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European national, regional and local public authorities are using satellite data and signals in their everyday activities. They rely on satellites to monitor the environment, improve the efficiency of agricultural practices, better prevent and manage natural hazards, ensure the reliability of transport networks, and for urban planning purposes, among others.

The new Eurisy publication “Satellites for Society: Reporting on operational uses of satellite-based services in the public sector” analyses more than 100 replies submitted to the Eurisy survey for public authorities in 2015.

Public managers were asked why they started using satellite-based services, how much the services cost and how the uptake was financed, which challenges they face, and how the satellite solutions help them saving time and resources while improving the quality of public services.

You can download “Satellites for Society”, as well as the reports describing the results of the case-study analysis that preceded the Eurisy survey, by clicking on the link Access

Calgary, Alberta – TECTERRA Inc. announced today that it had committed $4.9 million of funds to support the geomatics technology sector in Canada during the last fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2016. This additional commitment brings TECTERRA’s investment in the geomatics industry to over $37.3 million to date.

The investment sum represents commitments to support geomatics companies and applied research projects for technology commercialization, new job creation and Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) training and development across the country, with total matching private investments of more than $26.7 million towards the supported projects and initiatives.

“TECTERRA is pleased to continue supporting the growth of geomatics across our province and throughout Canada,” said Jonathan Neufeld, Interim Chief Executive Officer for TECTERRA. “With a focus on the commercialization of environmental monitoring, management, and protection solutions for the Alberta resource industries, we are able to proactively contribute to the Canadianeconomy.”

“Since our inception in 2010, we have contributed to the economic growth through our suite of investment and grant programs that have a proven track record and are reflected through the number of portfolio companies we support.”

The following is a summary of TECTERRA’s commercialization support, and job creation activities, from the beginning of TECTERRA’s operation in June 2010 through the end of March 2016.

Project/Activity Type # Of Units Investment $
Small and medium geomatics companies supported through project investments and various business support programs 199 companies $23,498,298
New HQP jobs (including those within funded projects) 310 HQP $2,165,071
University applied research projects 25 projects $4,660,302
HQP trained on state-of-the-art geomatics technology 640 HQP $254,715
TECTERRA Geomatics Lab investment for product development and HQP training 31,833 equipment days ; 100 training days $6,741,768

TECTERRA continues to develop new programs that support the geomatics industry and help broaden the horizons for geospatial technology companies.

To meet with some of TECTERRA’s supported companies, learn more about the organization’s programs and activities, and to stay up-to-date on the newest innovation in geomatics technology, register today to attend TECNOVATE, the evolution of TECTERRA’s annual Geomatics Showcase on June 22, 2016 at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre. Visit www.tecnovate.ca for event details and to register.

About TECTERRA:

TECTERRA Inc. is a Canadian geomatics technology innovation support centre that supports the development and commercialization of geomatics technologies for integrated resource management. With funding from the province of Alberta, TECTERRA invests in technology solutions for the following: agriculture, energy, environment, forestry, land management, and development applications. The organization also focuses on small to medium enterprises that specialize in geomatics technology geared towards environmental monitoring, management and protection. The first centre of its kind, TECTERRA works with industry, entrepreneurs, researchers, and government partners to enable the use of geomatics technologies in addressing local, national and global challenges in resource management. As a non-profit organization, TECTERRA is governed by an independent Board of Directors who represents the key industry sectors associated with TECTERRA’s focus markets. For more information, visit: www.tecterra.com

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TEHRAN — The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Environment (DoE) on Tuesday setting out on lunching three environmental monitoring satellites.

To enhance the environmental safety in the country the MOU was signed between ISA director Mohsen Bahrami and DoE deputy director Farhad Dabiri.

The three satellites are designed for detecting forest fires, observing the Earth’s vegetation, and monitoring riversides etc., said an official with ISA.

Homayoun Sadr noted that “we have already cooperated with agriculture, energy, and communication and information technology ministers and we are entering into cooperation with the Department of Environment as well.”

Food and water safety, sustainable development, environment assessment, and earth monitoring are of the issues the two organizations have agreed upon by signing the aforesaid MOU, Sadr highlighted.

