Enhancing EO Da a
Accessibili y: Policy
Recommenda ions
and insigh s om
EO4EU Pla o m
2024 Policy B ie
2
Table o con en s
Summa y .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Ea h Obse a ion Landscape and Da a Accessibili y ................................................................................ 4
INSPIRE- Di ec i e ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Open Da a Di ec i e ................................................................................................................................... 5
Da a Go e nance Ac ................................................................................................................................. 5
Cope nicus da a policy ............................................................................................................................... 6
Fu u e P ospec s: E ol ing Da a Policies ...................................................................................................... 6
Enhancing EO Da a Accessibili y: Insigh s om he EO4EU p ojec .........................................................7
EO4EU Su ey: Fea u es Expanding EO Da a Usabili y ............................................................................... 7
Key indings om he EO4EU Su ey ............................................................................................................ 8
1. Mos In-Demand Da ase s ..................................................................................................................... 8
2. Sea ch & Me ada a Requi emen s ........................................................................................................ 8
3. P ocessing Capabili ies ........................................................................................................................... 8
4. Algo i hm & Analysis Needs ................................................................................................................... 8
The EO4EU Pla o m Di e en ia ing Fac o s .............................................................................................. 9
1. O e coming Da a F agmen a ion .......................................................................................................... 9
2. Reducing Technical Ba ie s .................................................................................................................. 9
3. Add essing Real-Time Da a Need.......................................................................................................... 9
EO4EU Pla o m: Uni ying and S eamlining Access o EO Da a Sou ces ............................................... 10
Expec ed Impac ............................................................................................................................................ 10
EO4EU Pla o m: Insigh s om Indus y Applica ions .............................................................................11
EO4EU Use Cases: Unlocking he Po en ial o EO Da a Ac oss Indus ies ............................................. 11
Use case 1: Pe sonal Alle gy Symp oms Fo ecas ................................................................................. 11
Use case 2: Ocean Moni o ing ................................................................................................................. 12
Use case 3: Food Secu i y ......................................................................................................................... 12
Use case 4: Fo es Ecosys ems ................................................................................................................ 12
Use case 5: Soil E osion ............................................................................................................................ 13
Use case 6: En i onmen al Pes .............................................................................................................. 13
Use case 7: Ci il P o ec ion Ac i i ies ...................................................................................................... 13
Policy Recommenda ions o Enhancing EO Da a Accessibili y and Usabili y ......................................15
Reduce Da a F agmen a ion & Fos e C oss-Sec o Knowledge Sha ing ........................................... 15
Raise Awa eness & Incen i ize Widesp ead Adop ion ......................................................................... 15
Simpli y Access & Enhance Usabili y o Decision-Make s ................................................................... 15
P omo e In e ope abili y & S anda disa ion o Sus ainable Da a Go e nance ............................... 15
S eng hen Policy In eg a ion & Communi y Engagemen .................................................................. 16
Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................................17
3
Summa y
Eu ope boas s a obus Ea h Obse a ion (EO) ecosys em. Ye pe sis en challenges, including da a ag-
men a ion, limi ed in e ope abili y, and echnical ba ie s, con inue o hinde i s ull po en ial. The EO-
4EU p ojec di ec ly add esses hese issues by de eloping an in eg a ed pla o m ha enhances EO da a
accessibili y, usabili y, and eal- ime p ocessing. By le e aging AI, machine lea ning, and cloud compu -
ing, EO4EU s eamlines da a e ie al and analysis, making i mo e accessible o policymake s, indus y,
esea che s, and a la ge public.
The EO4EU Pla o m se es as a model o how uni ied da a access and ad anced digi al echnologies
can unlock he alue o EO da a and d i e solu ions o majo en i onmen al and socie al challenges.
Th ough se en a ge ed use cases on heal hca e, ocean moni o ing, soil e osion, o es ecosys ems, ci il
p o ec ion, en i onmen al pes con ol, and ood secu i y, he EO4EU p ojec demons a es EO da a’s
ans o ma i e po en ial. These use cases no only highligh EO applica ions ac oss di e se sec o s bu
also p o ide aluable insigh s in o he echnical and ope a ional equi emen s needed o op imize EO
da a u ilisa ion.
