"Observing our planet for a safer world!"
By European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship.
Managing natural resources, maintaining biodiversity, and monitoring the composition of our atmosphere; these are just some challenges facing us at present. In order to respond to these issues we rely on accurate information delivered on time to make a difference. This is where the European Earth monitoring programme (GMES, “Global Monitoring for Environment and Security”) comes in.
GMES is a global observation network which provides data useful towards tackling a range of issues including climate change and citizens' security. Information gathered and relayed by GMES helps to improve the management of our natural resources, monitor the quality of our waters and air, plan our cities, ease the flow of transportation, optimise our agricultural activities and promote renewable energy. Through this programme we can also monitor the Earth's land, sea and atmosphere enabling us to predict or react when necessary. The overall objective of GMES is to make the lives of citizens safer.
Recent examples of GMES in action include when Haiti was hit by an earthquake, when forest fires spread in the Mediterranean, and when flooding devastated parts of Central Europe. Every month, and for each of these situations, Europe's GMES initiative is activated to assist relief efforts on the ground.
Photo: VP Antonio Tajani, European Space Agency President Jean-Jacques Dordain and ISS astronauts in Brussels in front of Urban Atlas map
GMES is using terrestrial, maritime and atmosphere networks and satellites to observe the environment and the natural phenomena occurring on the planet. GMES does not replace existing European capacities, but rather complements them with a view to fulfilling user needs and guaranteeing sustainability and European autonomy in the long term.
In addition to its principal function of ensuring the safety of citizens, GMES also represents one of the EU's most important forays into space. Space technology is a driver for innovation and competitiveness at the service of the citizens. Research in this domain generates knowledge within some of Europe's most high-tech, high-risk, and investment intensive enterprises, making space research a critical element of Europe's industrial and innovation policy.
With the Lisbon Treaty, the EU now shares competences with the Member States on space policy. Working together with the European Space Agency (ESA), our aim is to promote scientific and technical progress, and industrial competitiveness.
It is true that Earth observation-based services already exist in Europe, but they are dispersed at national or regional level and cannot rely on a sustainable observation capacity. With the exception of meteorological services, long-term availability and reliability of information is not guaranteed. This is why, in order to contribute to improve its response to ever growing challenges of global safety and climate change, Europe develops a sustained and reliable Earth monitoring system of its own.
More information:
