During its 64th Council meeting on 1-2 July, EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, agreed to provide its data and products for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative.press@eumetsat.int
The agreement covers GMES pre-operational services from 2008-2010, during which all EUMETSAT data and products, including real-time data, will be made available free of charge to the five GMES Core Services (three fast-track and two pilot services). The three fast track services are the Land Core Service, Marine Core Service, Emergency Response Support Service, and the two pilot services are Security and Atmosphere monitoring.
Stressing the importance of the decision, the Director-General of EUMETSAT, Dr. Lars Prahm, told Council: "This agreement probably covers more marine and atmosphere space data than the total until now available to GMES from any single source", adding that it covers a "significant" 30-50 per cent of the space data presently needed by GMES Core Services on Marine and Atmosphere monitoring. With this decision, EUMETSAT Member States gave a clear signal that they will support GMES' move into its operational phase and that EUMETSAT should play a key role in that phase. The data and products that the Council has agreed to put at the disposal of GMES emanate from the operational infrastructure developed by EUMETSAT over 20 years, soon to be complemented by Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and the next generation EUMETSAT Polar System (Post-EPS).
Availability free of charge is under the condition that every GMES service user requiring the EUMETSAT data/products contacts EUMETSAT directly to receive the data and signs a simple web-based licence. Physical access to the data/products themselves and related user helpdesk functions will be through the existing EUMETSAT operational mechanisms: EUMETCast for real-time data and the EUMETSAT Internet portal for the off-line data and products.
The Head of EUMETSAT's Legal Affairs Division, Silvia Castañer, said: "The decison is in line with EUMETSAT's Data Policy and requires no change to the principles underlying it." One of the aims of the EUMETSAT Data Policy is to promote official duty use and research/educational use of EUMETSAT data and products.
The agreement covers GMES pre-operational services from 2008-2010, during which all EUMETSAT data and products, including real-time data, will be made available free of charge to the five GMES Core Services (three fast-track and two pilot services). The three fast track services are the Land Core Service, Marine Core Service, Emergency Response Support Service, and the two pilot services are Security and Atmosphere monitoring.
Stressing the importance of the decision, the Director-General of EUMETSAT, Dr. Lars Prahm, told Council: "This agreement probably covers more marine and atmosphere space data than the total until now available to GMES from any single source", adding that it covers a "significant" 30-50 per cent of the space data presently needed by GMES Core Services on Marine and Atmosphere monitoring. With this decision, EUMETSAT Member States gave a clear signal that they will support GMES' move into its operational phase and that EUMETSAT should play a key role in that phase. The data and products that the Council has agreed to put at the disposal of GMES emanate from the operational infrastructure developed by EUMETSAT over 20 years, soon to be complemented by Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and the next generation EUMETSAT Polar System (Post-EPS).
Availability free of charge is under the condition that every GMES service user requiring the EUMETSAT data/products contacts EUMETSAT directly to receive the data and signs a simple web-based licence. Physical access to the data/products themselves and related user helpdesk functions will be through the existing EUMETSAT operational mechanisms: EUMETCast for real-time data and the EUMETSAT Internet portal for the off-line data and products.
The Head of EUMETSAT's Legal Affairs Division, Silvia Castañer, said: "The decison is in line with EUMETSAT's Data Policy and requires no change to the principles underlying it." One of the aims of the EUMETSAT Data Policy is to promote official duty use and research/educational use of EUMETSAT data and products.
