ESA Report on ESA EO activities CEOS CONAE, WGISS Mar. 2005 I. Petiteville

1. ESA Report on ESA EO activities CEOS CONAE, WGISS Mar. 2005 I. Petiteville

2. Agenda • Oxygen • Ground Segment Task Force • Earth & Space week (Brussels) • TIGER • EDUSPACE • EO Missions

3. Oxygen:Open and Operational Ground Segment

4. Today • >83% of the EO data users, access data from more than 1 instrument/satellite • close to 90% require other auxiliary data (e.g. met. or ground truth data) to process/correct the satellite data • 80% of the users ‘continue’ I.e. have established interfaces, tools procedures Today a lot of • missions, instruments, data, tools, information • off-the shelf technology exists However • no coherent access technically • no common international policy for data access and use • Everybody only knows parts ; Users know even smaller parts Services providers spend up to 40% of their time getting access to data rather than providing the services The need from the user view point Demand Resources Access Service

5. Phase 1 (1980-1990) ESA to develop Europ. Technology for EO Data access Earthnet Programme PDS technological evolution Phase 2 (1990-2002) Large nationally funded infrastructure developments ESA to enable & support such national developments in the context of its and other individual missions Phase 3 (2003-2010) • Develop global EO based service (independent of the space mission) • Convert and tune infrastructure overcapacity to service needs • Reach sustainability of services, benefits & budgets (existing operations to become more efficient) • Benefit from now available off-the shelf technology (less development) • Networking technologically and programmatically incl SMEs, • contingency agreements among operators • International EO standards • Internationally agreed EO policy

6. Oxygen: Why and how • User need for coherent access • Financial evolution requires to increase cost efficiency • Smaller programmes  reduced budgets • Attract transition from research to other funding • Technological evolution leading to new ground segment partners and layout • Co-ordination between partners • Standardization • Reuse of already available infrastructure

7. Oxygen Objectives (1/2) Oxygen is a concept aimed at • Facilitating access to EO data from ESA and other missions • Increasing sustainability of EO data provision widening the range of offered data sources • Making the operations of EO missions more efficient

8. Oxygen Objectives (2/2) Oxygen has started officially almost 2 years ago and is ongoing to enlarge the benefits of EO . It has been preceded by a series of precursor activities aiming at ease the users’ life: • harmonization of the user client interfaces (EOLI based) in a Multi-mission environment • Introduction of standard state of the art technology e.g. Web Mapping or access to MUIS catalogue using XML/SOAP

9. EOLI – ESA’s Multimission EO Catalogue http://earth.esa.int/services/catalogues

10. Principles

11. Quality Control Interoperability - harmonized data access User Services Help Desk Web Portal Mission Planning Catalogue Data Ordering CO-ORDINATION CENTRE SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE Network Monitoring & Control Dissemination Archive Production Acquisition FACILITY

12. Mission independent and modular • PDS harmonization • Detailed definition of open architecture • identification of generic-common elements, specific mission elements and define standard interfaces • Evolution of existing system rather than new developments • Evolution of the common elements to integrate new missions Specific to missions elements (Processors,Acquisition,Q/C,etc.) Mission A B C Monitoring & Control D Archives User Services I/F Data Management Products Packaging Networks Examples of multimission common elements

13. Implementation Plan

14. 1st Phase (2003 – 2005) • Analysis of existing infrastructure • EO Web Portal for awareness of missions, user services, products, information and service providers • Service Support Environment: for easing provision of Services by Service Providers • Online Data Access: provision of online products and improve online exchange of data • Archive rationalization: Ensure data Archives integrity and access for ESA and national missions support • Harmonization of ground segments for current and future ESA missions • Archive and NRT Facilities Architecture • User Services and Order Handling

15. 1st Phase (2003 – 2005) • Policy and Programmatic: • Enlargement of data sources through 3rd parties cooperation • Data policy evolution: adjust ERS and Envisat data policy to internal cooperation requirements • Integrating upcoming EO National projects in Europe • Feasibility assessment at political, technical and programmatic level (Terrasar-X, Radarsat-2, Cosmo, Pleiades) • Pilot activities for interoperability between catalogues, order and online distribution systems (standards in SOAP/XML)

16. 2nd Phase (2005-2006) • Prepare the ‘EO Data Access Component’: • Define the interoperability Standards for the harmonized access to heterogeneous missions • Co-ordination with the major satellite owners / industry • integrate the national missions and other non-European missions to respond to user needs for access to ‘maximum number’ of mission data • Mission Planning Cooperation Tool (Charter) • Harmonization of ESA Ground Segment • Processing support environment • Product Verification and Labelling system • Mission Planning • Online access to archived data

17. Ground Segment Task Force Recommendations Extracted from Final Report

18. Vision on global GS context Science Public Comm. Public Public Science Comm. Public Service Infrastructure and Support GEOSS Access EO Data Access IntegrationLayer Access Access In-situ Non-space systems Tasking/Dissem other European Mission ground segment Non-European agencies ground segments Production M & C EUMETSAT Archive Acquisition Satellite/ Missions ESA Na t

19. Ground Segment Requirements Data handling • To task, acquire, archive, process up to the appropriate level, distribute and catalogue data of all past, present and future ESA missions on a long-term basis, and of third party missions according to the approved procedure. This requirement includes the provision of historical data in current formats through current distribution channels. • This may include higher-level processing and data assimilation where appropriate, as agreed on a case-by-case basis.' Data access • Provide easy and coherent access to all Earth Observation data from ESA and third party missions, and facilitate access to space borne Earth Observation data for European users. Product generation and delivery • Deliver standardized, calibrated and validated products. User and service support • Support equally any type of users: scientific, commercial and public services including security and defence, and provide a technical service support environment.

