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With GMES, Europe will have a global environmental information system in place which will be unique in the world.

ESA PR 30-2007. ESA’s Member States participating in the GMES Programme approved the transition to Phase-2 of Segment 1 of the GMES Space Component Programme.
 
Oversubscription of the programme by the ESA Council at ministerial level in 2005 was confirmed, with oversubscription to phase 2 of 116%, giving a total amount of €500 million. This additional contribution to the programme will allow ESA to confirm the development of the first three Sentinel satellites.
Moreover, some countries, which were unable to confirm their contributions in time, are expected to subscribe later. The GMES Space Component Programme is co-funded by the European Commission.

Mr Volker Liebig, Director of Earth Observation Programmes, says that, “With GMES, Europe will have a global environmental information system in place which will be unique in the world. Europeans can be proud of that fact. Indeed, other nations give GMES as an example of how operational Earth-observing systems can be used to provide critical information to decision-makers and citizens.”

ESA, which is responsible for the management and coordination of the overall GMES Space Component in Europe, will, as a result of this transition to Phase-2, be able to make progress on development of the Sentinel satellite series and, in particular, build Sentinel-1, -2 and -3, together with the necessary ground segment.

Prior to launch of the ESA-built Sentinels, which is planned for 2011-12, ESA will coordinate the provision of EO data required by the GMES services currently implemented by the EC. This will help to gradually take GMES from the pre-operational phase to the fully operational stage once the Sentinel satellites are in place.
GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is an EU-led initiative aimed at implementing information services dealing with environment and security.

For further information, please contact:
 
Josef Aschbacher
Head of GMES Space Office
Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes
ESA, ESRIN
E-mail

IEEE, ISPRS and OGC workshops

Workshops organized by the IEEE, ISPRS and OGC have been completed. In regional scientific application scenarios, the workshops demonstrate publishing, discovery, and access of complex geospatial data and online processing services using existing OGC standards consistent with the architecture principals of the GEOSS 10 Year Implementation Plan.

Most recently, “The Impact of Climate Change and Variability on Biodiversity and Energy in the Arctic” was demonstrated by Compusult, CIESIN and IMAA-CNR on 19-20 August 2007. The workshop was part of IPY GeoNorth, the First International Circumpolar Conference on Geospatial Sciences and Applications, held in Yellowknife, N.W.T., Canada.

Prior to that workshop, “Sustainable development through Earth Observation, Agriculture,” led by the University of New Mexico, was held at the IEEE/GRSS 32nd International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE) June 29, 2007 in San Jose, Costa Rica. And “GEOSS System and Interoperability – Sahara Dust and Ocean Productivity Over the Mediterranean,” led by Washington University (St. Louis, MO, USA), was held July 22, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS).

Upcoming workshops include: “Earth Observation to benefit Water and Health,” at AfricaGIS07, September 15-16 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; “Regional Decisions for Climate Change,” September 21-22 in Boulder, CO, USA; and “Environment Disaster/Tsunami,” November 14 at the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS) Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Boulder workshop will be held in conjunction with the September 2007 OGC Technical Committee and Planning Committee meetings, which are being hosted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The demonstration will address access to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Data Distribution Centres for data to support regional decision makers considering the predicted effects of climate change. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Corell, Director, Global Change Program at the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Senior Policy Fellow, American Meteorological Society; and co-chair of the Arctic Council climate impact assessment (ACIA). Speaking of the OGC standards that are a critical component of the GEOSS architecture, Dr. Corell said, “Developing the bridge of climate predictions with regional decision makers is a vital step to planning for our future.”

The OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 350 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC website.

