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Editorial, Issue 10

It might soon impact the structure of the institutions and operators driving the development of public applications, the structure of research and development in systems and applications, the federation of users and even the organization of industry itself. The European Union seventh framework program as well as the preparation of the coming ESA Ministerial conference are two key initiatives which put into concrete actions the European Space Policy plans.
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But beyond Europe and at global level the mutation from Earth Observation to geo-information which we anticipated a long time ago is now a full reality, taking momentum at a very fast pace and taking a variety of forms depending on the implementation of the synergy between remote sensing, telecommunications and navigation. The development of info-mobility, the availability of a wealth of geo-information at a click, the creation of new services where only imagination is the limit and the development of a dual approach are only a few aspects of this multi-form expansion that we are witnessing and that our Association must and does track and seed.
Following the large increase in membership in the last couple of years our main priority has been the setup of the new working groups relying on this new work force to achieve more ambitious results while giving more opportunities for members to be involved in the every day activities of the Association and thus contributing importantly to the growth of our domain. Three Working Groups (Association Evolution, External Relations, and New Services) have been set up with excellent leaders and very good results after only a few months of action.
Among the highlights of this past three months we must recall the organization in Brussels in May together with the EU DG INFSO of the workshop on the “Combination of In-Situ and Remote Sensing Monitoring”. This workshop has been very successful thanks to a very large participation and excellent presentations. In addition EARSC has been invited to present the Industry position on GMES on June 26th at the “International Workshop on GMES” organized in Frascati by the Italian “Committee for the Assessment of Scientific and Technological Options” of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, in the framework of the EISC (European Inter-parliamentary Space Conference). GMES is a very complex initiative and our support must indeed be continuous.
We look forward to see all our members at the next General Assembly on July 4th in Brussels and to listen to their opinions and recommendations. An evolution plan elaborated by the dedicated working group which met several times during the past year will be submitted for a vote to the members at this General Assembly. This meeting will also be marked by the presence of high executives from top European public institutions which will contribute to make that day a very fruitful one and a not to be missed occasion.
With best wishes to all our readers.
EARSC Chairman