In the field
JRC presents the progress of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service to Commissioner Georgieva
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service has been presented in the 4th European Civil Protection Forum, that took place in Brussels on the 15th and 16th of May 2013.
The regional dimension of Copernicus: actions and benefits
The Copernicus Programme is characterised by successful technological development, and has demonstrated its capacities for application in many different sectors, creating a wide range of benefits for Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) as well as for SMEs and Entrepreneurs.
The European Space Agency promotes discussion on how to handle significant volumes of EO data
By the end of next year the first of the Copernicus Sentinels will be in orbit and will be providing large volumes of Earth Observation (EO) data. Once this satellite is in place, the user community will have access to an unprecedented amount of EO data. Actors involved in its use and delivery will have to face the significant challenges in relation to the processing, storage and distribution of data.
New Copernicus mapping products support emergency response to floods in central Europe
Since the beginning of June, surging rivers have caused extensive flooding in Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Heavy rain in late May and early June caused the banks of the Elbe and the Danube rivers to swell, causing extensive damage and leaving at least 19 people dead in the affected area. Reference and flood extent maps have been produced by the EMS to support emergency management and civil protection authorities in their planning and rescue operations.
European Space Expo visitors reach 185,000!
The European Space Expo in Dublin closed its doors with record attendance figures reaching almost 30,000 people during the six-day period it was open to the public, ‘beating’ the visitor numbers of any previous Expo. With this record, the number of visitors to the European Space Expo has reached 185,000 since its first deployment.
In motion
Towards the European Copernicus Marine Service.
MyOcean, the precursor of the Copernicus Marine Service provides free access to worldwide oceanographic core products to support a range of applications in the public, private and scientific domains, at a pre-operational level. Up to now, MyOcean has been serving more than 2,200 users worldwide.
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, visits the European Union Satellite Centre
During her visit to the European Union Satellite Centre (EU SatCen), the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, was briefed on Copernicus services for Security Applications developed by the EU SatCen.
MEP Vittorio Prodi: “Copernicus is becoming a key cornerstone for our local decision makers
Vittorio Prodi, Member of the European Parliament (EP) and Chair of the EP’s Sky and Space Intergroup, has shared with readers of the Copernicus Observer his reasons for becoming one of the most high-profile supporters of the Copernicus Programme.
A workshop to showcase Copernicus progress in the area of Maritime Surveillance
On the occasion of the 6th edition of the European Maritime Day (EMD), held in Valetta (Malta) on the 21st and 22nd of May 2013, three R&D (FP7) projects presented the benefits and achievements of the Copernicus support to Maritime Surveillance.
‘International Innovation’ interviews Dr. Reinhard Schulte-Braucks, Head of the GMES/Copernicus Unit
The ‘International Innovation’ scientific magazine has published an in-depth interview with the Head of the GMES/Copernicus Unit, Reinhard Schulte-Braucks, who has shared his vision on how the Copernicus Programme will provide sustained and reliable Earth Observation information, enabling European public authorities, commercial businesses and the scientific community to get a continuous picture of our ever-evolving world.
The upcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the EU will place emphasis on the Copernicus Programme Regulation
In the forthcoming days, Lithuania will take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, which has been in Irish hands since January 2013. Lithuania forms part of the current Presidency Trio, along with Ireland and Greece, which is ensuring the consistency of the work of the Council of the EU until July 2014.
Copernicus and Eastern Europe: the way ahead
To ensure that the uptake of Copernicus services by users of Eastern European Member States (formerly known as ‘New Member States’) is smooth and efficient, the European Commission worked collaboratively with the European Space Agency, the Romanian Space Agency and the Eurisy network to organise the ‘The European Earth Monitoring Programme Copernicus: its benefits for the citizens of Eastern Europe’ conference in Bucharest on the 21th and 22nd of May 2013.
Business Corner
Copernicus on the global stage: the Geospatial World Forum 2013
The Geospatial World Forum is an annual international conference bringing together business leaders, policy-makers, industrialists, academics and users in the field of geospatial technologies. The benefits of Copernicus were highlighted during the conference by stakeholders from across the Copernicus community.
Start-up founder sees Sentinels as boost to geo-marketplace
CloudEO is a German start-up company looking to make it easier for Earth Observation (EO) data providers, software developers and potential customers to come together. The company’s innovative platform will incorporate data from the Copernicus Sentinels, which the founder says will stimulate demand for commercial EO data and services.
Become the 2013 Copernicus Master!
The Copernicus Masters Competition opens once again to award prizes for innovative solutions for business and society based on Earth Observation data.