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Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) Announces a Major Improvement on Atmosphere Data Accessibility

ATHENS, Greece, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — At the first CAMS summit in Athens on 14-16 June, ECMWF, in charge of CAMS on behalf of the European Commission, will launch a radically new interactive and ready to use version of its online platform of atmosphere data. Policy makers, scientific and business communities or citizens will benefit from an enhanced free-to-access array of customisable and “live” maps and charts in just a few clicks.

Some of today’s most important environmental concerns relate to the composition of the atmosphere. The increasing concentration of the greenhouse gases and the cooling effect of aerosol are prominent drivers of a changing climate, but the extent of their impact is often still uncertain. Air quality is also one of the major concerns throughout the world, affecting human health and life expectancy, the health of ecosystems and the fabric of the built environment.

The European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation programme uses and contributes to a worldwide network of thousands of sensors on land, in our oceans, and in the air, as well as a network of over 50 satellites providing millions of environmental readings every day. To address these environmental concerns there is a need for data and processed information that is easily accessible. That means, not only free of charge, but ready to use and designed to match users’ needs.

Instant online design “à la carte”

To see the video presentation of the new CAMS online platform

The new CAMS interface provides dynamic visualisations without the need to download data into specialist tools or software, giving users access to maps, charts, animations and local time series based on information about atmospheric chemistry as generated by the Copernicus programme.

The Catalogue component provides the basis for users to easily find the many products, be it data, maps or documents. It includes an intuitive search system, improved filtering and clear display of the resulting information.

The new catalogue marks an important step in broadening access to the wealth of CAMS data as part of Copernicus’s mission, supporting society to understand and adapt to our changing environment through world-leading science and technology.

Introducing the new interface, Dr. Vincent-Henri Peuch, Head of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said:

“To sum up this major improvement, any user will find in just one place the data they need with just a few clicks and be able to display them on a live map of the world instantly, zooming on a region and panning on the map, making point & click queries to visualize timeseries and playing animations.”

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