To Discuss Space Exploration, International Cooperation in Space-Based Disaster Management, and Use of Satellite Technology for Sustainable Development
Celebrating its 50th anniversary and 50 years of space
achievements, the Committee prepared a number of special events,
including a High-level Panel on Space Exploration Activities, a
Symposium on Space and Water, video documentaries on the exploration
and peaceful uses of outer space and a multinational exhibition
entitled “50 Years of Space Achievements” with 30 States and international organizations exhibiting their achievements in space activities.
Topics on the agenda include “Ways
and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes”, “Spin-off
benefits of space technology” and “Space and society” with the special
theme “Space and Education”.
The Committee also discussed
issues raised in the reports of its two Subcommittees – the Scientific
and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee – on their
sessions earlier this year. These include space debris mitigation
guidelines, a safety framework for nuclear power sources in outer space
and International Heliophysical Year 2007. At its historic 50th
session, the Committee placed an emphasis on its future role and
activities.
Space and Water
The Committee considered reports on regional and national water
resource management initiatives that involve the use of space
technology, in order to meaningfully contribute to meeting a target set
in the Millennium Development Goal 7 which calls for “cutting in half, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”. A symposium on “Space and Water” was held on Monday 11 June.
Use of space-derived geospatial data for sustainable development
This is a new agenda item that the Committee considered under a
multi-year work plan from 2007 to 2009. At the current session, the
Committee identified and assess the interfaces among existing
international fora where countries discuss the implementation of
space-derived geospatial data infrastructures, in order to avoid
duplication of international cooperative efforts.
Space-System-Based Disaster Management Support
The Committee considered the implementation of the newly
established United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for
Disaster Management and Emergency Response (SPIDER), including
satellite-based data, training and capacity building facilities as well
as offices in Beijing, China, and in Bonn, Germany, which enabled
the new programme to begin its activities.
Practice of States and International Organizations in Registering Space Objects
COPUOS considered a set of elements of conclusions of the
Working Group on the practice of States and international organizations
in registering space objects, adopted by the Legal Subcommittee earlier
this year and its possible transformation into a General Assembly
resolution.
High-level Panel on Space Exploration Activities
The High-level Panel provided an opportunity for Members of
the Committee to discuss the multitude of motivations for and aspects
of ongoing and planned space exploration activities as well as the
possible future role the United Nations system could play in providing
a forum for space-faring and space-using countries alike to consider
space exploration related issues. The panel, including high level
representatives of space agencies, was held on Wednesday, 6 June.
Exhibition “50 Years of Space Achievements”
The session of the Committee coincided with the opening of a
multinational exhibition entitled “50 years of Space Achievements”,
with 30 States and international organizations exhibiting their
achievements in space activities. The exhibition was held at the UN
headquarters in Vienna for the entire month of June and can be viewed
as part of a guided tour. In addition, a multimedia bus on Space
Weather, which is on a tour through Europe, was displayed on the
Plaza of the UN headquarters in Vienna for the duration of the
Committee‘s session.
Membership
COPUOS has the following 67 Member States: Albania, Algeria,
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba,
Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon,
Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic
of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Thailand,
Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and
Viet Nam.
The following inter-governmental and non-governmental
organizations have permanent observer status with COPUOS: Association
of Space Explorers, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites,
Committee on Space Research, Regional Centre for Remote Sensing of the
North African States, Eurisy, European Space Agency, European Space
Policy Institute, International Academy of Astronautics, International
Astronautical Federation, International Astronomical Union,
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, International Law
Association, International Mobile Satellite Organization, Intersputnik
International Organization of Space Communications, International
Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, International Space
University, National Space Society, Space Generation Advisory Council,
Spaceweek International Association and The Planetary Society.
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to review the scope of
international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, to
devise programmes in this field to be undertaken under United Nations
auspices, to encourage continued research and the dissemination of
information on outer space matters and to study legal problems arising
from the exploration of outer space. COPUOS and its two Subcommittees
each meet annually to consider questions put before them by the General
Assembly, reports submitted to them and issues raised by the Member
States. The Committee and its Subcommittees, working on the basis of
consensus, make recommendations to the General Assembly.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA)
implements the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee
on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The
Office is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the
peaceful uses of outer space, and assisting developing countries in
using space science and technology. Located in Vienna, Austria, OOSA
maintains a website at http://www.unoosa.org/.
For information contact:
Romana Kofler
Associate Programme Officer
Telephone: +43 1 26060-4962
E-mail: copuos50@unvienna.org
Further information on the 50th session: COPUOS

The contribution the space industry makes to our daily lives is far more significant, and tangible, than merely providing us with a better understanding of the universe – important as that is.