This policy b ie ou lines key challenges in EO da a exploi a ion and p esen s he solu ions in eg a ed
in o he EO4EU Pla o m o o e come hem. I also showcases he implemen ed use cases o illus a e
he ea u es and capabili ies essen ial o speci ic sec o s. Finally, he policy b ie p o ides policy ec-
ommenda ions based on he EO4EU p ojec ’s conso ia expe ience and expe ise, aimed a add essing
pe sis en ba ie s and maximizing he impac o EO da a ac oss Eu ope.
4
Ea h Obse a ion Landscape and Da a
Accessibili y
The Ea h Obse a ion indus y is e ol ing apidly, d i en by he g owing demand o accu a e, eal- ime
da a and inno a i e applica ions ac oss a ious sec o s. Wi h i s ex ensi e echnical expe ise, obus
esea ch capabili ies, and wo ld-leading space p og ams like Cope nicus, he Eu opean Union holds im-
mense po en ial o shape he u u e o his indus y. To ully capi alize on hese s eng hs, i is c ucial o
suppo Eu opean companies in expanding hei ma ke p esence, os e ing inno a ion, and enhancing
compe i i eness. Addi ionally, ad ancing a clea and o wa d-looking legisla i e amewo k will ensu e
sus ainable g ow h, ein o ce Eu ope’s leade ship in he sec o , and acili a e seamless collabo a ion
be ween public and p i a e s akeholde s.
The Eu opean Union’s policies a e designed o acili a e open and un es ic ed access o Ea h Obse a-
ion (EO) da a, os e ing inno a ion, economic g ow h, and scien i ic ad ancemen . By p omo ing da a
accessibili y, he EU aims o maximize he impac o EO echnologies in c i ical domains such as en i-
onmen al p o ec ion, disas e and c isis managemen , land and ma i ime moni o ing, clima e change
mi iga ion, and a mosphe ic analysis.1
A key pilla o his s a egy is le e aging di e se and ad anced EO da a sou ces, including he Cope nicus
p og am, which encompasses he Sen inel-1 o Sen inel-6 missions, p o iding high- esolu ion image-
y and en i onmen al moni o ing. Addi ionally, GEOSS (Global Ea h Obse a ion Sys em o Sys ems),
INSPIRE (In as uc u e o Spa ial In o ma ion in Eu ope), Des inE (Des ina ion Ea h), and he Galileo/
EGNOS sa elli e na iga ion sys ems con ibu e o comp ehensi e, high-p ecision geospa ial in elligence,
see Table 1.
Th ough hese ini ia i es, he EU s eng hens i s global leade ship in EO and aims o ensu e da a-d i en
decision-making.
Table 1: Majo sou ces o EO-Da a in Eu ope
Sou ce Accessibili y Access o he da a
Cope nicus Da a is open and eely accessible. I can be
explo ed, isualized and downloaded ough
he Cope nicus po al.
h ps://www.cope nicus.eu/en/
access-da a
GEOSS GEOSS p o ides access o a wide ange o ea h
obse a ion da a, and much o i is open ac-
cess.The GEOSS Po al allows use s o sea ch
and access da a om a ious sou ces globally.
h ps://www.geopo al.
o g/?m:ac i eLaye TileId=os-
m& :da aSou ce=dab
INSPIRE The majo i y o he INSPIRE spa ial da a se s
and se ices a e a ailable ee o cha ge o he
public and he public au ho i ies, due o di e -
en na ional access egula ions, he e a e some
excep ions.2
Example: h ps://ag a a las.
inspi e.g .a /?x=14.03307&
y=47.89621&z=10.32465
& =0#/000000000000000000
0000,000000
1 Ma boe, I2016,Eu opean Ea h Obse a ion Da a Policy – Mee ing Va ious Goals by Mul iple and
Di e se Ac o s: A He culean Task?in R Mo o, PJ Bloun & M-Z Masson-Zwaan (eds),P oceedings o he
In e na ional Ins i u e o Space Law 2015.Ele en In e na ional Publishing, Den Haag, P oceedings o he
In e na ional Ins i u e o Space Law, pp. 627-640.
