GMESCopernicus

GMESCopernicus is the European Union's Earth Observation programme. Its primary objective is to provide reliable, independent, and continuous information about the Earth's state and evolution to improve the management of the environment, understand climate change, and ensure civil security. The programme is a joint initiative between the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Copernicus is composed of several key components. These include a set of Earth-observing satellites known as the Sentinels, which are specifically designed to monitor different aspects of the Earth's environment, such as land, oceans, and atmosphere. In addition to space-based assets, Copernicus also relies on ground-based data collected from a variety of in-situ sensors.

The data and services generated by Copernicus are freely and openly available to a wide range of users, including public authorities, researchers, private companies, and citizens. These services are organized into six main thematic areas: Land Monitoring, Marine Monitoring, Atmosphere Monitoring, Climate Change, Emergency Management, and Security. Each service provides valuable data and processing capabilities tailored to specific user needs. For instance, the Emergency Management service assists in managing natural disasters like floods and wildfires, while the Climate Change service provides long-term data to support climate research and policy. Copernicus aims to foster innovation and economic growth by making Earth observation data accessible and usable.