The contribution the space industry makes to our daily lives is far
more significant, and tangible, than merely providing us with a better
understanding of the universe – important as that is. The sector
plays a crucial role in ensuring Europe has a high level of
technological and industrial capability and makes its presence felt in
areas as varied as environment, transport, communications, humanitarian
aid and financial markets. If the EU does not wish to become dependent
on others, notably the US, in this area, it must develop a truly
European Space Policy.
The Commission and the European Space Agency,
working together, have shown how this could be achieved and EU
governments have recently given their political support to the strategy.
Space is synonymous with innovation, exploration and new
frontiers. It has a capacity to stretch imagination and understanding.
The sector also has a strategic importance of its own, helping to fuel
research and industrial competitiveness and bringing concrete benefits
to millions.
EU governments have now formally recognised the powerful
contribution it makes to two of the Union’s main internal goals:
ensuring Europe’s independence, security and prosperity and boosting
economic growth and employment. It also impacts on external challenges
by providing vital information on critical global issues such as
climate change and humanitarian assistance.
At their fourth meeting on 22 May, EU space ministers unanimously
endorsed the paper the European Commission and European Space Agency
(ESA), who have been cooperating increasingly closely since 2004, had
jointly drafted. This analyses the key challenges facing the European
space sector and offers ways these could be addressed.
The policy is designed to increase transparency and to help the
major players in the sector – the EU, the ESA, national authorities and
European intergovernmental organisations – to work together more
effectively, reduce duplication, achieve synergies and create a
coordinated European space effort that meets user and national needs.
Space is a high risk, high innovation sector requiring sustained
technological investment where the timeline between concept validation
and orbit can be ten years or more. Given the fragmentation in European
supply and demand for space systems, largely to meet security and
defence requirements, any moves to ensure interoperability and
coherence can only be beneficial.
The programme covers major space applications: satellite
navigation, earth observation, satellite communications and also
security and defence, science and technology, industrial policy,
governance, exploration of the solar system and access to space. On the
basis of wide-ranging consultation, it sets out a framework for future
developments, but does not contain specific expenditure or regulatory
measures.
When presenting the policy, Günter Verheugen, the Enterprise and
Industry Commissioner, emphasised the importance of Europe playing a
major, independent role in space policy, especially as new challengers
in the shape of China and India appear on the scene.
“This is an important milestone for further development of
space policy in Europe. I am convinced that Europe needs to remain
present in the area of space if it does not want to become an
irrelevant space power,”
he said.
Jean-Jacques Dordain, the ESA’s director-general, noted that the new strategy brought “a new European dimension to space and a space dimension to Europe”. He pointed out that “there are no citizens left who do not depend on the space sector, even if they are not aware of it”. However, he suggested jokingly, they would become fully aware if all satellites were switched off for just one hour.
Reaping the benefits
Finding ways to derive the widest possible use from technological
breakthroughs in the space sector will ensure that investment enjoys
the maximum economic, political and social returns. The EU is already
leading the way in key areas.
Perhaps the best known joint European programme is Galileo, the
global navigation infrastructure system that will use 30 satellites to
provide accurate timing and positioning services worldwide.
The system will provide information that will be a major benefit
to a host of sectors. Transport, rescue and communications will be
heavy users. But it can also be applied for other purposes: land
survey, agriculture, scientific research, tourism, energy distribution
networks and banking systems.
Galileo should be fully operational by the end of 2012. After the
recent failure of a public/private partnership to agree all the
financial aspects of the initiative, the Commission has proposed an
alternative route for the EU to reach its goal. It has advised that the
public sector should finance the initial infrastructure and that the
system should be operated by a private concession holder. The proposal
is being considered by national governments.
Monitoring the pulse of the planet
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) is another
major EU initiative. This uses data from satellites in space and
measuring instruments in the air, on the ground, the sea or deep under
water to provide information services on environment and security.
