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(Azores, 23th February 2017). Since 1st of January 2017, the Horizon 2020 project Marine-EO has been officially started, aiming at the implementation of the first Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) for Earth Observation services.

Marine-EO applies to a vast array of ocean-related areas covering the development, testing and validation of demand-driven Earth Observation based services in the fields of both (i) maritime environment monitoring (i.e. Fish farm monitoring, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) monitoring, Harmful algal blooms detection, Oil spill detection, Iceberg open channel detection, etc.) and (ii) security (i.e. unusual activity detection, change detection of irregular immigrants, border permeability mapping etc.).

This endeavor will support the development of sustainable supply chains for delivery of downstream EO and Copernicus-enabled services that meet the needs of public authorities around Europe.

Comprising of 9 partners from Greece, Portugal, Spain and Norway, the Consortium within a time span of 47 months will set the processes for publishing a call for tender that will invite the EO industry to develop robust innovative solutions beyond the current state-of-the art, in three PCP phases (solution design, prototyping and operational development). The total subcontracting cost of the procurement amounts to 3,4M€.

Expectations are high among stakeholders operating with Copernicus Downstream Services regarding the project’s potential for incremental and/or radical innovation expected in the field of maritime awareness and consequent leverage effect on the already existing Copernicus Services and products.

During the first semester of 2017, the Lead Procurer (DGPM-PT) will launch a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the organization of an Open Market Consultation in order to start a dialogue with potential tenderers and end-users, to fine tune the R&D tender scope according to market needs. By the end of 2017, the PCP call for tender will be published in all relevant European tender platforms and the project’s website. The submission of tenders will remain open for at least 60 days.

CONSORTIUM: “NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHDEMOKRITOS”, (GR) / DIRECAO-GERAL DE POLITICA DO MAR, (PT) / MINISTERIO DEL INTERIOR, (ES) / HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCH, (GR) / FUNDO REGIONAL PARA A CIENCIA E TECNOLOGIA, (PT) / KYSTVERKET VEST, (NO) / NATIONAL OBSERVATORY OF ATHENS, (GR) / EUROPEAN UNION SATELLITE CENTRE, (ES) / SINTEF OCEAN AS, (NO)

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The EU must ensure it continues to implement its space strategy, so that all citizens can one day benefit, writes Maroš Šefcovic. Written by Maroš Šefčovič on 26 January 2017 in Opinion

The EU must ensure it continues to implement its space strategy, so that all citizens can one day benefit, writes Maroš Šefcovic. European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič was a speaker at the annual conference on European space policy

Since it took office, the Juncker Commission has promised to be ‘big on the big things’, to tackle what matters the most. Space has proven to be big, not only figuratively speaking, but also because of its huge impact on our economy, citizens and quality of life.

Many people immediately associate the field of space with exploration of the unknown, a field which our colleagues at the European Space Agency (ESA) are working on, making us proud and excited with every new discovery.

But space also enables a wide range of technologies which are crucial to many aspects of our lives here on Earth. Examples include fighting climate change; smartening our transport; ensuring the safety of critical infrastructure for energy, telecommunications or transport; enabling modern farming; providing disaster response; supporting border and maritime surveillance; monitoring of the ground, sea levels or the atmosphere.

Europe’s space industry is doing well, and it has many reasons to be proud; it has already captured a third of the global market, employing some 230,000 professionals and with an annual value of approximately €50bn.

Yet, our ambition does not end here. Europe’s space industry has tremendous potential, in terms of job creation, enabling more disruptive technologies and allowing more satellite-based services.

But to be perfectly honest, Europe’s space industry also faces new risks and growing competition from new players.

That is why last year the Commission presented the first space strategy for Europe, with a clear shared vision for the years to come. It is the fruit of long discussions with numerous stakeholders and with our partner organisations, such as ESA and member states’ national space agencies.

The EU space strategy is our way to continue Europe’s historic quest ‘far and beyond’; far above the skies and beyond Europe’s current space capacities. It will ensure Europe’s space industry can serve us humans, boost our economy, and protect our environment.

Take geo-localisation for example. Without us realising it, geo-localisation technologies make some of the most mundane (yet critical) activities possible; from drawing cash out of an ATM, zapping between (satellite) TV channels, or using GPS navigation when driving.

It is also a necessary component of more advanced technologies that are omnipresent in our lives (like interactive maps, shared car services, or location-based technologies).

