EC & ESA - Access to Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Earth Observation (EO) Data

Posted by Tracey P. Lauriault on
URL: http://civicaccess.416.s1.nabble.com/EC-ESA-Access-to-Global-Monitoring-for-Environment-and-Security-GMES-Earth-Observation-EO-Data-tp1971.html

This discusses procurement, wharehousing and access to vast amounts of data.  The procurement piece is important, as many governments purchase, acquire or arrange to access data from sensors delivered to them via a variety of 3rd party processes.  This makes access from the goverment to citizens, to scientists and to NGOs problematic since the licenses may be very restrictive.  Many munipalities in Canada for instance procure data from consultants and engineering firms, again often under very restrictive licenses.

The approach to EO data procurement would then be built on the following basis:

• A move from the existing Data Access Grant to the concept of a "Data Warehouse" which will hold standardised data sets for a very high number of beneficiaries;
• In line with the above, the new scheme will be open to a large user community, by defining a simple licensing scheme open to public stakeholders; there will be a limited number of user categories;
• The limited funding should also favour a scheme where the use of public assets in GMES is maximised.

The specifications of the data to be provided through the Data Warehouse will aim at widening user access along three major principles:

1. Extension of licences to meet the needs of a wider range of user activities for the datasets covered by the current GSC DAP (GMES Space Component Data Access Portfolio);

2. Depending on the type of service, predefinition of CORE datasets with fixed specifications that represent the common needs of a broad user community;

3. Bulk agreement for ADDITIONAL datasets with flexible specifications.

The approach for the procurement of the two types of datasets will be different: CORE datasets can be procured on the basis of pre-defined specifications, while ADDITIONAL datasets through a quota mechanism and bulk agreements with data providers for the provision of data within a financial envelope.

http://www.gmes.info/pages-secondaires/news/news-detail/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=159&tx_ttnews[backPid]=808&cHash=c877937942

On 17 December 2009 the European Commission and ESA organised in Brussels an User Hearing day on access to GMES Earth Observation (EO) data. The aim of the event was to inform about the principles governing the access to GMES EO data under the EC/ESA delegation agreement. The event also provided a list of foreseen data sets that will be made available during the 2011-2013 period.

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Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805
https://gcrc.carleton.ca/confluence/display/GCRCWEB/Lauriault