2 Da a.g .a , Geoda en – INSPIRE, h ps://www.da a.g .a /da en/inspi e/, s a e: 20.09.2024
5
Sou ce Accessibili y Access o he da a
Des ineE Des inE Da ase s con ain da a which can be
accessed o downloaded o u he p ocessing
o ee.3
h ps://pla o m.des ine.eu/
Galileo/EGNOS The da a can be accessed h ough he EGNOS
Da a Access Se ice (EDAS). The use is limi ed
o non-sa e y pu poses o use s wi hin su -
eying, mapping, cons uc ion, ag icul u e and
mo e.4
h ps://edas-ma i ime.gsc-eu-
opa.eu/ esou ces- ools/down-
loads (only o egis e ed use s)
Maximizing he po en ial o Ea h Obse a ion (EO) da ase s equi es a s ong legisla i e amewo k.
Se e al measu es ha e been pu in place by he EU o suppo he de elopmen o a comp ehensi e eg-
ula o y amewo k in he EU acili a ing he e icien access, sha ing, and use o geospa ial and EO da a
ac oss di e en sec o s.
INSPIRE- Di ec i e
The INSPIRE Di ec i e aims o s anda dize geospa ial da a ac oss EU membe s a es, ensu ing in e op-
e abili y and seamless in eg a ion o da ase s om a ious sou ces. I de ines common s anda ds o
a iables such as coo dina e sys ems, me ada a, and da a o ma s, enabling e icien c oss-bo de da a
sha ing. Addi ionally, INSPIRE manda es ha geospa ial in o ma ion c i ical o go e nance should be
easily accessible, anspa en , and disco e able, including clea e ms o use.
LINK: INSPIRE Knowledge Base
Open Da a Di ec i e
To p o ide common ules o a Eu opean ma ke o go e nmen da a based on anspa ency and ai
compe i ion. The Di ec i e speci ies ha High Value Da ase s (HDVs) should be made a ailable ee o
cha ge, in machine- eadable o ma , ia APIs and, whe e ele an , as bulk downloads. HDVs a e da a-
se s ha a e associa ed wi h impo an bene i s o socie y and he economy, which da ase s a e HDVs
and how hey may be published and u he p ocessed is de ined in he HDVS Implemen ing Ac . This
di ec i e complemen s he INSPIRE Di ec i e, as bo h p omo e accessibili y and s anda disa ion o
spa ial da a wi hin he EU.
Da a Go e nance Ac
The Da a Go e nance Ac is designed o acili a e da a sha ing and euse ac oss sec o s by add essing
echnical and legal ba ie s. I s eng hens mechanisms o secu e and s anda dized da a exchange,
pa icula ly o sensi i e o comme cially aluable da a. The ac , along wi h he Open Da a Di ec i e, is
implemen ed unde Di ec i e 2019/1024 on Open Da a and he Re-use o Public Sec o In o ma ion.
3 des ina ion-ea h.eu, Des inE Da a Policy o Des inE Digi al Twin Ou pu s, h ps://des ine-da a-lake-
docs.da a.des ina ion-ea h.eu/en/la es /dedl-disco e y-and-da a-access/Des inE-Da a-Policy- o -Des-
inE-Digi al-Twin-Ou pu s/Des inE-Da a-Policy- o -Des inE-Digi al-Twin-Ou pu s.h ml, s a e: 20.09.2024
4 eu opa.eu, EGNOS | Sa elli e Na iga ion, h ps://de ence-indus y-space.ec.eu opa.eu/eu-space/
egnos-sa elli e-na iga ion_en, s a e: 20.09.2024
6
Cope nicus da a policy
The Cope nicus Da a Policy ensu es ha da a and in o ma ion om he EU’s Cope nicus p og am a e
made a ailable on a ull, open, and ee-o -cha ge basis, subjec o speci ic condi ions such as egis a-
ion, dissemina ion o ma s, and access es ic ions whe e necessa y. This open-access model enhanc-
es inno a ion and maximizes he socioeconomic bene i s o Cope nicus EO da a.
