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The European Commission recently released two videos presenting the Copernicus programme.

The first video (5’38”) provides an overview of the Copernicus programme. It describes the objectives of the programme, how the systems works, the services offered to users and their effective areas of application.

The second one (1’06”) illustrates the wide range of opportunities for business development offered by Copernicus.

Both videos exist in 6 different versions (English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish).

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The Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), one of the three institutes of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), recently signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to become a Regional Support Office of the UN-SPIDER Programme.

IIAASARS conducts basic and applied research in a number of topics in astrophysics, from distant galaxies to the solar neighborhood, as well as ground based and space-borne remote sensing, earth observation and signal processing. The Institute is also committed to outreach and science dissemination for the general public and operates a very popular visitor center in Penteli.

Recently, the Institute established the Centre of Excellence for Earth Observation based monitoring of Natural Disasters (BEYOND), which situates IAASARS/NOA as a dynamic actor for regional and potentially European hazard management. Through this Centre of Excellence, IAASARS aims to enhance its capacities, drawing new creative perspectives in EO-based disaster management, rendering IAASARS/NOA into the leading south-eastern Europe/Balkan research centre of excellence, and allowing sustainable collaborative schemes to be formed.

The focus of the Centre of Excellence on the topic of natural disasters is the cornerstone of the recently signed agreement to establish IAASARS as a Regional Support Office for the UN-SPIDER programme.

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The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre recently signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to become a Regional Support Office of the UN-SPIDER programme. For three decades ADPC has been devoting efforts to provide technical advisory support to countries in Asia and Asia Pacific in the topics of disaster risk reduction, preparedness, disaster response and recovery.

Established in 1986, ADPC is as an independent regional organization. It works in a number of countries in the Asia region including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi-Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. With headquarters located in Bangkok, Thailand, ADPC has country offices in Bangladesh and Myanmar. ADPC’s well-established networks with government line agencies and strong partnerships with regional organizations and development agencies provide the foundation for its work.

ADPC is a strong partner in Asia in the context of capacity building, offering a variety of training courses at the national and regional levels on an annual basis on many topics related to disaster risk management and climate change.

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The European Commission is working on the 2018-2020 Work Programme for Horizon 2020 – SPACE, as well as is undergoing public consultation on a Space Strategy for Europe.

The European Science Foundation’s (ESF) European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) has issued recommendations and inputs to these consultation processes.

For H2020 SPACE programme, the recommendations include the exploitation of space data, the use of “CubeSat” miniaturised satellites and the integration of ground-based and space-based research, as well as health research in space, gravitational waves research, solar system exploration, heliophysics and space weather. Space surveillance and tracking and the Copernicus and Sentinel programmes are also covered.

As it comes to the European Space Strategy, the Committee highlighted the relevance of space sciences for European citizens in the areas of security, environment, health and engineering. It also underlined the strategic role that space sciences can play in European technology development, innovation and industrial leadership.

The detailed information can be found under: www.esf.org/space

The European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) of the European Science Foundation is an independent committee that provides expert advice to European and national research funding and research performing organisations that support space sciences in Europe.

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The European Union’s Copernicus programme is a boon for analysts and researchers around the world since it provides all of the imagery taken by its Sentinel earth observation satellites for free.

SpaceWatch Middle East interviewed Andreas Veispak, the acting Head of Unit for Space Data for Societal Challenges and Growth at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, about the Copernicus programme and what it means for the Middle East.

Tell us about the Copernicus programme and its Sentinel satellites – what are your goals?

The Copernicus programme is a cornerstone of the European Union’s efforts to monitor the Earth and its many ecosystems, whilst ensuring that its citizens are prepared and protected in the face of crises and natural or man-made disasters. Building on the foundations of deeply rooted scientific knowledge and on decades of EU investment in research and technological development, the Copernicus programme is exemplary of European strategic cooperation in space research and industrial development.

The programme entered its operational phase with the launch of Sentinel 1A in 2014 and its governance is based on the Copernicus Regulation adopted the same year which establishes the Commission as the Programme manager owning the infrastructure and data rights on behalf of the Union.