With the increase in natural and manmade catastrophes, there is a
growing need for this form of monitoring exercise. It can detect
dangerous gases and substances in the air, follow the evolution of land
cover, assess the state of the sea and identify small movements of the
earth’s crust.
The inputs are analysed and provide valuable information that can
help EU, national, regional and local authorities address a range of
environmental and other challenges and assess policy implementation.
For instance, the system can be used to steer fishermen to their
optimal catch and to track vessels fishing illegally. It can give
farmers information to maximise their crop yield and offer accurate
monitoring to discourage fraud. Other services will help civil
protection forces to prepare for, and respond, to major disasters
ranging from floods and forest fires to earthquakes.
It is not just decision-makers, scientists and organisations that reap
dividends from GMES in order to improve policy planning. Ordinary
citizens will also benefit as GMES services provide information
affecting their daily lives, whether it be city mapping or details of
air quality and ultraviolet intensity.
Both the Commission and the ESA are closely involved in the
initiative. The former is in charge of identifying user needs and
develops the services, while the latter manages the implementation of
the space segment. Unlike Galileo, the infrastructure used by GMES
largely already exists (satellites and ground-based instruments
developed by ESA or Member States) and the challenge will be to make
the best use of these European and national resources. Further
investments will be destined to bridge technological and operational
gaps. For the system to become fully operational, it will be necessary
to ensure the long-term viability of services provision and of the
supporting observation infrastructure.
Success in orbit
Europe is also well placed in Satellite Communication Systems. It
is home to three of the five largest operators in the world. These
provide global telecommunications, television broadcasting, data and
mobile services.
The satellite systems distribute over 3,000 television channels
and are an essential complement to basic microwave and cable public
telephony and data networks. They play an invaluable role when land
networks are put out of action by natural disasters such as floods and
help armed forces deployed on humanitarian or peace-keeping missions.
European firms are well represented in the manufacture and
servicing of satellites and their launcher rockets – Ariane Espace is
the world’s number one launcher – and the EU operates the world’s
largest environmental space programme. Satellites can also be used to
bring educational facilities to remote regions and to expand medical
support in developing countries.
Space policy in figures
Europe’s expenditure in 2006 on civil space programmes (about €
5.5 billion) was less than a third of that in the US ($ 17.3 billion)
in a global market that is worth € 90 billion and growing 7% per year.
The US invests as much as the rest of the world put together in civil
space and its expenditure on defence space is even higher.
The sector is a significant source of European employment –
providing 28,000 jobs – and, despite the relative low investment in
space, the industry is highly competitive. It holds 40% of the world
market for manufacturing, launching and servicing satellites – a market
that is estimated to reach € 400 billion by 2025.
Looking to the future
EU governments have now asked the Commission and the ESA to
propose an implementation plan for space policy and to carry out
regular monitoring and priority setting and to present a revised space
strategy to ministers at their fifth meeting next year.
On the practical side, this will examine the financing of space
projects, using as a starting point the € 1,430 billion already
available in the 7th Programme of Research and Technology Development
between 2007 and 2013, and exploring further mechanisms; identifying
final users of GMES services and defining the conditions under which
national satellites and data will be available to GMES. These aspects
will be addressed by the Commission after full consultation with Member
States and ESA.
Thought will also be given to measures to encourage technological
innovation, to new financing schemes such as public/private
partnerships, to ways to help small and medium-sized companies make
their contribution to the sector and to potential synergies between
civilian and military use.
Attention is also being given to the international aspects of
space policy. This ranges from improving access for European suppliers
to third country markets and looking for international partners for
European programmes to making full use of space systems to support
developing countries, especially in Africa.
Aim of the EU/ESA cooperation agreement.
“The coherent and progressive development of an overall European Space
Policy…to link demand for services and applications using space systems
in support of the Community policies with the supply of space systems
and infrastructure necessary to meet that demand.”
Source EC.EUROPA

