Guest GMES ERS toolbox

SPACE BASED PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT EUROPEAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE

GMES at a glance

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) is a European initiative led by the European Union and implemented by the European Commission (EC) jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at developing a European information service based on satellite earth observations and in-situ (ground based) data. The objective of GMES is to monitor and forecast the state of the environment on land, sea and in the atmosphere, to support the security of every citizen as well as the emergency services. GMES is a user driven initiative and the information services provided will be freely and openly accessible to its users, mostly public authorities.

GMES Emergency Response Service (ERS)

The Emergency Response Service (ERS) will provide all actors involved in the management of humanitarian crises, natural disasters, and manmade  emergency situations, with timely and high quality products derived from space observations for use in the response phase, such as pre-disaster reference and thematic maps (available in 6 hours) and rapid post-disaster damage assessment maps ( available in 24 hours+).

ERCS will later expand its services towards the crisis-prevention (pre-disaster) and post-disaster management by undertaking hazard and risk analysis, forecasting and early warning. All types of disasters will be addressed: natural disasters (floods, fires, landslides, storms, earthquakes, etc.), technological accidents (oil spills, vehicle accidents, etc.) and humanitarian crisis (for instance after a severe drought period).

Two strong projects for the implementation of ERS!

In the forthcoming years (2009-2011) the GMES Emergency Response Service will be “powered” by two EC funded complementary Projects:          

, a Research & Development Project, is in charge of developing user friendly space-based geo-information products in order to strengthen European information capacities to respond to emergency situations: fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, humanitarian crisis, etc. It is responsible for building the production lines and delivery mechanism of the Emergency Response satellite information service, consolidating the ERCS mapping and analysis Service Portfolio and scaling up a European Service network.

, a Service Contract financed by the EC, is the Preparatory Action intended to support the operational use of ERCS products across the whole European Union. This goal is being reached through customized tools installed within each national/EC user community, represented by its own National User Focal Point (FP) as well as the EC Focal points in the DG ENV (Civil Protection), DG RELEX (Delegations) and DG ECHO (humanitarian aid). All Focal Points will have direct access to ERCS products and will be supported to easily integrate them into the respective operational workflows of each Participating State. Both technical and procedural developments will be supported by adequate training and exercises in cooperation, when applicable, with the MIC. 

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