Copernicus is the European Union's Earth Observation Programme. It is a leading provider of Earth observation data, which is used for services providers, public authorities and other international organisations to improve the quality of life for the European citizens. The gathered EO data benefit emergency response, global food security, border control and homeland security by contributing to maritime surveillance.
Copernicus Services
The Copernicus services transform this wealth of satellite and in situ data into value-added information by processing and analysing the data. Datasets stretching back for years and decades are made comparable and searchable, thus ensuring the monitoring of changes; patterns are examined and used to create better forecasts, for example, of the ocean and the atmosphere. Maps are created from imagery, features and anomalies are identified and statistical information is extracted.
These value-adding activities are streamlined through six thematic streams of Copernicus services:
The information provided by the Copernicus services can be used by end users for a wide range of applications in a variety of areas. These include urban area management, sustainable development and nature protection, regional and local planning, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, health, civil protection, infrastructure, transport and mobility, as well as tourism.
The main users of Copernicus services are policymakers and public authorities who need the information to develop environmental legislation and policies or to take critical decisions in the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a humanitarian crisis.
Based on the Copernicus services and on the data collected through the Sentinels and the contributing missions, many value-added services can be tailored to specific public or commercial needs, resulting in new business opportunities.
Access to Data
Copernicus builds on a constellations of satellites making millions an impressive number of of daily observations, as well as on a global network of thousands of land-, air- and marine-based sensors to create the most detailed pictures of Earth. The technological evolution, especially in terms of availability and accessibility, has made Copernicus the largest space data provider in the world, currently producing 12 terabytes per day.
The vast majority of data and information delivered by the Copernicus Space infrastructure and the Copernicus services are made available and accessible to any citizen and any organisation around the world on a free, full and open access basis. You can access Copernicus Data and Information Services through the DIAS or the Conventional Data Hubs.
Data and Information Access Services (DIAS)
To facilitate and standardise access to data, the European Commission has funded the deployment of five cloud-based platforms providing centralised access to Copernicus data and information, as well as to processing tools. These platforms are known as the DIAS, or Data and Information Access Services.
The five DIAS online platforms allow users to discover, manipulate, process and download Copernicus data and information. All DIAS platforms provide access to Copernicus Sentinel data, as well as to the information products from Copernicus’ six operational services, together with cloud-based tools (open source and/or on a pay-per-use basis).
Each of the five competitive platforms also provides access to additional commercial satellite or non-space data sets as well as premium offers in terms of support or priority. Thanks to a single access point for the entire Copernicus data and information, DIAS allows the users to develop and host their own applications in the cloud, while removing the need to download bulky files from several access points and process them locally.
Use Cases
https://www.copernicus.eu/en/use-cases
➡️ Find out more about how Copernicus impacts our lives at: https://www.copernicus.eu/