ESA and Thales Alenia Space have signed a €229 million contract for the design and development of Sentinel-1, the first Earth observation satellite to be built for Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.

ESA’s Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, and President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, Pascale Sourisse, signed the contract on behalf of the Italian branch of the company Monday at the International Paris Air Show Le Bourget.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, ESA‘s Director of Earth Observation Programmes Mr Volker Liebig said: “Environmental monitoring, sustainable development and resource management clearly benefit from Earth Observation (EO) as an information source. Europe has a leading role in monitoring the environment, thanks to national and ESA satellites, among which Envisat is the biggest and most sophisticated environmental satellite of the world and has been operational for five years.
GMES is the next logical step in the development of operational services under the European Commission to provide Europe with the environmental data to support political decisions as a global player, with particular emphasis on the issue of climate change. With today’s signature, we are another step closer towards the realisation of the GMES Programme.”
“We are particularly proud of having won this contract, as it leverages our long and recognised experience in successful Earth observation missions dedicated to oceanography, climatology and meteorology,” Sourisse said.
The ESA Sentinels, composed of five satellites, constitute the first series of operational satellites responding to the EO needs of the GMES programme, a joint initiative of the European Commission and ESA.
Sentinel mission requirements focus on the continuity of existing services exploiting EO data and satisfying user requirements derived from GMES applications.
Sentinel-1 is expected to be launched in 2011 and will ensure the continuity of C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with ESA’s ERS and Envisat satellites. Important applications driving the mission concept include marine – vessel detection, oil spill mapping and wind products – and sea ice mapping.
The Sentinel-1 spacecraft is expected to weigh around 2200 kilogrammes at launch and image the Earth in swaths of 250 kilometres in diameter with a ground resolution of five metres.
Sentinel-2 and 3 satellites, scheduled for launch in 2012, will support land and ocean monitoring, while Sentinel-4 and 5 will be dedicated to meteorology and climatology through atmospheric chemistry.
GMES is the response to Europe‘s need for geo-spatial information services. It provides autonomous and independent access to information for policy-makers, particularly in relation to environment and security.
(Source ESA)

The European Space Agency‘s (ESA) has given the go ahead to its new generation of Earth Observation (EO) satellites as part of Europe‘s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.

Dubbed Sentinel-1, the satellite will be the first of five Earth observation satellites to monitor changes in the Earth‘s oceans, land, weather and climate.
Mr Volker Liebig, ESA‘s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, said Sentinel-1 will eventually benefit ‘environmental monitoring, sustainable development and resource management’.
GMES is the next logical step in the development of operational services under the European Commission to provide Europe with the environmental data to support political decisions as a global player, with particular emphasis on the issue of climate change,’ he added.
Sentinel-1 missions will focus on continuing the existing services exploiting EO data and satisfying user requirements derived from GMES applications.
The satellite is expected to be launched in 2011 and will be equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, used to generate detailed radar images. By using radar, the satellite will have the capacity to make images at any time of the day or night, regardless of the Sun‘s illumination.
The Sentinel-1 spacecraft is expected to weigh around 2,200 kilogrammes at launch and image the Earth in swathes of 250 kilometres in diameter with a ground resolution of five metres.
Sentinel-2 and 3 satellites, scheduled for launch in 2012, will support land and ocean monitoring, while Sentinel-4 and 5 will be dedicated to meteorology and climatology through atmospheric chemistry. /CPA
(Source www.gmes.info)

A stronger Europe in space, better equipped and better coordinated to face the future needs of its citizens. A wider strategic scope to address new challenges, including the areas of security and defence space programmes, and space as an added dimension to the EU’s external relations.

