Copernicus

Copernicus is one of the EU’s space programmes aimed at providing full, free and open access to data and information on our planet and its environment, based on satellite Earth Observation and in situ (non-space) data analyses. The initiative is headed by the European Commission in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the European Environment Agency (EEA), Mercator Océan International (MOI), the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) and the Joint Research Centre, the Commission’s science and knowledge service.

In developing a competitive and agile European space and services industry, Copernicus aims to nurture innovative earth observation systems and services and ensure Europe’s independent access to evidence-based knowledge about the environment and the climate, and to key observation and geo-information gathering technologies. The information services are fully, freely and openly accessible to its users.

Copernicus comprises three aspects:

a service component ensuring information in the areas of atmosphere monitoring, marine environment monitoring, land monitoring, climate change, emergency management and security;
a space component ensuring sustainable spaceborne observations for the above service areas; and
an in situ component ensuring coordinated access to observations through airborne, seaborne and ground-based installations for the above service areas — the in situ data are essential in ensuring the delivery of quality data and information.

Copernicus core users can be policymakers and public authorities who can use the information as a basis for developing policies and legislation, such as in the environmental field or in the civil protection area in the event of a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis. Other users include commercial and private users, the education and research sectors, and not-for-profit organisations.

Copernicus data and information are in general made available on a full, open and non-fee basis. This is to promote their use and sharing, as well as to boost European earth observation markets, in particular the development of applications and value-added services and products, for example, monitoring urban air quality. Some of these downstream services may or may not be available for free, depending on the provider’s business model.