Monitor the atmosphere

 Monitor and forecast air quality & emissions (fluxes)

Pollution and greenhouse gas emission monitoring. Measuring atmospheric concentrations and characterizing the micrometeorology or using atmospheric dispersion models to back-calculate the emission rates that gave the concentrations observed. Air quality/pollution source maps (CH4, CO2, NO2 & SO2, Particulate Matter, maps of average pollutant flux PM2.5, PM10).

Monitor atmosphere composition

Monitoring present conditions and forecasting the distribution (transportation), for a few days ahead, of both anthropogenic and naturally occurring key greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), or reactive gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), etc.

Forecasting sunlight exposure

While the solar radiation impacting the top of the atmosphere can be well modelled, the solar radiation arriving at the surface is dependent on the atmospheric transmission and turbidity and aerosol optical depth. Forecasting and risk assessment amount of solar (sunlight) radiation which reaches the surface of the planet (UV, radiation measures, models).

Monitor climate change

Assess changes in the carbon balance

Measuring carbon stocks, especially aboveground biomass and providing an overview of a range of approaches that have been developed and used to map biomass across a diverse set of conditions and geographic areas (quantifying stem volume and carbon stock changes). It also includes historical climate data.

Assess climate change risk & climate forcing

Assess current and future vulnerability to climate change including variability caused by a perturbation of the climate system and associated atmospheric composition (aerosol, ozone and greenhouse gases) driven by human activities). The radiative forcing measures the imbalance in the surface solar irradiance and is a useful predictor of globally averaged temperature change.

Forecast the weather (meteo)

Forecast weather  

Monitor and forecast weather conditions such as temperature, storms, precipitation, heat waves and tropical cyclones – as well as other hazards influenced by weather, like floods or dispersion of atmospheric or marine pollution.

Assess disasters & geohazards (emergency)

Map and assess flooding

Map and assess the extent of the flooding event (floods map, exposure), floodplain mapping, flood risk dynamic assessment and management of water buffer areas (overflow). Measure a variety of physical and biological parameters (incl. turbidity levels) in aquatic ecosystems over small and large areas. Products look into the flood impact and extent in phases such as early warning (early/quick/rapid detection), response and recovery monitoring.

Forecast and assess landslides

Mapping, monitoring, early warning (quick/rapid detection) and assessment of trigger events, unstable areas (rainfall influence) such as landslides (dynamic risk damage, slope instability, subsidence detection, fault and discontinuity maps (vector or raster), ground deformation and motion). Associated services include support for the evacuation of areas prone to collapse or the identification of suitable areas for urban replacement.

Assess and monitor volcanic activity

Assess ground deformation associated with volcanoes, seismic activity, volcanic eruptions (pre-eruptive, sin-eruptive, gas emissions, atmospheric ash, dispersion, heat flux). Rapid damage estimation (prevention), earthquake damage extent (loss adjuster dispatch). Impact on land cover and landscape (changes). Early warning (quick/rapid detection) and tracking of unrest / eruptive activity using satellite data in support of hazards mitigation activities. Map of the recent lava flows.

Detect and monitor wildfires

Use optical data to detect and monitor the heat emitted by the fires [forest fire risk (extent, burnt scars) under rapid damage estimation, fire weather index[1] damage, fire protection, rapid damage estimation (prevention, insurance)]. Impact on global atmospheric emissions, with biomass burning to contribute to the risk on human health (besides direct effects, PM2.5, PM10 health impacts) and also to global budgets of greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide etc. Monitoring of risk prevention factors [early warning (early/quick/rapid detection)] and issuing alerts for high risk locations.

Assess damage from earthquakes

Mapping and monitoring of seismic exposure (e.g. population distribution and density in high-seismic-hazard areas). Earthquake disaster prevention, early warning (early/quick/rapid detection), recovery (reconstruction monitoring, residual risk assessment, dynamic risk assessment, information, damage). Extracting background information on seismic, inter-seismic deformations, slip rates & active faults, stress transfer on faults, rapid damage estimation (prevention), change detection and preliminary damage map earthquake damage extent (loss adjuster dispatch).

Assess overall disaster risk maps in an appropriate format by using space, in-situ and location-based disaster risk information, vulnerability, capacity, exposure, hazard characteristics and their possible sequential effects at the relevant social and spatial scale on ecosystems, in line with national circumstances. Products will include disaster recovery maps and rapid mapping for crises, humanitarian aid maps (population density, infrastructure, logistical information), vulnerability assessment, damage assessment. Important to note the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Monitor critical assets

Monitor  sensitive risk areas

Geospatial intelligence analysis, sensitive risk areas (mines, unexploded objects (UXO), de-mining) mapping, high risk areas mapping, precision mapping, activity detection, auxiliary research and judgment on anti-terrorism in important areas of public security.

Risk evaluation, threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, dams monitoring, water treatment monitoring facilities monitoring, oil fields monitoring, pipelines monitoring, pumping stations monitoring, airports monitoring, governmental buildings monitoring, transport networks monitoring.

Mapping heritage sites and in supporting the archaeological investigation, understand the scale, impact, opportunities, responses and tools for conserving world heritage and mitigating threats, vulnerability assessment, damage assessment, risk evaluation, looting tracking. Detect ground deformation and monitor subsidence at archaeological sites, monuments and historic urban centres to detect different types of surface changes caused by erosion, floods, vegetation or human actions.

Border control monitoring, terrorism threat risk assessment, piracy, illegal cropping analysis, cross-border state disputes analysis.

Border area monitoring, coastal area monitoring, migration monitoring.

Monitor movement of people, population pressures, monitoring of settlements, evolution, characterization, situation maps, migration and cleansing monitoring, population pressures, displacement of population assessment, planning of contingency operations and operations security & coordination maps (moving objects such vehicles), impact on the surrounding environment, humanitarian camps.