Thanks to our joint EU efforts, the new generation of geo-localisation has just begun; we have just launched the initial services of Galileo, the EU global satellite navigation system (GNSS) that provides radio signals for position, navigation and timing purposes.

Galileo, which became operational a month ago, is very much like the American GPS, but offers a more precise free public service.

Once completed in 2020, it will be 10 times more precise than the very best geo-localisation signals currently available. It will shift us from 10 meters to one meter precision level. Galileo will also provide services to public authorities and commercial companies that will be even more precise.

We also have Copernicus, which is a leading provider of Earth observation data across the globe. Copernicus is already helping to save lives at sea, improve our response to natural disasters such as earthquakes, forest fires or floods, and is allowing farmers to better manage their crops – by collecting data from earth observation satellites as well as ground and sea-bound stations.

2016 was a very exciting year for Europe’s space industry, but we’re not quite done. We must continue implementing the strategy. For example, in order to bring Galileo to its full capacity, we will need more satellite launches.

Therefore, within a few months, four additional satellites will be launched on a single Ariane 5 missile. Over the coming year, there will also be three launches of Copernicus satellites – the world’s largest single Earth observation programme.

The Commission is committed to ensuring the market uptake of both Copernicus and Galileo, through various means. We will launch two networks to help raise awareness about the programmes at regional and local levels.

We will co-organise two Space Weeks this year with the 2017 EU Council presidencies (in June in Malta and in November in Estonia).

We will also continue organising competitions for start-ups that use data from Copernicus and Galileo in new, innovative ways. Building on this support, we will launch the Copernicus accelerator and incubation programme, to help start-ups develop ideas into real applications and products.

All in all, the Commission has dedicated some €1.4bn from the Horizon2020 budget, with a very high return on this investment. The benefit for the economy from one euro invested in space is seven euros back.

As you can see, space is not only the domain of the unknown, thousands of kilometres away from our planet. It is about how we can make our lives here better, safer, healthier, more convenient, efficient and secure. For all those reasons, the Commission will continue supporting Europe’s space technologies and industries, for the benefit of all our citizens.

Source

The African Union and European Commission have launched a 30 million Euro programme for the implementation of the ‘Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa’ initiative.

The programme was launched on 25 november in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, by the AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Dr. Martial De Paul Ikounga, and H.E. Saskia De Lang, Head of the European Delegation to the Republic of Congo in the presence of H.E. Hellot Matson Mampouya, Minister for Scientific research and technological innovation.

The GMES and Africa initiative is a long-term and strategic cooperation framework meant to address the growing needs of African policymakers, scientists and businesses to access and use Earth Observation (EO) data for the implementation of socio-economic and environmental policies on the continent.

The initiative is also grounded on the Africa Space Policy and Strategy, under the AU Agenda 2063 framework, focusing on creating a well-coordinated and integrated African Space Programme and a regulatory environment that promotes and supports an African agenda. AUC Commissioner Ikounga called the signing an important milestone that marks the beginning of a transformative enterprise conceived to contribute to the achievement of Africa’s development aspirations.

Its implementation will enable African partners to provide services to their population on a real-time basis, such as improved rainfall estimate for the farmer, river water level for inland transportation, and fishing stocks for the fishermen.

The Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of the Congo said this about the launching of GMES and Africa:”This programme is built on 20 years of fruitful cooperation on Earth Observation between Europe and Africa. It will benefit from the data produced by the latest satellite technology developed by the EU in the framework of its ‘Copernicus’ space programme, and by the European agency EUMETSAT, offered to the African continent in the framework of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy”.

African ownership and participation are considered critical to the successful implementation of GMES, which requires the active involvement of all stakeholders. The Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of Congo referred to the advent of GMES and Africa as an immense opportunity provided by modern science and technology to advance the course of social and economic development in Africa.

The initial implementation phase of GMES and Africa will focus on two services, namely, Water and Natural Resources, and Marine and Coastal Areas.

Source

The first ESA hardcover book on Earth observation (EO) dedicated to Copernicus idea competitions, in partnership with AZO, is now also available online.

Copernicus in Action features 70 innovative applications based on Earth observation created with the help of the Copernicus Masters and its affiliated Space App Camps.

Space has become part of our daily life. The European Copernicus Programme offers opportunities for the involvement of new actors with great societal and economical potential for Europe. The so-called “New Space Economy”, led by new entrants from the private sector, will play an important role in the development of creative products and services, and adding value to Copernicus services and data. Grab your chance to experience the online journey through the top of line EO services fostering Copernicus User Uptake.