Environmental monitoring satellites are kinds of Earth observation satellite that can assist environmental monitoring by detecting changes in the Earth’s vegetation, atmospheric trace gas content, sea state, ocean color, and ice fields. By monitoring vegetation changes over time, droughts can be monitored by comparing the current vegetation state to its long term average.

ISA is an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

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China is planning to launch 14 more meteorological satellites into orbit over the next decade, a senior Chinese official said today.

China plans to launch one Fengyun-II satellite, four Fengyun-III, three Fengyun-IV and another six for multiple meteorological purposes by 2025, Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, said.

Fengyun satellites are a series of remote-sensing meteorological satellites developed by China.

The Fengyun series is an important part of the earth observation satellite system.

China has launched 14 Fengyun satellites since 1988, with seven still in orbit as part of the World Meteorological Organisation network, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Last month, China said it will launch five new satellites within five years, including its first solar exploration satellite, to end its dependency on foreign solar data.

The satellites, including a Sino-European joint mission known as SMILE, will focus on observation of solar activities and their impact on the earth’s environment and space weather, besides analysing water recycling and probing of black holes, an official had said.

China also plans to launch nearly 40 Beidou navigation satellites in the next five years to support its ambitious global navigation and positioning network that it hopes will end the dominance of US-operated Global Positioning System (GPS).

The country plans to expand the Beidou services to most of the countries covered in its “Belt and Road” initiative by 2018, and offer global coverage by 2020.

GPS, operated and maintained by the US Air Force, is a constellation of 24 or more satellites flying 20,350 km above the surface of the Earth. Each one circles the planet twice a day in one of six orbits to provide continuous, worldwide coverage.

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BENGALURU: For the first time, under the impetus of ISRO and the French Space Agency (CNES), space agencies of over 60 countries have agreed to engage their satellites, to coordinate their methods and their data to monitor human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

The COP21 climate conference held in Paris last December acted as a wake-up call in this context, according to a statement released by ISRO here today.

Without satellites, the reality of global warming would not have been recognised and the subsequent historic agreement at the UN headquarters in New York on April 22, 2016 would not have been signed, the space agency said.

Out of the 50 essential climate variables being monitored today, 26 – including rising sea level, said,

The key to effectively implementing the Paris Agreement lies in the ability to verify that nations are fulfilling their commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Only satellites can do that, it said.

Invited to New Delhi by ISRO and CNES on April 3, the world’s space agencies decided to establish “an independent, international system” to centralise data from their Earth-observing satellites through the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ that officially came into effect on May 16, ISRO said

“The goal now will be to inter calibrate these satellite data so that they can be combined and compared over time. In other words, it is to make the transition to closely coordinated and easily accessible big space data,” it said.

“It is overwhelming to see the unilateral support of all space agencies to use space inputs for monitoring climate change” ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said. “Earth observation satellites provide a vital means of obtaining measurements of the climate system from a global perspective.ISRO is committed for the continuity of earth observation data, through the thematic series of satellites, with improvements en-route, to meet contemporary as well as future needs,” Kumar said.

ISRO is also engaging with CNES, JAXA and NASA for realising joint missions for global climate observation with advanced instruments, he added.

CNES President Jean-Yves said this is a historic event that reaches far beyond the space sector and is a perfect example of the kind of success that can only be achieved through international cooperation.

“With this consensus among space agencies from more than 60 nations, including the world’s leading space powers, the international space community and scientists, now have the tools they need to put their talent, intelligence and optimism to work for the good of humankind and our planet”, he said.

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30 June 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – Cultural heritage around the world suffers from intentional attacks, collateral damage, looting and the effects of natural disasters. Reaching affected sites and areas quickly to monitor the situation, plan for restoration and prevent further loss often proves very difficult. Thanks to a partnership between UNESCO and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), satellite images developed through UNITAR’s UNOSAT programme in 2015 have been contributing to the work of UNESCO and heritage experts to evaluate and protect sites in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Nepal.

A new UNESCO-UNITAR summary report demonstrates how satellite imagery analysis is an increasingly important tool for assessing potential damage to cultural heritage sites.