Fu u e P ospec s: E ol ing Da a Policies
Se e al new legisla i e and policy ini ia i es a e unde de elopmen o u he e ine da a go e nance
and suppo en i onmen al sus ainabili y:
ʁThe Da a Ac (will become applicable in Sep embe 2025) aims o egula e da a access and usage
by de ining who can access speci ic da ase s and unde wha condi ions, ensu ing ai dis ibu ion o
da a-d i en alue.
ʁG eenDa a4All is an ini ia i e aimed a mode nizing EU egula ions on en i onmen al geospa ial da a
and imp o ing public access o en i onmen al in o ma ion.
ʁG een Deal Da a Space is a de eloping amewo k o es ablish a common Eu opean da a space o
collec ing, sha ing, p ocessing, and analyzing la ge-scale da ase s in suppo o he Eu opean G een
Deal’s p io i y ac ions.
These upcoming ini ia i es will u he enhance Eu ope’s posi ion as a leade in Ea h Obse a ion da a
accessibili y, en i onmen al moni o ing, and digi al inno a ion.
7
Enhancing EO Da a Accessibili y: Insigh s om
he EO4EU p ojec
Eu ope is globally ecognized o i s s ong EO and esea ch capabili ies, suppo ed by a di e se ange
o EO da a sou ces. In addi ion o he key da a sou ces (see Table 1), nume ous EU- unded p ojec s and
ini ia i es aim o s eamline he e ie al and p ocessing o geospa ial in o ma ion.
Howe e , he EO da a landscape emains complex and agmen ed. Majo EO da a sou ces o en do no
p o ide eady- o-use da ase s ailo ed o a b oad spec um o use s, making da a accessibili y and usa-
bili y a challenge. Mo eo e , a lack o coo dina ion among di e en ini ia i es esul s in a limi ed scope
o applica ions, es ic ing he ull po en ial o EO da a in add essing c i ical challenges ac oss a ious
sec o s. These ba ie s hinde e icien da a exploi a ion and slow down adop ion by policymake s, in-
dus y, and academia.
To enhance EO da a up ake and usabili y, he EO4EU p ojec seeks o es ablish a uni ied pla o m o
seamless access and p ocessing o EO da a. By le e aging a i icial in elligence and machine lea ning, he
p ojec aims o o e ad anced ools o da a in eg a ion, in e pola ion, ex apola ion, and isualisa ion.
Addi ionally, i in oduces imme si e VR ea u es, enabling use s o in e ac wi h EO da ase s in an in ui-
i e and dynamic way, ul ima ely b idging he gap be ween da a p o ide s and end-use s.
EO4EU Su ey: Fea u es Expanding EO Da a Usabili y
The EO4EU p ojec conduc ed a public su ey o assess use needs and challenges ela ed o EO da a
e ie al, p ocessing, and usabili y. The indings e eal a s ong demand o Eu opean EO da a sou c-
es and highligh c i ical equi emen s o imp o ing accessibili y, in e ope abili y, and ease o use.
By iden i ying key use p io i ies, he su ey esul s con ibu e o he de elopmen o mo e e icien ,
use - iendly, and scalable EO da a pla o ms.
The ollowing indings, p esen ed in his policy b ie , o e ac ionable insigh s ha can in o m u u e
s a egies o EO da a go e nance, inno a ion, and adop ion ac oss mul iple sec o s.
8
Key indings om he EO4EU Su ey
1. Mos In-Demand Da ase s
Cope nicus Sen inel-2 (70%), Sen inel-1 (63.3%), and he Digi al Ele a ion Model (60%) we e iden-
i ied as he op h ee da ase s equi ed by use s.
ʁLong- e m his o ical da ase s a e essen ial o s udying changes in Ea h’s su ace o e ime.
ʁB oad geog aphical co e age is necessa y o enable analyses om local o global scales.
2. Sea ch & Me ada a Requi emen s
ʁThe mos p e e ed sea ch me hod is based on s anda d c i e ia (93.3%), such as ime ange, sen-
so ype, p ocessing le el, co e age, and cloud co e .
ʁUse s also exp essed in e es in na u al language sea ch (36.7%) and image-based sea ch (30%).