The book is packed with valuable insights, hands-on experience and a comprehensive market overview. The variety of application fields vary from climate & energy, over transport, logistics & infrastructure to disruptive & sustaining innovation.

Learn more about the Copernicus Masters Earth observation competition, the Space App Camps and the multiple opportunities Earth observation offers for commercial applications. Key market players, testimonials of winners and participants – in brief: true innovators – speak about EO-based solutions in a one-of-a-kind format.

Browse through Europe’s flagship Earth observation programme and explore its finest selection of high-flying commercial applications.

Source

(Strasbourg, 22 November 2016) Today, the European Commission is setting out a strategic approach for achieving sustainable development in Europe and around the world.

A first Communication on the next steps for a sustainable European future explains how the Commission’s 10 political priorities contribute to implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and how the EU will meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the future. A second Communication on a new European Consensus on Development proposes a shared vision and framework for development cooperation for the EU and its Member States, aligned with the 2030 Agenda. A third Communication on a renewed partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries proposes building blocks for a new, sustainable phase in EU-ACP relations after the Cotonou Partnership Agreement expires in 2020.

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “To build a future for our children and our planet to the benefit of everyone we are making the SDGs and sustainability a guiding principle in all our work. Implementing the UN 2030 Agenda is a shared commitment and needs everyone’s contribution and cooperation, including Member States and civil society at large.”

High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini said: “In our times we are more interconnected than ever before, so investing in people beyond our borders is also an investment for Europe. Today’s proposals have the common aim of strengthening the impact of our cooperation with our partners across the world, whilst promoting sustainability at home and abroad. This is at the heart of the EU’s Global Strategy published in June. The EU will keep leading an external action that supports peace, democracy and good governance, that reinforces resilience at all levels and promotes shared and sustainable prosperity for all.”

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica added: “The proposal for a new European Consensus on Development is the EU’s response to an increasingly interconnected and challenging world. I aim for a genuine consensus, under the shared ownership of EU Institutions and all Member States that will help us spearhead global action to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. Together with our proposals for our future partnership with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, it unequivocally confirms the EU’s readiness to engage with our partners across the world to build a better common future”.

Sustainability is a European brand. The EU has a strong starting position and track record, with a high level of economic development, social cohesion, democratic societies and a commitment to sustainable development which is firmly anchored in the European Treaties. Yet, to preserve the future, the right policy choices have to be made today.

The main elements of the Commission’s new, strategic approach, presented today are:

Next steps for a sustainable European future

The EU’s answer to the 2030 Agenda will include two work streams: the first is to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals in the European policy framework and current Commission priorities; the second is to launch reflection on further developing our longer term vision and the focus of sectoral policies after 2020.
The Commission will use all the instruments at its disposal, including its better regulation tools to ensure that existing and new policies take into account the three pillars of sustainable development: social, environmental and economic.
To create a dynamic space bringing together the different stakeholders of the public and the private sphere, the Commission will launch a multi-stakeholder Platform with a role in the follow-up and exchange of best practices on SDG implementation across sectors.
The Commission will provide regular reporting of the EU’s progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as of 2017, and will launch reflection work on developing further a longer term vision with a post-2020 perspective.

A new European Consensus on development

  • The proposal for a new European Consensus on Development reflects a paradigm-shift in development cooperation under the 2030 Agenda, responding to the more complex and interconnected challenges the world faces today.
  • The proposal puts forward shared vision and framework for action for all EU Institutions and all Member States, with particular emphasis on cross-cutting drivers of development, such as gender equality, youth, sustainable energy and climate action, investment, migration and mobility.
  • The aim is to increase the credibility, effectiveness and impact of EU development policy, based on shared analysis, common strategies, joint programming, joint action and improved reporting.
  • The new Consensus should frame all development policy activities of the EU and its Member States. An example of this approach is the proposed European External Investment Plan which will use Official Development Assistance to leverage funding from other sources to generate sustainable growth for the benefit of the poorest.

Towards a renewed partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries after 2020

A new partnership should help build peaceful, stable, well-governed, prosperous and resilient states and societies at our borders and beyond and deliver on our objective of a multilateral rules-based order addressing global challenges.
The aim is to agree with the ACP partner countries on an umbrella agreement which would go together with regional tailored partnerships for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, which address the specific regional opportunities and challenges faced.

