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Ground Segment Coordination Body (GSCB)

Status, Objectives and Workplan

Gunter Schreier (DLR)Catherine Casgrain (CSA)

Eugenia Forcada, Gunther Kohlhammer (ESA)Graeme Mason (Eumetsat)

Cristina Ananasso (ASI) Maurice Winterholer (CNES)

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Agenda• Why Ground Segment Coordination?• GSCB: what we are, who we are• GSCB organisation and tasks• Achievements• More work ahead

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Why GSCB• Increasing number of EO missions and operating

entities• Demand for EO data has evolved dramatically in the last

decade– Amount and volume have increased by a factor 10– More than 80% of the EO data users request and use data

from more than one satellite• For GMES Space Component Programme (GSC)

collaboration is essential in the sustainability of the EO data supply assured with a fleet of European EO satellites– Operational and sustainable user services– Avoid unnecessary duplication in technologies

• Harmonization of the various approaches in interfacing the user community and in the PDGS operations and engineering

• Cooperation in the ground segment development, the operations and the data exploitation

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The Fleet of GMES Satellites

Earth Watch

SARSuperspectral/InfraredOcean Monitoring

Atmosphere LEOAtmosphere GEO

2011 - 20152001 - 2005 2006 - 2010

ERS-1/2

Terra-SAR-X

Cosmo Skymed

PleiadesSPOT Series

ENVISAT

Euro

pean

Com

mis

sion

Earth Explorer

National

Science

Operational

GMES

Dual Use

Sentinels

TanDEM

EnMAP

Private

SMOSCryoSAT

GOCE ADM-Aelous

SWARMCryoSAT II

EarthCARE

Radarsat-2

Current GSCB member portfolio

MSG/MTGMETOP

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E R S ( C )E N V IS A T A S A R (C )R a d a rs a t-1R a d a rs a t 2 ( C )T e r ra S A R -X (X )C o s m o -S k y m e d (X )A L O S P A L S A R (L )S e n t in e l-1U K -D M C (D M C )S P O T -4S P O T -5R e s o u rc e s a t -1 ( IR S -P 6 ) / -2A L O S A V N IR -2 (P R IS M )F o rm o s a t -2 R a p id E y eT H E O SC a s t il la y L e ó n D M CD M C -U K 2S e o s a t S e n t in e l-2E R O S -AO rb v ie w -3 Q u ic k b ird -2 IK O N O S -2 E R O S -BC A R T O S A T -2 K O M P S A T -2 W o r ld v ie w -1 / -2 G e o E y e -1 P le ia d e s N O A A /A V H R RM E T O P O rb V ie w -2S P O T V G TA q u a /T e r ra M O D ISE R S A T S RE N V IS A T A A T S RE N V IS A T M E R ISO c e a n S a t-2O c e a n s a t -3 /A lt iK aJ A S O N -1E R S R AE n v is a t R A -2J A S O N -2S e n t in e l-3M e te o s a t-5 / -6 /-7 GM S G GE R S A tm o s p h e r icE N V IS A T a tm o s p h e r icM E T O P (H IR S /4 , A M S U -A , M H

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04

20

05

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06

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07

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14

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08

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13

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09

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11

Se

nit

ne

l -

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03

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l-2

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tin

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3

The extended fleet of GMES Satellites

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French Defense SSO Multi sensor levelPHR

DUPC

CCC

French CivilianMulti sensor level

Italian DefenseMulti sensor level

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS Italian Civilian

Multi sensor level

PHR Dual GS

IDUGS

FDUGS

ICUGS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRFCUGS

FCUGS

PHRFDMUGC

PHRIDUGS

Spanish DefenseMulti sensor level

SpDUGS

PHRSpDUGS

AttitudeRestauration

SDGC

Kiruna

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHR FCMUGC

PHRFDMUGC

PHRIDMUGC

PHRSpDUGC

ICUAccessUnit

PCMEunit

What we should avoid

EO A

pplications

EO A

pplications

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French Defense SSO Multi sensor levelPHR

DUPC

CCC

French CivilianMulti sensor level

Italian DefenseMulti sensor level

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS Italian Civilian

Multi sensor level

PHR Dual GS

IDUGS

FDUGS

ICUGS

PHRRIRS

PHRRIRS

PHRFCUGS

FCUGS

PHRFDMUGC

PHRIDUGS

Spanish DefenseMulti sensor level

SpDUGS

PHRSpDUGS

AttitudeRestauration

SDGC

Kiruna

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHRprocessing unit

PHRprogramming unit

PHRreceiving unit

PHRaccess unit

PHR FCMUGC

PHRFDMUGC

PHRIDMUGC

PHRSpDUGC

ICUAccessUnit

PCMEunit

What we should aim for

GroundSegment

Harmonisation&

Coordination

EO A

pplications

EO A

pplications

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GSCB implementation• In 2004, ESA's EO Programme Board ground segment

task force revised the strategy to deal with these challenges in the EO ground segment

• It recommended cooperation and coordination among member states investing in and managing EO Payload Data Ground Segments

• Creation of the Ground Segment Coordination Body (GSCB) in June 2005

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GSCB Membership• Representation of the owners and holders of European

and Canadian EO data and associated infrastructure– initially key institutional organisations

(ASI, CNES, CSA, DLR, ESA, Eumetsat)– managing their EO ground segment operations and

development

• ESA :– Provides secretariat support– Participates in all tasks and working groups– Uses this group as the main Ground Segment Coordination

mechanism among Member States (ESA convention art. II.c)

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Institutions and missions involved

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GCSB Organisation• Permanent consultation group

