GMES - Observing our planet for a safer world
Managing natural resources and biodiversity, observing the state of the oceans, monitoring the chemical composition of our atmosphere: all depend on accurate information delivered in time to make a difference. The European initiative for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) will provide data to help deal with a range of disparate issues including climate change and border surveillance. Land, sea and atmosphere - each will be observed through GMES, helping to make our lives safer.
The purpose of GMES is to deliver information on environment and security which correspond to identified user needs.
GMES services:
- are based on Earth monitoring data, collected from space (satellites), air (airborne instruments, balloons to record stratosphere data, etc.), water (floats, shipboard instruments, etc.) or land (measuring stations, seismographs, etc.)
- produce output information in the form of maps, datasets, reports, targeted alerts, etc.
After years of research investment, GMES is soon to become a fully operational service programme which is expected to help people and organisations take action, make appropriate policy decisions and decide on necessary investment. GMES also has great potential for businesses in the services market, which will be able to make use of the data it provides free of charge.
GMES services can be divided into:
- land, marine and atmosphere services - providing systematic monitoring and forecasting the state of the Earth's subsystems at regional and global levels
- emergency and security services - providing support in the event of emergencies and humanitarian aid needs, in particular to civil protection authorities, also to produce accurate information on security related aspects (e.g. maritime surveillance, border control, global stability, etc.)
- climate change service - helping to monitor the effects of climate change and assessing mitigation measures.
The GMES service component depends on Earth observation data, collected from space (satellites), air (airborne instruments, balloons to record stratosphere data, etc.), water (floats, shipboard instruments, etc.) or land (measuring stations, seismographs, etc.). These facilities are called the GMES infrastructure component; non-space based installations in the GMES infrastructure component are generally referred to as "in situ component".
By securing the sustainability of an information infrastructure necessary to produce output information in the form of maps, datasets, reports, targeted alerts, etc…, GMES helps people and organisations to take action, make appropriate policy decisions and decide on necessary investments. GMES also represents a great potential for businesses in the services market, which will be able to make use of the data and information it provides according a full an open access principle.
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 observation system of its own