Background

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the international community in September 2015, represents an ambitious new blueprint to respond to global trends and challenges. The core of the 2030 Agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets, which run to 2030. Along with the other international summits and conferences held in 2015 in Addis Ababa and in Paris, the international community has an ambitious new frame for all countries to work together on shared challenges. For the first time, the Sustainable Development Goals are universally applicable to all countries and the EU is committed to be a frontrunner in implementing them.

Since 2000, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement has been the framework for EU’s relations with 78 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). The relationship focuses on the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and the gradual integration of ACP countries in the world economy. It seeks to increase peace and security, and to strengthen the democratic political environment. The agreement is reviewed every five years, and the proposal adopted today is a further step in preparing negotiations for a new partnership beyond 2020.

For more information
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The Hellenic National Sentinel Data Mirror Site that is operated by the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space Applications, and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) and powered by the GRNET S.A. (Greek Research and Technology Network), is entering a new era making one step forward towards the recommended architecture for the Copernicus GS, the so-called “Copernicus Integrated Ground Segment Data Access”.

The new Greek Mirror Site was overall upgraded, offering to its users a new and more friendly environment for browsing, discovering, previewing and downloading Sentinels data.

1. You can access to the site using the link https://sentinels.space.noa.gr . Then you access to the data by selecting DOWNLOAD SENTINELS DATA , and then by clicking on the ENTER THE HUB button.
2. Alternatively you can directly access to the data hub by linking to https://sentinels.space.noa.gr/dhus!!

The new version of the Hellenic Mirror Site is fully aligned and synchronized with the data hub’s architecture of the European Space Agency (ESA). It offers a high interoperability, and fast online access (1GBps) to the Sentinels data of the last 30days (currently to Sentinel 1 & Sentinel 2, and in the near future to Sentinel – 3 and 5P ) for the regions of Mediterranean, South – Eastern Europe, Balkans, Middle East & the North Africa.

However, in the case which data gaps are detected between the Hellenic National Sentinel Data Mirror Site and the Sentinels Scientific Data Hub catalogue, those are caused by an upgrade progress applied by ESA. More information is available via the following link. This issue affects last month data and is expected to be resolved, soon.

The users registered in the older version of the Hellenic Mirror Site have been automatically transferred to the new one. The previously registered users should have received an email from the sender HNSDMS Support Team (colgrhubinfo@noa.gr) providing you with the new password to enter into the new version of the Hellenic Mirror Site. It is recommended to change your password the first time you enter into the system. However the older users or the new ones, can always register as new users by creating a new account.

Source

(9 November 2016) ESA and the Asian Development Bank have signed an agreement to collaborate over the next five years to use information from space to support sustainable development.

The Bank aims to help countries in Asia and the Pacific region reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their citizens. The Bank assists its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants and equity investments to promote social and economic development.

It has already been demonstrated that using information from satellites can help these efforts. Since 2013, ESA has completed 12 different activities that support a range of projects run by the Bank.

One such project focused on helping to develop public transport in Baku in Azerbaijan and Peshawar in Pakistan.

Information from satellites was used to assess the state of different transport infrastructure such as roads, railroads, ports, waterways and airports, and show how it evolved over time. In addition, land-use information and population distribution around key access points were provided.

David Margonsztern, Asian Development Bank Senior urban development specialist, said, “Satellites give us the data without having to go into the field and allowed us to scan a ‘corridor’ area completely. Everything in the corridor from one facade to the other was shown perfectly in the satellite images.

“This also allowed us to analyse how the land is used around stations that we are planning. The outcome of the collaboration was very good.”

With initial activities such as this paving the way for future developments, an agreement to extend this kind of collaboration over the next five years was signed today by Gil-Hong Kim, the Asian Development Bank’s Senior Director and Chief Sector Officer of the Sustainable Development & Climate Change Department, and Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes.


ESA and Asian Development Bank sign agreement

The next step will be to begin scaling up earlier projects with larger, regional demonstrations. This will be coupled with a more strategic approach focusing on 10 thematic domains of international development where Earth observation can deliver key information.

Josef Aschbacher said, “In the context of the new sustainable development goals, we see increasing emphasis placed on using Earth observation to address today’s biggest societal challenges such as population growth, food security, water and energy.

“A key aspect in this work will be the close collaboration with both the multilateral development banks and their client countries in co-designing and implementing activities together, to establish Earth-observation-based products and services used as ‘best-practice’ environmental information.”

(11 November 2016) This follows the declaration made at the Group on Earth Observations’ (GEO’s) Mexico Ministerial Summit in November last year, in which the GEONETCast partners – EUMETSAT, the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA ) – committed to continue for the next 10 years.

