Copernicus Emergency Management Service

Context

The European Union (EU) activated its rapid satellite mapping service to help search efforts, in the wake of Iran President’s death.

About Copernicus Emergency Management Service

• It is part of the EU’s space programme and aims to monitor the Earth and its environment by collecting data from a set of satellites known as the Sentinels. 
• Launched: Launched in 1998 and has been in operation since 2012.
  • It was earlier called Global Monitoring for Environmental Security (GMES). 
• Implementation agencies: Currently, it is implemented by the European Commission (EC) with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
• Data Collection: 
  • It gets data from contributing missions (existing commercial and public satellites) and in situ or non-space sources such as ground stations.
• Mandate: To provide geo-spatial information derived from satellite remote sensing and in situ data sources to help manage natural disasters, man-made emergencies, and humanitarian crises.
• Components: There are two components of the service- the mapping component and the early warning component. 
  • The Mapping Component: It provides maps and analysis based on satellite imagery.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

• • The Early Warning Component: It issues alerts about floods, droughts, and forest fires, and gives near-real time assessment of forest fire impacts.
• Usage: The data are processed and analyzed to generate value-added information, which can be used for a wide range of applications in many areas. 
  • These include land management, the marine environment, the atmosphere, emergency response, security, and climate change. 
  • Users get the information on a “full, open, and free-of-charge” basis.

DOWNLOAD PDF