Copernicus services are based on information from a dedicated constellation of satellites, known as “Sentinels”, as well as tens of third-party satellites known as “contributing space missions”, complemented by “in situ” (meaning local or on-site) measurement data. On the basis of this data, its analysis and processing, , Copernicus brings together communities from across the geoinformation and environmental scientific spectrum, and delivers operational services, which range from Arctic sea ice monitoring to emergency response, through oil spill detection and monitoring of urban sprawl. Copernicus has 6 core services, which support a broad range of environmental and security applications, including climate change monitoring, sustainable development, transport and mobility, regional and local planning, maritime surveillance, agriculture and health.

The Copernicus programme places a world of insight about our planet at the disposal of citizens, public authorities and policy makers, scientists, entrepreneurs and businesses on a full, free and open basis. The programme is able to support various policy areas important for the EU and its Member States such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, biodiversity and environmental protection, climate and energy, civil protection and humanitarian aid, public health, tourism, transport and safety, as well as urban and regional planning.

By making the vast majority of its data, analyses, forecasts and maps freely available and accessible, Copernicus contributes towards the development of new innovative applications and services, tailored to the needs of specific groups of users, which touch on a variety of economic and cultural or recreational activities, from urban planning, sailing and insurance to archaeology.

Copernicus marks the beginning of a new era in Earth observation and will represent the most sophisticated and advanced civil Earth observation system in the world. Sentinel satellites are being launched, operational Copernicus services are available, and the first green shoots of the “Copernicus Economy” are starting to be seen in the form of value-added (“downstream”) applications.

Are there opportunities for international cooperation in the Copernicus program beyond EU and ESA member states?

Copernicus has a global dimension, and therefore offers opportunities for international cooperation. We are keen on sharing the benefits of Copernicus with partners abroad. The data policy of the Copernicus programme supports an open, full and free of charge access to data that is in line with the data sharing principles of the Group for Earth Observation (GEO). The European Commission is one of GEO Members and has been co-chairing the initiative since its creation. Copernicus will be a major European contribution to GEO.

The European Commission is also a member of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). This international coordinating mechanism is tasked with coordinating international civil space-borne missions designed to observe and study planet Earth. CEOS is recognized as the major international forum for the coordination of Earth observation satellite programmes and for interaction of these programmes with users of satellite data worldwide. The Copernicus team supports the important tasks of CEOS, such as exchange of data, interoperability and the establishment of international standards. CEOS has a recognised role for the coordination of tasks related to the Space Component in GEO.

Several countries around the world have expressed their strong interest in accessing Sentinel data. We have recently signed cooperation arrangements on Sentinel data sharing with Australia and key U.S. agencies (such as NOAA and NASA), which are based on the principle of reciprocity. The United States is providing full, free and open access to their civilian Earth observation satellites and Australia will provide in-situ data of the Australian continent to be included in the Copernicus data architecture. This will make our global products better. In addition, Copernicus will contribute to Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa by providing data and know-how to enhance the capacity of African countries to deliver meaningful information for informed decision-making – for instance to secure the stability of livelihoods and ecosystems.

What advantages and opportunities might Middle East countries, institutions, and universities gain from the Copernicus program, and in turn, how would Middle East participation help Copernicus?

The Copernicus programme offers the data from its Sentinel satellites free of charge and the products of the Copernicus services to everyone: this includes universities, institutions and government in Middle East countries. So there is no need to be a ‘participant’ in Copernicus to draw benefits from the programme. Anyone in the Middle East can go online and download what they need from our dedicated website for the Copernicus programme. I invite you to look at http://www.copernicus.eu where you find the data portal for all operational Sentinel satellites and also links to the products of the Copernicus services. It is an opportunity for Middle East researchers to use Copernicus data for their research projects and to participate in the European Union’s Research and Innovation Programme (H2020) in the area of space and Earth observation. Policy makers in the Middle East countries could use the products of the Copernicus services or develop tailored products for their region to support smart decision-making. Let me give you two examples: Copernicus Sentinel 2A is monitoring in particular changes in land surface conditions, such as those of vegetation and cultures during the growing season. This supports food security monitoring, agricultural production estimation, crop area monitoring for agricultural statistics. It also focuses on water monitoring for water stress assessment and water scarcity forecasting, Information on the extent and impact of water scarcity and drought is indispensable for decision-making at national and continental scale. Our Copernicus Emergency Management service supports responses to major disasters in the shortest possible time, assisting in the identification of priority areas for humanitarian and financial aid and providing essential geographical information for remote areas where the information is absent or inaccurate (e.g. following flooding or earthquakes). So Middle East countries would benefit if they become users of Copernicus programme. It’s free, just use it!