GEONETCast is a global network of sustained and cost-effective satellite-based dissemination systems that delivers Earth observation data and products to GEO initiatives on a routine basis.

“In the GEO Work Programme 2017-2019, the GEONETCast partners and the GEO Secretariat have identified a series of activities aimed at continuing current operations while improving links with GEO flagship initiatives and services to the existing user community,” EUMETSAT International Relations Officer Vincent Gabaglio said.

“EUMETSAT, as one of the GEONETCast partners, is taking action in close cooperation with the European Commission and the African Union Commission to increase the amount of data available through GEONETCast.

“In addition, we aim to increase the number of users, especially in Africa, as GEONETCast is particularly useful for Earth observation data transmission in regions where high-speed landlines and/or the Internet are not available.”

“EUMETSAT is taking action to increase the amount of data available through GEONETCast”

GEONETCast currently serves about 6,000 users.

Under the Mexico declaration, the GEONETCast partners committed to:

  • Operate the GEONETCast infrastructure
  • Further integrate it with other GEO initiatives and flagship projects and increase the user base
  • Improve service to users.

In the new GEO context, GEONETCast aims to:

  • Provide near-global coverage through the global network of partners
  • Deliver GEO-relevant data and products on a continuous, near-operational basis
  • Engage with regional and global stakeholders to identify needs for data and products
  • Ensure a sustained system and be an integral part of overall GEO infrastructure as a foundational task.

Source

The European Commission has set up a High Level Group of experts who will advise on how to maximise the impact of the EU’s investment in research and innovation. The group will be chaired by Pascal Lamy, President Emeritus of the Jacques Delors Institute.

It consists of 12 personalities appointed in a personal capacity. Over 350 candidates responded to an online call for expression of interest. The group will start its work in December 2016 and is expected to issue its report in June 2017.

The High Level Group will base its report, among others on:

  • the available Horizon 2020 interim evaluation results and factual evidence
  • the results of a European foresight exercise for future research and innovation policy
  • an assessment of the economic rationale for public research and innovation investment and its expected impact on jobs and growth

The members of the High Level Group

  • Chair: Pascal Lamy – President Emeritus, Jacques Delors Institute
  • Martin Brudermüller – Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer, BASF SE
  • Mark Ferguson – Director General, Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland
  • Lykke Friis – Prorector for Education, University of Copenhagen
  • Cristina Garmendia – Chair, Fundación Cotec
  • Iain Gray – Director of Aerospace, Cranfield University
  • Jan Gulliksen – Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
  • Harri Kulmala – CEO of DIMECC Ltd, Tampere
  • Nevenka Maher – former dean, Faculty of Business & Management Sciences Novo mesto
  • Maya Plentz Fagundes – Managing Director, 50More Ventures
  • Lucyna A. Woźniak – Vice-Rector for Science and International Relations, Medical University of Łódź
  • Milena Žic Fuchs – Professor, University of Zagreb and Fellow, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Soruce & Documents

Accessing information from the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) has never been easier. The enhanced GEOSS Portal, the first time unveiled at GEO’s Thirteenth Plenary, is becoming more and more user-centric, better responding to their actual needs and continuously being updated to evolving requirements.

The European Space Agency (ESA), in close collaboration with Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR- IIA) who is responsible for the implementation and operations of the GEOSS Discovery and Access Broker, has built an intuitive graphical user interface to discover, access and use all of the ever-growing numbers of GEO-resources from a variety of providers all around the world.

Already now, users can now perform temporal, thematic and geographic searches, allowing them to retrieve quickly and accurately the resources they are looking for. Keywords can be used to perform general searches and progressive filtering is applied to support users in refining their searches and narrowing down their search results. A synthetic summary is presented of key metadata fields. Icon buttons help the user quickly assess the results’ relevance.
http://www.geoportal.org/

Agenda

• Introduction to the GEOSS Portal
• Overview of current GEOSS Portal Functionalities (exercise-based)
• Forecasted New Functionalities
• Q&A from the community

Please register early as places are limited by sending an email to: pdesalvo@geosec.org
Specifying your name, surname, title and organization.
Please note this will be the first event of a series. Other GEOSS Portal Virtual Workshop sessions will be held :

  • 26th January from 14.00-16.00 (GMT+1)
  • 22nd March 2017
  • 23rd May 2017
  • 20 September 2017
  • 15th November 2017

Source GEO