May 2007. All this in a novel policy designed to fit European interests and values. Ministers in charge of space activities in ESA‘s Member States, and those tasked with internal market, industry and research within the European Union’s Competitiveness Council, met in Brussels today to adopt a Resolution on the European Space Policy.
Jointly drafted by the European Commission and ESA‘s Director General, the European Space Policy outlines the strategic guidelines for Europe’s future activities in space. Through this document, the European Union, ESA and their Member States commit themselves to increasing coordination of their activities and programmes and to organising their respective roles relating to space.
The European Space Policy comes with the preliminary elements of a European Space Programme, which is a planning and strategic tool comprising all of Europe’s major space activities. The Programme supports the optimisation of public resources and skills when deciding and implementing the Space Policy.
The European Space Policy aims at fostering better coordination of space activities between the EU, ESA and their respective Member States, to maximise value for money and avoid unsustainable duplication, thus meeting shared European needs. Increased synergy between civil and defence space programmes and technologies is also addressed by the ESP.
The new policy calls for ensuring sustainable funding for space applications, in particular the flagship initiative Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES). It also recognises that space is a high value-adding sector, a driver for growth, innovation and employment and a valuable opportunity provider for European industry.
Moreover, the European Space Policy supports the EU‘s external relations, insofar as the EU, ESA and their Member States will put in place a coordination mechanism to develop a joint strategy for international relations regarding space activities.
Today’s Space Council* meeting was jointly chaired by Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary and Federal Government Coordinator for Aerospace Policy, Peter Hintze, on behalf of the Competitiveness Council, and Maria Van Der Hoeven, the Netherlands’ Minister of Economic Affairs and current Chair of the ESA Council at Ministerial level. Günter Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, also took part.
Minister Van Der Hoeven commented: ”The adoption of the European Space Policy is a major step forward for space policy in Europe and marks the progress achieved since the first Space Council held during the Dutch EU Presidency in 2004. The ESP provides a strong incentive for better coordination and cooperation in Europe and thus for more value for our public Euros, and will contribute to strengthening the global role of Europe in the space domain through a joint international cooperation strategy.”
Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen said: “Without the European Space Policy, Europe could become irrelevant. With this Resolution on the European Space Policy, we intend to live up to Europe‘s global leadership aspirations in important industrial and research areas, which will provide growth and jobs for the future. Moreover, space has always been a source of inspiration which helps people to think outside and beyond the limits and to innovate. Today‘s proposal marks a milestone, to ensure that Europe does not miss out on the important opportunities that space technology offers.”
ESA’s Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, said: “Today, the EU, ESA and their Member states have teamed up to stretch even further the boundaries of space to new countries, to new fields of applications and to new ambitions. Such ambitions are firmly rooted in forty years of success in space, in particular thanks to the continuous investment by ESA Member States, and will be based on solid cooperation between the European Community and ESA. The consensus of 29 Countries of Europe supporting this European Space Policy is the strongest message that Europe could send to its citizens and its international partners.”
The European Community and ESA have for a long time shared a common aim: strengthen Europe and benefit its citizens. The two organisations are linked by a strong and ever-growing relationship, and a Framework Agreement establishing the legal basis for their cooperation came into force in May 2004 . That Agreement provides a solid basis for the mutually fruitful relationship of the two organisations.
Thanks to the European Space Policy, Europe can now fully use space in support of its global policies and thus strengthen its position as a truly global actor.
* The Space Council is the joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council and of the ESA Council at ministerial level, as defined in the Framework Agreement between the European Community and ESA which entered into force in May 2004. It met for the first time in November 2004 and twice in 2005.
For further information:
Franco Bonacina
Head of the Media Relations Office and DG Spokesman
ESA Communication Department
+ 33 1 53 69 72 99
Email: Franco.Bonacina1@esa.int
Queries: media@esa.int
(Source ESA)

After being published in the official Journal on the 25th April 2007, the directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) entered into force on 15 May 2007.

At the same time, the INSPIRE Works Programme for the development of the Implementing Rules required by the Directive has been published on the INSPIRE site.
INSPIRE represents a major milestone for the use of Geographical Information in Europe as a contribution to environmental policy and sustainable development. Already the Commission services concerned with the Directive (DGs Environment, Eurostat and Joint Research Centre) are elaborating a road map and setting up structures that will support the decision making process. Member states have been asked to designate their delegates to the INSPIRE Committee and also their contact point as required under Article 19(2) of the Directive. A first meeting to establish the Committee is being prepared and will take place in Brussels at the end of June.
INSPIRE will have to be in place in Member States by 15 May 2009.
For more information: http://inspire.jrc.it/home.html
(Source GMES.Info)

Desertification is not the natural expansion of existing deserts but the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas due to human activities and climatic variations.