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Two R&D projects funded by the European Commission, EuMon and EU BON, collected the large database on programmes, data and metadata on biodiversity monitoring in Europe and now the initiative calling out to monitoring programs across Europe and beyond, to join in, provide information about their schemes and share their expertise for the caus

The data will make a comprehensive European Biodiversity Portal. The service will provide all interested parties with a professional database platform with information about related monitoring programs in different countries. Initiatives could integrate their data and compare the trends and status across different countries and regions.

The ultimate goal is to build a comprehensive European Biodiversity Portal that will then feed into a Global Portal currently developed by GEO BON. This initiative will provide a completely new holistic way for analysing global trends and processes.

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The European Commission recently released two videos presenting the Copernicus programme.

The first video (5’38”) provides an overview of the Copernicus programme. It describes the objectives of the programme, how the systems works, the services offered to users and their effective areas of application.

The second one (1’06”) illustrates the wide range of opportunities for business development offered by Copernicus.

Both videos exist in 6 different versions (English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish

Videos

(Wednesday, 8 June 2016 – Strasbourg). Adoption of the European Parliament resolution on space market uptake

The Resolution on Space Market Uptake carried by Françoise Grossetête (EPP, FR), Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (ALDE, NL), Evzen Tosenovsky (ECR, CZ), Constanze Krehl (S&D, DE) and Michel Reimon (ALE, AT) has been voted in Plenary on 8 June.

The text focuses around four main topics: Space strategy and market uptake, technical barriers, market barriers and Space in EU policies.

The full text is available here

THE PHILIPPINES is putting up PEDRO (Philippine Earth Data Resource Observation Center), is one of the five components of the PHL-Microsat program of Department of Science and Technology poised to be the satellite ground station and always ready to receive data and satellite images from Diwata-1 at a speed of 2.4Mpbs.

Diwata-1 is the country’s first micro-satellite launched into orbit on April 27. It flies in the sky to capture photos and images using its high precision telescope, space borne multispectral imager, and wide field camera for observing large-scale weather patterns and monitoring bodies of water and vegetation.

Filipino scientists and analysts will process received data into various spatial data that will be useful to the Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and National Defense, to name a few.

Data from Diwata will be received by PEDRO and processed for use in crop management especially in times of supply shortage. This technology is a very important tool for the government to better anticipate extreme weather events such as the El Niño Phenomenon.

PEDRO is expected to start operations by the time Diwata-2 is launched in 2017 or 2018 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales province. (With a report from Mindanao Examiner)

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Until July 18, 2016, the European Commission is taking applications from individuals and teams from startups, SMEs, industrial companies, research institutes and universities for its Copernicus Accelerator, which hopes to foster development of commercial space applications and products. Participants will be able to determine the focus of this coaching, such as creating a business plan, acquiring customers, raising capital, etc.


“The goal of the Copernicus Accelerator is to provide tailored support to new players who have innovative business ideas involving the use of spaceborne big data,” stated Andreas Veispak, head of the I3 unit (Space Data for Societal Challenges and Growth) at the European Commission. “We’re very excited to offer a customized business-development scheme to the 40 best applicants to this year’s Copernicus Masters competition.”

Scheduled to last six to eight months, the Copernicus Accelerator will kick off with a boot camp that will invite all participants to Madrid, Spain, from Oct. 24-26, 2016. This event will form part of the Satellite Masters conference and Awards Ceremony of the Copernicus Masters competition.

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