facts. But what does the science tell us?
It is not the role of the European Environment Agency to stand before you and make predictions of doom. If we take a longer time perspective, we see that Europe has always experienced floods, fires and droughts. But our analysis tells us that the pattern of land use in Europe means that we are exposing ourselves more to risk to natural disasters than in the past. In other words, our behaviour puts us at risk – we are living on and cultivating space which is more susceptible to natural disasters.
Climate Change
Climate change is of course an area in which we can say more. Four months ago, in December 2005 EEA published a report and a briefing on adaptation to climate change in Europe.
In Europe, mountain regions, coastal zones, wetlands and the Mediterranean region are particularly vulnerable. Although there could be some positive effects, many impacts are likely to be adverse. Existing adaptive measures are concentrated in flood defence, so there is considerable scope for adaptation planning and implementation in other areas, such as public health, water resources and management of ecosystems.
It is also becoming increasingly accepted that climate change is behind the increase in extreme weather events.
For example, climate change is likely to increase the frequency of extreme flood events in Europe, in particular the frequency of flash floods, which have the highest risk of fatality.
I have already mentioned the summer heat wave of 2003. It is very likely that greenhouse gases have doubled the risk of summer temperatures as hot as 2003.
For example, it is estimated that such a heat wave is now four times more likely. By 2050 every second summer could be as hot as 2003.
The observation and warning Infrastructure
So, to echo the title of this hearing – “how should Europe respond”?
I will leave it to others to speak about the new climate change programme, flood defences, financial solidarity mechanisms, forest fire monitoring, civil protection mechanisms and the range of European financial and legislative responses. I would like to use the remainder of the time available to me to address the question of the observation and early warning infrastructure.
Natural disasters will of course continue to take place. In order to best plan for their impact we need to have in place the infrastructure to better understand their causes, to better predict their likely occurrence and to provide early warnings of their onset. Achieving these goals requires that we have in place a comprehensive, integrated and sustained infrastructure for observation and early warning. Since many of the natural disasters of which I have spoken are driven by global rather than local phenomena integrated observation and warning systems are needed at global, regional and local scales.
It would be a disaster of a different sort – but a disaster nonetheless – if we failed to invest in building and sustaining the systems that helps us to understand, predict and respond to catastrophic natural events.
This infrastructure is complex and of necessity multinational. Maintenance of existing systems and the implementation of new improved capability depend of long-term funding and global collaboration. Neither should be taken for granted.
At present large elements of the infrastructure needed to achieve effective long-tern integrated observation and early warning are at an experimental or pre-operational stage and are funded from research budgets rather than being treated as critical infrastructure. Despite this, these capabilities already form a critical part of our observation and early warning infrastructure which is sometimes taken for granted. Unless financial mechanisms are quickly put into place to ensure long-term operation we are likely to find that critical gaps appear – gaps that may take long time to fill given the time taken to build and implement satellite observing systems and complex in-situ observation networks.
Divergent national policies on sharing of data and information also threaten to undermine capability. We must rise above these differences if we are to build and sustain the best possible capacity to observe the Earth and respond effectively to the threat of natural disasters that have no respect for national boundaries.
(Credits EEA)