EC DG RTD - ESA EOP Strategic Cooperation on Research and Innovation

The importance of the polar regions is becoming increasingly evident. The polar regions play a vitally important role in regulating and driving the global climate system. They are also experiencing significant change and are attracting growing global political and economic interest. Apparent new economic opportunities are adding to the increased attention and traffic. Meanwhile all of this is happening in places that the public consider to be a pristine and delicate environment that should be protected.

Developing tools to model, understand and monitor these changes is vitally important in order to better predict and mitigate the resulting global economic and environmental consequences. Earth observation provides a unique capability for the polar regions, delivering the only source of consistent, repeatable and year-round information required by these tools. However, there are important gaps in available observations and capabilities which must be filled in order to inform political and economic decisions. This talk will outline the drivers of requirements from the polar operational and scientific communities, together with ongoing activities to fill the gaps.

Both policy-making and the spatial planning and operational management of renewable energy use in general require spatially explicit geographic information, such as  topography, land cover, climate, etc. Earth Observation (EO) has made substantial contributions to the currently available basic information, while new information layers and services are under development to improve both the quality of information, as well as to provide reliable prognoses of future potentials.

This presentation will address both (1) the current spatial information supply relevant to renewable energies, particularly to information technology tools (ICT) that integrate EO and further information, as well as (2) the supply of EO to information systems and observatories under development within Europe, such as the Bioeconomy Observatory (BISO) and the European Forest Data Centre (EFDAC). In light of the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), the Biomass Action Plan [COM (2005) 628] and the Commission staff working document “State of play on the sustainability of solid and gaseous biomass used for electricity, heating and cooling in the EU” [SWD(2014) 259 final], the focus of the presentation will be on biomass, but other renewable energies will also be considered. Recent advancements from ongoing projects, observational challenges and opportunities arising from the Sentinel satellites will be included. In addition, emphasis will be put on time series analysis of sustainable biomass supply potential, which considers land use changes, potential agricultural and forest management options, and changing growth conditions within the context of climate change. The development of the renewable energy sector must consider sustainability and land use optimisation aspects, including biodiversity and indirect effects such as for example indirect land use change. EO can provide substantial contributions to management, certification schemes and policy; it is not only relevant at the planning stage, but also for regular sustainable management activities and the continuous monitoring of natural changes or negative developments, such as deforestation, forest and land degradation and irregular or illegal harvesting. EO can supply operational actors and policy-makers with up to date information in support of adequate decision-making, the impact monitoring of policy, as well as for technical measures.

ESA and the European Commission, DG RTD have a strategic cooperation in the field of Earth Observation covering Research and Innovation Issues and the international dimension of Earth observation through the GEO initiative (Group on Earth Observation). This is implemented through the secondment of an ESA staff to the Commission,
through close coordination on of ESA Earth Observation programmes and DG RTD activities, particularly in the Horizon 2020 context and facilitated through the secondment of an ESA to DG RTD.

In the GEO context cClose coordination is also carried outtaking place between ESA and DG RTD on GEO andto implement the GEOSS informationsystem and improve access to Global Observation datasetsand to develop innovative solutions for the production of the Earth observation services and products of the futureGlobal industries in the GEOSS context.

In the field of Earth Observation some keyTopical areasareas for cooperation have been selected to address the needs and usability of Earth observation for related research activities. addressed:

Those areas area are tThe artic, renewable energy , food security and bilateral discussions have recently started on cooperation in the field of climate change research open science.

The objective is to align activities and coordinate them.

ECMWF operates the Copernicus Climate Change Service on behalf of the European Union and will bring together expertise from across Europe to deliver the service.
The Copernicus Climate Change service will combine observations of the climate system with the latest science to develop authoritative, quality-assured information about the past, current and future states of the climate in Europe and worldwide. The service will benefit from a network of observations, both from in situ and satellite sensors, and modelling capabilities. Moreover, it will provide key indicators on climate change drivers (such as carbon dioxide) and impacts (such as sea level height or reducing glaciers). This information will serve a number of sectors sensitive to climate change, including energy, water management, agriculture & forestry, tourism, insurance, transport, health, disaster risk reduction, coastal areas and infrastructure.
This presentation will provide an overview of the development of this new Service which is currently in a proof-of-concept phase. It will focus on the use of earth observations and reanalyses for the production of essential climate variable datasets required in the provision of key indicators for the economic sectors that are affected by climate change.

TBC