Full article

Empowered through GIT

10 June, 2016 Dhaka, Bangladesh – UNITAR’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) has completed the advanced training of 16 disaster management professionals from 10 line ministries of the Bangladesh government. The training was focused on advanced operational applications of Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The course was delivered in collaboration with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 29 May to 02 June 2016, in the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) premises.

Full article

UNOSAT Encourages Girls to Consider Tech Career Choices

27 May 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – When you are young, you imagine what your future could be and think about eventual career choices. Believe it or not, we still face numerous barriers when it comes time to choose a career path. One of them is linked to the high number of stereotypes based on gender. Many still think that women are more suited for the arts and support roles while men are better suited for math and engineering. This year, we, at UNOSAT, became directly involved in the Girls in ICT Day (Information and Communication Technology). This initiative from ITU (International Telecommunication Union) aims at raising awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT.

“Full article”: http://www.unitar.org/unosat-encourages-girls-consider-tech-career-choices

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As reported by Milly Lin and Elizabeth Hsu of Focus Taiwan News Channel, Taiwan will seek to use Japan’s satellite services until the country’s newest satellite, Formosat-5, can be launched later this year, this according to Science and Technology Minister Yang Hung-duen.

In a hearing of the legislative Education and Culture Committee, Yang said the launch of Formosat-5 has been delayed because of a failed rocket test in June 2015 by the U.S. company commissioned to launch the satellite. Formosat-5, therefore, will not be launched until around October, Yang said, although the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) had said the launch was postponed from the first quarter of the year to June. Yang said that until Formosat-5 is put into service, Taiwan will rely on Japan for satellite services.

Formosat-5 was scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the first quarter of the year to replace Formosat-2, which has been conducting remote sensing imaging since May 2004. However, the rocket test failure by SpaceX, the American company commissioned to launch Formosat-5, delayed that firm’s services to all its customers, including NARLabs. NARLabs said the postponement would not have been a problem had another of the four reaction wheels on Formosat-2 not failed on June 21.

With two of its reaction wheels malfunctioning, Formosat-2 has not been able to perform its imaging tasks and its movements cannot be accurately controlled, said NARLabs, which is in charge of Taiwan’s space program. The reaction wheels are used primarily for attitude control and are particularly useful when a spacecraft must make very small adjustments that are required, for example, to keep a telescope pointed at a star.

Formosat-5, which will carry a payload including an Optical Remote Sensing Instrument completely designed and developed by Taiwan for the first time, was designed to take over the remote sensing imaging mission of Formosat-2. Since Taiwan began its space program in 1991, it has sent three satellites into space. Formosat-1 was decommissioned in 2004, while Formosat-2 and the weather satellite Formosat-3 remain in orbit.

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At its 85th session, the EUMETSAT Council endorsed a new strategy establishing the framework for EUMETSAT activities in the next decade.

Named “Challenge 2025”, the new strategy targets the smooth transition from the current to the next generation of EUMETSAT satellite systems and responds to the “big data” challenge with a roadmap of pathfinder projects for future data services aimed at providing more and better data access services for users.

The strategy also foresees a continued role of EUMETSAT in Copernicus and further cooperation with international partners.

As a first step in the implementation of the strategy “Challenge 2025”, the Council approved to move Meteosat-8 over the Indian Ocean, to 41.5°E longitude, as EUMETSAT’s best-effort contribution to multi-partner Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC) services involving also geostationary satellites from India, Russia and China.

The implementation of the EUMETSAT Polar System Second Generation (EPS-SG) programme progressed further at this Council session, with the approval of the cooperation agreement with the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) for the development of three METimage instruments and of one important ground segment development contract covering all systems required to command and control the operations of the Metop-SG satellites from Darmstadt.

Council finally approved the Third Continuous Development and Operations Phase (CDOP 3) of EUMETSAT’s eight Satellite Application Facilities (SAF) covering the period 2017-2022. During CDOP-3, the SAFs will continue to deliver and enhance the current set of operational environmental products and develop new products, including “Day 1” products from MTG and EPS-SG.

