Looking back on 20 years of Copernicus

An Editorial by Philippe Brunet, Director for Space Policy, Copernicus and Defence at DG GROW, European Commission.

Two weeks ago, over 300 representatives of the European Earth Observation community gathered in Baveno, on the banks of Lago Maggiore, Italy, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Copernicus programme and the official launch of the DIAS, our Data and Information Access Services.

It was a splendid celebration of our achievements in developing the Copernicus programme over the past two decades, but also an opportunity to look towards the future.

Summarising our thoughts before moving on with our busy agenda, especially considering the upcoming discussions with Member States and the European Parliament on the future of the Copernicus Programme in the context of the next Multi-annual Financial Framework, I feel both a sense of accomplishment and high hopes for the future.

I am indeed proud of what we have achieved, of what the European Union has achieved. With seven satellites placed in orbit in four years, on schedule and on budget, and six world-class information services that are serving users all over the world, we can definitely be proud. Proud of being European. The European Union, with steadfast support from the European Parliament and Member States, with Copernicus, has built an Earth Observation and monitoring system that no single country could have built on its own, and that the world envies. Proud of the European Commission teams that have brought the programme into being, starting from a vision outlined in Baveno in 1998. Proud of our partners, the European Space Agency, EUMETSAT and the Entrusted Entities delivering the Copernicus services. We have jointly created a unique and pioneering cooperative framework that has proven its merits by delivering the promise of the Baveno “founding fathers” beyond their wildest expectations, delivering to hundreds of thousands of users all over the world 16 Terabytes of new Earth Observation data every day on a fully operational basis. We are also, thanks to Copernicus, creating skilled jobs and fostering growth across Europe by supporting, with our free and open data and the Copernicus Start-Up Programme, the development of a vibrant entrepreneurial scene.

But our idea is certainly not to rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we are boldly working towards the future.

As stated by Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska:

“  The conditions may change but the commitment and values of Baveno remain.
For the European Commission, the future of Copernicus is about Adaptation, Continuity and Evolution  ”

Adaptation: With the launch of the DIAS, we hope to have rolled out one of the last missing instruments in our market development tool box, a key enabler. They bring easier and more homogeneous access to Copernicus data and information, offering easier processing and new opportunities to combine this wealth of imagery, measurements, and forecasts with data from other sources. We are convinced that the DIAS will lead to a further leap forward in the use of Copernicus outputs by facilitating access to our free and open data for new categories of users.

“  In Baveno we are launching a new milestone for Copernicus – the Data and Information Access Services (DIAS). This is our way of supporting the growing user base of Copernicus data. It will make it easier and cheaper to start a business based on Copernicus data. Be creative, be innovative, share and use Copernicus data and information! With the DIAS the future is ours.  ”

Elżbieta Bieńkowska - EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Continuity: With our proposals to the Council and to the Parliament for the future of the Copernicus Programme, we are contemplating an enhanced continuity of the data and information supply well beyond 2030.

Evolution: With a request for an increased budget, we are proposing to complement our constellation of Sentinel satellites with an expansion programme including new spacecraft to better observe, monitor and forecast essential Earth systems phenomena such as anthropogenic CO2, polar regions, agricultural processes and urban development. We are also looking into avoiding any duplication of efforts with our partners through revamped governance of the EU Space Programme.

We have achieved a lot in 20 years. More than our predecessors could have expected in 1998. We still have a lot to do to reap the full benefits of having created and developed the world’s leading provider of Earth Observation data and information.

I have no doubt that with the help of our partners ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF, the European Environment Agency, Mercator Ocean International, FRONTEX, EMSA and the EU Satellite Centre, with the support of the Member States and the European Parliament, we can go further. By filling identified observation gaps, by better serving user requirements, by deploying our comprehensive market development tool box, to which DIAS is the latest addition, we can not only produce a wealth of data and information, but also deliver analysis-ready material which can be effectively and efficiently used for change and active contribution towards a sustainable future for Europeans and all the citizens of our Planet.

I sincerely hope to be in Baveno in 20 years to gauge the progress made and I am confident that with our outstanding partners and teams the success could be well beyond our expectations of today.