ʁTo imp o e da a disco e abili y, a wo-le el me ada a sys em (96.7%) is ecommended:
ʁCollec ion-le el me ada a (da ase -le el)
ʁG anule-le el me ada a ( ile-le el)
ʁEssen ial me ada a a ibu es include geog aphical and empo al ex en , p ocessing le el, and
ele an keywo ds.
ʁIn e acing se ices like an API (73.3%), p ocessing algo i hms, and compu ing esou ces we e
highligh ed as c ucial.
3. P ocessing Capabili ies
ʁUse s p io i ize nea - eal- ime p ocessing (63.3%) o ob ain apid esul s.
ʁCus omizable p ocessing pipelines (56.7%) a e needed o ailo wo k lows o speci ic use equi e-
men s.
ʁThe abili y o in eg a e local p ocessing chains (82.6%) wi h pla o m-based p ocessing (70%) is a
key equi emen .
ʁUse s emphasized he need o access da a h ough a ious me hods (API/CLI - 30%) and o e-
ie e in e media e p ocessing esul s (70%) o debugging and alida ion.
4. Algo i hm & Analysis Needs
ʁThe mos sough -a e algo i hm is Da a Fusion (70%), which enables he in eg a ion o mul iple
da a sou ces such as Sen inel-1 (100%), Sen inel-2 (100%), ERA-5, and MODIS (100%).
ʁUse s also exp essed s ong in e es in Fea u e Ex ac ion Algo i hms (53.3%), including ege a-
ion indices (NDVI, NDI) and Machine Lea ning (ML)-based ools.
ʁIn e acing se ices should allow use s o implemen cus om code and isualize p ocessing esul s
alongside EO da ase s.
9
The EO4EU Pla o m Di e en ia ing Fac o s
The EO4EU Pla o m is a majo ou come o he EO4EU P ojec , unded unde he Ho izon Eu ope p o-
g amme. Designed o enhance access o and u ilisa ion o EO da a, he pla o m aims o suppo be e
o ecas ing, decision-making, and policy implemen a ion ac oss a ious sec o s. To achie e his, EO4EU
in eg a es dis up i e echnologies ha s eamline da a e ie al, p ocessing, and analysis.
The EO4EU Pla o m le e ages cu ing-edge inno a ions, including:
ʁMachine Lea ning & AI – Au oma ing da a p ocessing, enhancing pa e n ecogni ion, and imp o ing
p edic i e analy ics.
ʁCloud Compu ing – Enabling scalable, high-pe o mance da a s o age and p ocessing o la ge EO
da ase s.
ʁSeman ic-Enhanced Knowledge G aph – S uc u ing and linking EO da a o imp o e disco e abili y,
in e ope abili y, and usabili y.
These echnologies allow EO4EU o ackle key challenges, such as da a agmen a ion, accessibili y ba i-
e s, and he need o eal- ime insigh s, while ensu ing a mo e seamless and e ec i e use o EO da a o
a be e o ecas and decision-making.
1. O e coming Da a F agmen a ion
One o he p ima y challenges in EO da a accessibili y is he agmen a ion ac oss mul iple sou ces,
making i di icul o use s o ind, access, and u ilize comp ehensi e da ase s e icien ly. EO4EU ackles
his issue by in eg a ing di e se EO da ase s in o a uni ied pla o m, s eamlining access and enhancing
in e ope abili y.
By consolida ing da a om sou ces such as Cope nicus, GEOSS, ECMWF, and Galileo, EO4EU educes
complexi y and ensu es use s can easily sea ch, e ie e, and p ocess in o ma ion om di e en p o-
ide s in a seamless manne . Addi ionally, he EO4EU pla o m le e ages AI-powe ed ools, machine
lea ning capabili ies, and ad anced isualisa ion echniques o enhance usabili y, making EO da a mo e
accessible.
2. Reducing Technical Ba ie s
Many po en ial use s encoun e echnical challenges when accessing EO da a, o en due o complex
in e aces, o e whelming da a o ma s, o a lack o echnical expe ise. These ba ie s limi he wide-
sp ead adop ion o EO da a, p e en ing non-expe use s om ully le e aging i s po en ial.