About EUMETSAT

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation based in Darmstadt, Germany, currently with 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and one Cooperating State (Serbia).

EUMETSAT operates the geostationary satellites Meteosat-8, -9, -10 and -11 over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-7 over the Indian Ocean.

EUMETSAT also operates two Metop polar-orbiting satellites as part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) shared with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

EUMETSAT is also a partner in the cooperative high precision ocean altimetry Jason missions involving Europe and the United States (Jason-2, Jason-3 and Jason-CS/Sentinel-6).

The data and products from EUMETSAT’s satellites are vital to weather forecasting and make a significant contribution to the monitoring of environment and climate change.

After completion of the in-orbit commissioning of Sentinel-3A, EUMETSAT will exploit the Copernicus Sentinel-3 marine mission in cooperation withESA and on behalf of the EU, and deliver data services to the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service and users.

Media Relations EUMETSAT:
Tel: +49 6151 807 7320
Fax: +49 6151 807 7321
Email: press@eumetsat.int

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Satellite data can be applied for monitoring almost any natural hazard across the globe, and is therefore a crucial component for all phases of the disaster management cycle. More and more satellite imagery is available for free, and the image archives are continuously growing. This is a great data treasure, which is still underexploited for operational disaster and risk management. Some good examples of data usage are outlined below.

In relation to the response phase of a disaster, the Copernicus GIO Emergency Mapping Service (GIO EMS-Mapping) utilises freely accessible satellite data (such as Sentinel-1imagery), as well as commercial data, to provide all involved actors with timely and accurate geospatial information relating to that particular disaster. The resulting information products can be used as supplied (e.g. as digital or printed map outputs), or may be further combined with other data sources (e.g. as digital feature sets in a geographic information system). In both cases, it is hugely beneficial for supporting geospatial analysis and decision making processes of emergency managers.

In the recovery phase of the disaster management cycle free satellite data is used for loss and damage assessment. For example, through the use of high resolution freely accessible satellite imagery (such as SPOT imagery), it is possible to analyse the amount of land lost to burning following a forest fire. By using free satellite data for loss and damage assessment, this enables emergency managers to more effectively plan how they can go about the recovery/rehabilitation of a disaster struck area.

Free satellite data is also used to aid with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Exposure, vulnerability and risk assessments make use of freely accessible satellite data to map areas that are vulnerable or at high risk to natural disasters, and by utlising this knowledge, emergency managers can increase mitigation efforts in these vulnerable areas in order to reduce the impact of any future occurring disasters. UN-SPIDER is an active member of the Global Partnership, which spearhead efforts regarding the use of Earth Observations and Space-based applications to contribute to the monitoring and implementing of the targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Explicitely, space-based information can contribute to target b on affected population (e.g. by using of EO-derived population data, downscaling of administrative population data, use of settlement information like the Global Human Settlement Layer or the Global Urban Footprint), to target c on economic loss (e.g. economic loss in the agricultural sector using satellite-derived crop information), to target d on disaster damage to critical infrastructure (e.g. exposure and vulnerability mapping at national level), and target g on early warning and risk information (e.g. using image archives for information on changes in risks over time).

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SUMMARY REPORT. Source

Transverse elements

Reliable and flexible access to data was identified throughout the workshop as essential condition to build activities and business based on Copernicus (and other) data.

It was also mentioned that a major obstacle to the development of the downstream sector was the difficulty to access other, non- Copernicus data managed by public authorities (e.g. in situ data) in order to combine them with space-based data to offer products with added-value for the user. The view expressed was that the public sector has a role to play in removing this obstacle.

Predictability was identified as a major business enabler and, while markets will remain unpredictable to a certain degree, participants called upon the public sector to be very transparent on its plans and intentions in order to provide visibility to the private sector and enable private investments.

Shortage of skills was identified in several exchanges as a challenge to be addressed. Both private and public sectors have a role to play to address education and training of current and future developers and users.

Participants from industry of all sizes called upon the public sector to increasingly become a customer of EO services where the maturity of the industrial offer warrants this approach. Procurement approaches based on Service Level Agreements and incorporating anchor tenancy principles were proposed and discussed.