20. Ground Segment Requirements Interface to national and international missions • Be open to interface with national and international missions information • easy-to-access, coherent and open gateway to EO data Reusability • The elements and facilities of the ESA EO ground segment should be open and compatible for use by any ESA and other European missions. Efficiency • The Earth Observation ground segment must be operated and maintained in an efficient way, with respect to technical performance and costs. Reliability • Be highly reliable and sufficiently redundant, to avoid data loss and interruption of services. Evolution • Be open to evolve due to new user requirements and technological developments, allowing the easy replacement of technically obsolete or inefficient elements

21. Implementation Principles • Mission independence • Modularity • Competition • Coordination and cooperation.

22. GSTF Recommendations • Define and promote building-block approach with well-defined and published external and internal interfaces for all components • Put in place a Coordination Body capable to ensure: • technical and programmatic coordination • standardisation of all European activities concerning Earth Observation ground segment development and operation, taking account of standards where they exist.

23. GSTF Recommendations: ESA • Define new mission independent and modular ground segment architecture for all new missions • Apply it in the early design phases • Revise ground segment budget arrangements • Immediately start to move to the new mission-independent scenario, reviewing: • Oxygen initiative (Oxygen Phase 2) • Earth Explorer ground segments and operations • ENVISAT & ERS and 3rd party missions operations • Apply new competitive approach for: • multi-mission operations support. • building-block development and evolution through framework contracts • Ensure consistency across the Earth Observation ground segment activities of ESA and EC • Modify 3rd party mission selection

24. Earth & Space Week Brussels

25. Events • A number of events took place during Earth & Space Week. Most important ones are: • Third EO Summit • GEO-6 • International Conference on Cooperation in Space • Earth & Space Exhibition • Industry Summit

26. Major achievements of EO Summit • Adoption of 10 Year Implementation Plan for GEOSS • Ministerial Resolutions on 10 Year Plan and Tsunami

27. Next steps / GEO • GEO now formally established (was ad-hoc GEO before); • GEO-I meeting 2-4 May 2005 in Geneva • Executive Committee established, details TBC at GEO-I • GEO Secretariat formally established, hosted by WMO Geneva, approx. 10 staff after 2006; • S&T Workgroup and User Interface WG established; details agreed at GEO-I • Workplan 2006 preparation with ad-hoc team (3-4 experts), seconded by governments and organisations; starts work 1 April; Workplan 2006; • Call for financial and in-kind support issued by GEO

28. TIGER

29. EDUSPACE

30. EDUSPACE www.eduspace.esa.int • "Eduspace, the ESA Multilingual Website on EO for Secondary Schools operational in six languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Danish). • Powerful education tool and excellent communication mechanism to provide EO information and related internet links. Provides professors and students with: • EO material, discussion forum, helpdesk function, huge image databank of satellite images, interactivity with weather satellites image loops, library of study cases, generated also by professors, and a dedicated powerful image processing software, called LEOWorks (Learning with EO). • Some 1500 schools have already registered from all over the world. Stand-alone versions on CD are distributed to schools with connectivity problems."

31. EO Missions Status

32. 1977 1991 2008 Europ.Users Meteosat Second Generation MSG-1, 2, 3 MeteosatM-1, 2, 3 Operational M-4, 5, 6 Transition M-7 Operated by Eumetsat Meteo Metop-1, 2, 3 Cryosat,SMOS GOCE,ADM Science Earth Explorers Swarm Envisat ERS 1, 2 Applications Services GMES SE Earth Watch TerraSAR Fuego GMES Sentinels Earthnet: European access to non-ESA missions (Landsat, SeaWifs, NOAA, JERS, MODIS, Alos, Proba, Bird, Scisat...) EO Missions handled by EOP

33. CRYOSAT • First Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission • ESA Mission dedicated to measure changes in the thickness of Polar ice sheets and floating sea-ice

34. Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer: GOCE • First Earth Explorer Core Mission • First ESA Mission dedicated to the exploration of the Earth Gravity Field • Determination of the geoid with an accuracy of 1-2 cm at a resolution better than 100 km

35. Atmospheric Dynamic Mission : AEOLUS • Second Earth Explorer Core Mission • Mission to measure global wind profiles • 2m/s to 1 m/s (boundary layer) accuracy, 0.5 to 2 km vertical resolution

36. Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity - SMOS • Second Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission • First ESA Mission dedicated to the global measurement of soil moisture and ocean salinity