• Quarterly meetings

• Yearly report

• Ad-hoc technical working groups– When required by members to elaborate, review and

recommend specific technical issues

• Workshops– Consultation of the wider EO Community, including the EO

ground segment industry

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Scope of the group• Adoption of a common, coordinated and cost-effective

approach on EO ground segment issues

• Facilitate exchange of information, discussion and agreements

• Define and propose: – operational cooperation schemes – agreements for sharing or exchange infrastructure and

data– technical standards

in the management of their EO data and the related ground segment infrastructure

• Members to provide recommendations to their respective programmatic bodies for implementation

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Tasks (1/2) • Ensure technical and programmatic coordination of all

European activities concerning Earth Observation ground segment development and operation

(e.g.: elaborate a common strategy for long term archiving-which data and how, set up contracts or projects inside and across their respective data holdings, Identify and report on different ground segment setup standards or approaches)

• Build agreements to share operations resources and existing infrastructure for the benefit of the user community

(e.g.: Set up a network of mission planners and order desks, data can be held in other’s archive)

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Tasks (2/2) • Standardise the ground segment modules, its interfaces

and the programmatic Service Level to access the different EO data sets to:

• Serve service providers in an harmonised way• Serve the European scientific and commercial Earth Observation

users• Provide a unified European technical standards and interfaces

and approach towards GEOSS. • Easy the implementation and integration of new missions and

EO data

• Monitor the implementation and results of the adopted jointly defined guidelines in the different GCSB members

• Recommend policy and programmatic issues as needed towards the respective bodies

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Ground Segment Reference Scheme

Comm. PublicPublic Public Public ScienceScience Comm.

Access

Non-Europeanagenciesground

segments

GEOSS Access

M &

C

Acquisition

ES

A

Archive

Production

Tasking/Dissem

Satellite/ Missions

otherEuropeanMissionground

segment

Na t

EO Data Access Integration Layer

EUM

ETSAT

In-situNon-space

systems

Access

Service Infrastructure and Support

GMES Services

Comm. PublicPublic Public Public ScienceScience Comm.

Access

Non-Europeanagenciesground

segments

GEOSS Access

M &

C

Acquisition

ES

A

Archive

Production

Tasking/Dissem

Satellite/ Missions

otherEuropeanMissionground

segment

Na t

EO Data Access Integration Layer

EUM

ETSAT

In-situNon-space

systems

Access

Service Infrastructure and Support

GMES Services

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Work Plan (2006 – 2008)• Payload Ground Segment reference architecture• Interoperability

– Heterogeneous Mission Accessibility (HMA)– harmonised access across heterogeneous missions

• Common Strategy for long-term Earth Observation data preservation

• Sharing of telecommunications networking infrastructure, both ground and satellite network

• Sharing of design and technologies – Security requirements implementation– Data description, manipulation and generation

• Coordinate and liaise with other coordination bodies (GEO, CEOS)

• Liaison with standardisation bodies and initiatives(OGC, CEN, INSPIRE).– GSCB does not act as a new standardisation body. – identify and promote the use of a common set of

standards

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Achievement: Interoperability (HMA)

GS1 GS2 GS3

?

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Achievement: Interoperability (HMA)

GS1 GS2 GS3

!

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Achievement: Operations concept sharing• common Strategy for long-term Earth Observation data

preservation– technical and managerial approach – data logistics, data access, security and archive operations,

maintenance and evolution – including, data reprocessing and the data integrity– capitalise on policies already in force for preserving digital data

archives (at ESA, national space agencies, EUMETSAT)– consider European Union initiatives like the CASPAR project – first draft proposal commented in GSCB and ESA DOSTAG– ESA long-term data preservation strategy, inspired in this draft

proposal, to be presented to DOSTAG in 2007

• Sharing of telecommunications networking infrastructure, both ground and satellite network – cost-efficiency for the ground segment operators – cost-benefit of procuring higher capacity network infrastructure,

aggregating the need from different EO operators, versus independent procurements

– sharing concept and operational scenario to set-up the agreements among the different EO operators and the networking service provider

– First case: data repatriation of EO data acquired in the Antarctica X-band acquisition stations to Europe.

– Demonstration between ESA, KSAT (Troll Station) and DLR (O’Higgings Station) at end 2007

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Achievement: PDGS reference architecture• identify the PDGS building blocks and its interfaces

– reusing the experienced of the different ground segment owners and of industrial entities

• identify, eventually define, publish and recommend the adoption of the reference architecture for EO ground segments

• for a simple, user friendly, cost-efficient and inter-operable infrastructure to:– Ease the implementation and integration of new missions and EO

data– Ease competitiveness in ground segment compatible elements

development by industry– Serve the European EO data user community in an harmonised way. – Provide a unified European technical standards and interfaces and

approach towards GEOSS.

• Workshop Information Sessions on:– Ground Segment architecture and operations concept– Security requirements implementation– Data and interface representation tools

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Next Steps in the Work Plan • EO Interoperability standards

– First implementation for 2009 in the GMES Space Component

– Definition of the harmonised EO data product formats and their quality certification

– Implementation extensions and promotion into GEO

• Ground Segment standard architecture(building blocks and interfaces)– Consolidate high level architecture– Step-wise approach to interface standarisation:

Select the main interfaces through this workshop

• Common Strategy for long-term data preservation– ESA proposal to DOSTAG– Publish the Common Strategy paper

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Conclusions• The Ground Segment Coordination Body was created to:

– Exchange information amongst mission developers in Europe and Canada

– Harmonise the development of ground segment activities and optimize use of infrastructure

– Ensure easy access to the maximum data available for a wide variety of users

• GSCB has to cope with the challenges of different national and programmatic policies – Dealing with public and private systems – Bringing together systems already in operations with those still in

the planning phase

• GSCB is not a standardization body, but is giving a significant push toward to the definition of ground segment standards

• GSCB is planning periodic information meetings where the key players in the ground segment industry and government are invited

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Thank you