The EO4EU Pla o m is designed o elimina e hese obs acles by o e ing a mo e use - iendly in e ace
ha simpli ies da a disco e y, e ie al, and p ocessing hanks o AI-d i en ools, au oma ed wo k lows,
and in e ac i e isualisa ion ea u es.
3. Add essing Real-Time Da a Need
In many applica ions, imely access o upda ed in o ma ion is c ucial o e ec i e decision-making. De-
lays in da a e ie al and p ocessing can hinde apid esponse e o s, pa icula ly in ime-sensi i e
ields such as disas e managemen , en i onmen al moni o ing, and c isis esponse.
The EO4EU Pla o m add esses his need by o e ing eal- ime p ocessing capabili ies, enabling use s o
access, analyze and in e p e EO da a quickly and e icien ly.
16
٩S eng hen Policy In eg a ion & Communi y Engagemen
ʁConduc ex ensi e consul a ions wi h he Eu oGeo communi y, indus y s akeholde s, and poli-
cymake s o iden i y EO da a applica ions in key sec o s such as:
ʁClima e change and en i onmen al p o ec ion
ʁEne gy and anspo a ion
ʁAg icul u e and ood secu i y
ʁCi il p o ec ion and disas e managemen
ʁHeal hca e and public heal h
ʁEncou age c oss-sec o dialogue o align EO da a capabili ies wi h speci ic policy needs, ensu ing i s
seamless in eg a ion in o decision-making amewo ks.
By implemen ing hese ecommenda ions, EO da a can become mo e accessible, impac ul, and ac ion-
able, empowe ing s akeholde s o make in o med, da a-d i en decisions while os e ing inno a ion and
sus ainable de elopmen .
17
Conclusions
Despi e he obus sou ces o EO da a and esea ch ad ancemen s, key ba ie s such as da a agmen-
a ion, limi ed coo dina ion, and echnical complexi ies hinde i s widesp ead use in Eu ope. The EO4EU
p ojec p o ides a p omising solu ion by o e ing a pla o m ha s eamlines access, enhances in e -
ope abili y, and in eg a es cu ing-edge echnologies like AI, machine lea ning, and imme si e ools o
imp o e he usabili y o EO da a o a b oade ange o use s.
Th ough use su eys and a se o indus y-speci ic use cases, he EO4EU pla o m has demons a ed
i s po en ial o bene i such sec o s as ag icul u e, heal hca e, en i onmen al moni o ing, and disas e
managemen . These use cases ha e highligh ed c i ical equi emen s such as scalabili y, eal- ime da a
p ocessing, and seamless in eg a ion wi h exis ing sys ems, while unde lining he need o a use - iend-
ly, accessible pla o m solu ion ha empowe s di e se s akeholde s.
To ully le e age he po en ial o EO da a, Eu ope mus p io i ize emo ing exis ing ba ie s, pa icula ly
in e ms o da a agmen a ion, accessibili y, and usabili y. Ensu ing ha EO da a is no only accessible
bu also ac ionable o a ious end-use s is key o achie ing impac ul esul s.
Speci ic ecommenda ions s emming om he EO4EU p ojec include educing EO da a agmen a ion
by p o iding uni ied solu ions, enhancing da a sha ing and he in e ope abili y o exis ing sys ems, ais-
ing awa eness abou he a ailable da a sou ces and p omo e hei use in ela ion o he mos p essing
challenges, simpli ying access o EO da a o non- echnical use s, le e age dis up i e echnologies o
eal- ime da a p ocessing and wide cus omisa ion capabili ies.
By le e aging hese ecommenda ions, Eu ope can ully unlock he ans o ma i e po en ial o EO da a,
s eng hening in o med decision-making in nume ous indus ies and sec o s.
Au ho s:
S a hes Hadjie hymiades, Sa an is Paskalis (NKUA), Vasileios Baousis (ECMWF), Vale iya Fe iso a,
Rob Ca illo (T us -IT Se ices S l), Monia San ini (CMCC), Ral Hedel (F aunho e -Gesellscha ),
S e ano Na ali, Maximilien Houel (Sis ema GMBH), Ma co Folegani (MEEO S l)