It is one of the most alarming processes connected to soil productivity loss and the thinning out of the vegetative cover. Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification and over 4 billion hectares of land are at stake. The UN estimates that each year desertification and drought cause an estimated $ 42 billion in lost agricultural production.
The EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA SAF) led by the Portuguese National Meteorological Service, is a promising tool to monitor desertification and drought threatened areas, providing an important source of information to combat environmental degradation. The information is also vital for many other activities such as agriculture, forestry and terrestrial transport safety management.
The Land SAF uses operational data from EUMETSAT’s geostationary satellites, Meteosat as well as Metop-A its first polar orbiting satellite, to increase the usage of data over land, land-atmosphere interactions and biospheric applications; products include Land Surface Temperature, Surface Albedo, Snow Cover and Down-welling Surface Long- and Short-wave Fluxes. New developments are Vegetation Parameters, Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration. The operational Land SAF products are available free of charge in near real time via EUMETCast – EUMETSAT’s Broadcast System for Environmental Data. Archived data can be accessed via the web at http://landsaf.meteo.pt/
Information on land surface characteristics is needed for many important applications such as modelling and simulation of weather and climate, forecast and analysis of natural hazards and the monitoring of ecological and hydrological systems. Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models and research on climate change will largely benefit from Land SAF products which offer state-of-the-art land surface schemes.
The Land SAF is currently involved in GEOLAND, an initiative related the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) under the Sixth Framework
Programme. The programme aims to develop and integrate a range of geo-information services and products focusing on land cover and vegetation monitoring with the purpose of helping authorities to fulfil their environmental monitoring and
manage their natural resources more effectively.
EUMETSAT SAFs are dedicated centres of excellence for processing satellite data and form an integral component of the organisation’s distributed applications ground segment. Located at National Meteorological Services in Member States, they use the expertise of the EUMETSAT community to process application-specific data from
geostationary and polar orbiting satellites for a generation of new products and tools
for the meteorological and climate data user communities.
About EUMETSAT
The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation based in Darmstadt – Germany with currently 20 European Member States (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and 10 Cooperating States (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic).
EUMETSAT is operating the geostationary satellites Meteosat-8 and -9 over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-6 and -7 over the Indian Ocean.
Metop-A, the first European polar-orbiting satellite, was launched in October 2006 and is delivering operational data since 15 May 2007.
EUMETSATs Network of Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) currently consists of eight SAFs tailored for specific themes and applications. SAFs are dedicated centres of excellence for processing satellite data provide operational services, and form an integral part of the distributed EUMETSAT Application Ground Segment.
The data, products and services from EUMETSAT’s satellites make a significant contribution to weather forecasting and to the monitoring of the global climate.
(Source EUMETSAT)

The space you need to get your business ideas off the ground

ESA Business Incubation and its associated network of business incubators are designed to bridge the gap between an idea and an actual business by helping a technology transfer project get off the ground and assisting its development into a viable business.
“Establish your start-up company based on the new services and
applications emerging from the creative use of space technologies and
systems in non-space sectors.”
The Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) seeks entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for using space technology, applications and services in a non-space environment.
The Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) seeks entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for using space technology, applications and services in a non-space environment.
ESA Business Incubation provides technical expertise and business-development support.
Entrepreneurs: Contact us if you have an innovative idea or business plan based on using a space technology or system in a non-space environment. If you are ready for commercial development, submit your proposal to join the ESA Business Incubation scheme.
Space companies: Contact us to outsource the spin-off initiatives of your employees in an innovative win-win scheme.
Research Centres and Universities: Encourage your staff and students to set up their own companies bringing leading-edge research to the marketplace through ESA Business Incubation.
If you have questions regarding ESA Business Incubation, please contact us on ttp@esa.int.
(Source ESA)