Copernicus
Institute for Environmental Solutions –
"Copernicus" program ambassador
since 2017

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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