Copernicus
Institute for Environmental Solutions –
"Copernicus" program ambassador
since 2017
Institute for Environmental Solutions –
Copernicus is the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date. It provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security. The programme is coordinated and managed by the European Commission. It is implemented in partnership with the Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU Agencies and Mercator Océan.
Sentinel satellite family – Eirope's eyes on the Earth
Copernicus is served by a set of dedicated satellites (the Sentinel families) and contributing missions (existing commercial and public satellites). The Sentinel satellites are specifically designed to meet the needs of the Copernicus services and their users. The programme also collects information from in situ systems such as ground stations, which deliver data acquired by a multitude of sensors on the ground, at sea or in the air. The information provided by the Copernicus services can be used by end users for a wide range of applications in a variety of areas.
Services offered by Copernicus
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)
Continuous data and information on global atmospheric composition. The service describes the current situation, forecasts the situation ahead, and analyses consistently retrospective data records for recent years
Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS)
Regular and systematic reference information on the physical state variability and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and the European regional seas. The observations and forecasts produced by the service support all marine applications
Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS)
Geographical information on land cover and on variables related, for instance, to the vegetation state or the water cycle. It supports applications in a variety of domains such as spatial planning, forest management, water management, agriculture, and food security, etc
Copernicus Klimata pārmaiņu pakalpojums (C3S)
Responds to environmental and societal challenges associated with human-induced climate changes. The service provides the access to information for monitoring and predicting climate change, thus helping to support adaptation and mitigation. It benefits from a sustained network of in situ and satellite-based observations, re-analysis of the Earth climate and modelling scenarios, based on a variety of climate projections.
Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS)
Provides all actors involved in the management of natural disasters, man-made emergency situations, and humanitarian crises with timely and accurate geo-spatial information derived from satellite remote sensing and completed by available in situ or open data sources. It consists of a mapping component and of an early warning component
Copernicus Security Service
Supports European Union policies by providing information in response to Europe’s security challenges. It improves crisis prevention, preparedness and response in three key areas: border surveillance, maritime surveillance, support to EU External Action.
Institute for Environmental Solutions activities in Copernicus
The mini-series "Earth data"
Data and information are the gold of the 21st century. Since ancient times, man has sought to use technology to better understand what is happening around. In the “Zemes dati” (“Earth Data”) mini-series, you can learn how Earth observation technologies are driving human development, how they are helping businesses and decision-makers to manage natural resources.
1st episode
Decision making
In this episode, we explain what Earth observation is, where Latvia fits in the European space industry family, what joining the European Space Agency means for us and how Earth observation technologies can help business managers and decision-makers in managing natural resources.
2nd episode
Forestry
Agris Brauns, senior researcher at the Institute for Environmental Solutions, and Arne Rørå, CEO of NORGSKOG Group, discuss the importance of the forest ecosystem, modern forestry practices, and how Earth observation technologies help assess and monitor forest resources and predict what is happening in forests.
3rd episode
Lakes
In the episode, researcher Matīss Žagars and Earth observation expert Dainis Jakovels will talk about the state of lakes in Latvia, how Earth observation data can help monitor and manage them, as well as assess their quality and the impact of human activities.
4th episode
Emergency situations
Although we live in a relatively peaceful region, climate change will make it more and more likely that we will face emergencies such as floods and forest fires. In the fourth episode of “Earth Data”, Agris Brauns, researcher at the Institute for Environmental Solutions, and Ivars Nakurts, Head of the Civil Protection Department at the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), will talk about how Earth observation helps to prepare for such situations and assess their consequences.
5th episode
Natural resources
Nature and its diversity are Latvia’s strategic resource. Unfortunately, we have damaged enough places as a result of ill-considered economic decisions driven by short-term goals. In the fifth episode of “Earth Data”, Director of the Nature Conservation Agency Rolands Auziņš, researcher Rūta Abaja from the Institute for Environmental Solutions and researcher Agris Brauns will talk about how we can give a degraded natural area a second chance by using Earth observation technologies.