In the following, the main outcome of the individual breakout sessions is summarised:

Defining clear roles for the public and private sectors in the Copernicus value-chain

Creating the right business environment to enable growth – Key challenge: maximise socio-economic benefit through a greater and more fruitful involvement of the private sector.

The European Space Strategy should include a clear element related to an industrial policy that fosters market driven innovation and is based on trust in the free market economy.

In order to unleash the market forces, participants agreed on the need for a stable and clearly defined border between Copernicus services on one hand and downstream services provided by the private sector on a commercial basis on the other hand. This would become a key enabler for industry investment.

To achieve this, participants called for a clear, transparent and publicly visible Product Catalogue for the Copernicus Services that renders this border visible to all. It was also stated that a clear and transparent mechanism should be established to manage the evolution of the Copernicus services and to ensure that future evolutions do not replace products that are or could be delivered by the private sector. The mechanism would need to involve close dialogue between the European Commission, the requester of the new product/service and the private sector.

More generally, it was said that the public sector should be very transparent on its intentions (for instance on the commitment over time to deliver data) in order to give visibility to the private sector.

In the domain of publicly provided services, participants from industry stressed the need for EO-specific and innovative procurement processes; the public sector should focus on procuring services to be provided against service level agreements. Anchor tenancy- based agreements should be considered and the EU should lead in this respect.

Strong signals from industry were heard, calling on the public sector to spin-off the provision of mature elements of the Copernicus Services into the private sector in the medium term. Industry participants stressed that such an approach would improve their ability to compete on international markets.

Support to Start-ups and Incubators

Growing the private sector share of the EO market through support to entrepreneurial initiatives – Key challenge: identify, link up and create impact using the best existing support mechanisms in Europe.

Participants agreed that access to finance is a key element; it is stressed that supporting networks that can provide help and advice at the right junctions are just as important. It is indeed essential that start-ups can benefit from other forms of support (e.g. legal support, business development).

Support should be adapted to the maturity of the start-up. Support to new ideas could be developed via prizes (such as the Copernicus Masters) or AppCamps. Support to more advanced start-ups could be done through coaching and incubation.

Start-ups are seen as a prime opportunity to extend links to non-space sectors. Participants suggested that they should be particularly supported doing so.

Discussions identified a strong link to market oriented approaches that stimulate the development of start-ups. It was pointed out that larger companies in Europe could play a more proactive role as well.

Facilitating access to data and (EO) expertise was identified as a key enabler. This was linked to standards and interoperability.

Interoperability, notably between EO and non-EO data

Where are the issues and what mitigation opportunities exist or and in the making? Key challenge: rapidly enable the exploitation
of data from different sources without stifling innovation through rigid standards.

All participants agreed that interoperability is a key element to enable exploiting the potential of EO and non-EO data for economic, scientific and public use.

The Commission should play a supportive role and should go for a “so approach” with the objective that achieve an agreement between all relevant stakeholders on the use common set of standards that allow the interoperability of heterogeneous data from different sources.

It was highlighted that interoperability between EO and non-EO data requires looking beyond the question of formats and consider technical and legal aspects related to the information content. Regulatory issues related to data policy, privacy, provenance and trust were singled out as particularly important. Also: trust in Copernicus data and services could be improved through adherence to standards, certification and end-to-end transparent procedures.

The standards development process within the Open Geospatial Consortia (OGC) was highlighted as an example to move standardisation efficiently forward. A priority was put on the identification of European requirements without losing sight on the international level.

There was broad consensus that user-friendly access to data, independently from their source, is the key for the exploitation of their value. In this context the provision of related services that render EO and non-EO data easily available and usable to non- specialist users (e.g. SMEs and NGOs) was identified as an opportunity.

A sense of urgency clearly emerged during the discussions.

Internationalisation of mid- and downstream companies

Opportunities, recipes and priorities. Key-challenge: increase the probability of success of European companies in the export markets through Copernicus.

Participants from industry stress that selling services in export markets is significantly facilitated if similar services are already provided in Europe (or elsewhere) on an autonomous basis. Anchor tenancy based contracts with institutions such as the EU were seen as particularly valuable and the possibility of certifying services can be a facilitator.

It was stressed that the export user community may need to be heard when defining service volumes and observation scenarios. This should include the use of data relay approaches such as EDRS.

Data access is an important enabler, also beyond Europe. Continuity of data access services must be ensured in a sustainable fashion.

The importance of embedding Copernicus in the local environment of foreign countries is stressed as well as the key role of local partners. Africa and Latin America were singled out as particularly promising areas to expand into.

A coherent policy ranging from R&D to international cooperation is seen as a key factor for success. Participants particularly stressed the importance of rising awareness and building capacity at target export locations.

On the industrial side, cooperation between European and global industry is seen as an opportunity to increase probability of success.

Matching industry needs with Big Data / IT industry capabilities

A gap analysis looking at the most appropriate role for the Public sector between provision of Copernicus Data and Services and added-value service providers. Key-challenge: address the gap between EO user needs and current data access offerings through industrial services.

The EO added value service providers pointed to the lack of an efficient backbone for data access that they can build their business on. Operational services are needed, meaning that data must be available reliably and timely.
Data processing capabilities and user support services are essential elements of a service offering and should ideally be offered close to the data.

In response to this concern, the IT industry stresses that there is currently a lack of visibility on emerging business in this domain. This in turn leads to a lack of predictability of potential return on investment and thus prevents investments.

There is broad consensus that a public intervention is required to address this situation that is seen as a market failure.

Parties agree that in the long run the necessary services should become self-sustaining on the basis of growing business using EO/ Copernicus data. At that stage the need for public intervention would disappear.

Participants concede that technologies and solutions to address the needs exist. There is a consensus that more communication amongst Space and IT sectors is required. A strong and mutual call is issued for both parties to leave their comfort zone and engage in cooperation.

Many solutions can co-exist to offer choices to potential users. This competitive environment is generally seen as of benefit to innovation and business development.

It is reminded that customers need to be given the opportunity to build trust in order to feel comfortable doing business in a cloud environment. Issues such as IPR, security and (private) data protection in general must be addressed to achieve this.

Public procurement processes may need to be adapted to take full advantage of cloud offerings in a dynamic and competitive environment.

Supporting end users and boosting demand for EO enabled services

Key-challenge: increase the EO market share by bringing EO information into mainstream consumer applications as an added value element.

The discussions converged on the need to actively reach out to potential new user communities by ‘speaking their language’. The EO community is seen as too closed and should open up to other sectors in a more proactive fashion.
The EO community should get organised to engage power users as Copernicus “evangelists”.

Participants agree that the continuity of the Copernicus programme and hence the sustainability of related services is an extremely valuable argument that should be more actively used/broadcast.

There is consensus on the need for a state of the art data access and processing offering that allows crossing sectorial boundaries.

Discussions pointed to the need to build a link between end-users and the process of defining service volumes and observation scenarios.

Participants pointed to the capabilities of Copernicus derived services that appear to be exceeding the current regulatory requirements e.g. in the environmental domain. An opportunity was identified to improve the quality of life, safety and security of European Citizen by adapting regulation to exploit the full potential of Copernicus. This would then also stimulate the market for related services.

Rising awareness to the potential of EO applications is seen as a powerful tool. Efforts at national or regional level are seen as most effective. There was a strong call on all parties involved to invest in communication e.g. to publicise success.

There is a strong call for dedicated support mechanisms. Public procurements should focus on services and exploit opportunities to use anchor tenancy approaches. Innovative public procurement could in particular be a powerful instrument to stimulate the development of new markets.

The Copernicus World Alliance initiative was identified as a very good example how Europe can build on its strengths.

Industry calls for a competitive environment for the provision of services and reminds of the need to maintain a level playing field vis-à-vis public entities that are present in the market.

Developing specific financing instruments not only for supporting start-ups but also for supporting SME expansion might be relevant. While helping start-ups is important, stimulating SME growth is also crucial and can be a strong vector for growth.