Global Monitoring for

Environment and

Security (GMES)

Satellite Earth Observation

for the Emergency Services

Dr Nick Veck

Presentation to the G-STEP

Launch

Univ. of Leicester

19th June 2009

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Contents of Presentation

Introduction

Reminder - what is GMES?

What’s it got to do with the Regions?

GMES Emergency Core Services

What is provided?

Applications in the UK

Applications in the Rest of the World

Summary

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What is GMES?GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is aEuropean initiative for the implementation of information services dealing with environment and security.

GMES uses images from Earth observation satellites as well as ground-based information. These data will be coordinated, analysed and prepared to provide services for end-users.

What is GMES?

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What services will be provided?

The services provided by GMES can be classified into three major categories:

Mapping, including topography or road maps but also land-use and harvest, forestry monitoring, mineral and water resources. This service generally requires exhaustive coverage of the Earth surface, archiving and periodic updating of data.

Support for emergency management in case of natural hazards and particularly for civil protection. This service concentrates on the provision of the latest possible data before intervening.

Forecasting is applied for marine zones, air quality or crop yields. This service systematically provides data on extended areas, permitting prediction and modelling .

The widespread and regular availability of technical data within GMES should allow a more efficient use of the infrastructures and human resources. It will help the creation of new models for security and risk management, as well as better management of land and resources.

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What Emergency support services will be provided?

Support to Emergencies and Humanitarian Aid

services target three main application domains:

Civil Protection: National Civil Protection Services of

Europe, DG ENV (European CP Unit), and more globally

all risk management actors in Europe at different

territorial scales

Humanitarian Aid: United Nations, DG RELEX, DG

ECHO, NGOs

Security crises: European Council, Member States

It addresses all types of disasters:

natural disasters (floods, fires, landslides, storms,

earthquakes, etc.);

technological accidents;

humanitarian crises (for instance after a severe drought

period); and

civilian-military crises.

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Update on project start-up and service portfolio:

The GMES Emergency Core Service - SAFER

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The Intervention Cycle & Sustainable Development

EOSatellite- based geographic information is relevant for the entirehumanitarian intervention cycle:

Mitigation

Response

Recovery

Preparedness

It is relevant for both slow-onset and rapid-onset emergencies.

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SAFER - Basic information (1/2)

Full Title: “Services and Applications For Emergency Response” (SAFER)

Type of project: EC FP7 Integrated Project (shared cost)

Total budget and grant: €40m total budget (EC grant = €27m)

Time period: 2009-2011

Number of partners: 60 (incl. Infoterra and Map Action in the UK)

Overall objective: To Implement and extend the GMES Emergency

Response Core Service (ERCS)

Priorities:

To improve crisis response though preparatory reference mapping and

improving rapid mapping capacity (full scale service from 2008);

To extend ERCS into pre-and post-disaster phases – validate new Risk

and Thematic products (pilot service from 2008 & qualification of some

services into v2 of the core service by 2011).

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Types of situation:

Meteorological Hazards

Geophysical Hazards

Man-Made Disasters

Humanitarian Disasters

Geographical scope of services:

Europe

RoW (priority for Africa, SE Asia, Central Asia)

Users:

Decision makers (European DGs, national &

regional authorities), implementing partners, field

operators

Civil Protection (MIC, national and regional levels)

Humanitarian Aid (UN agencies, national teams,

Red Cross, NGOs…)

SAFER - Basic information (2/2)

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SAFER Portfolio: Two main types of products for full-scale delivery

For headquarters,

decision-makers

and in-field

operatives

Reference maps:

- Delivery within 6hr

- Offline production

- Mainly outside

Europe

Assessment maps

- Delivery within 24hr

- Online production

- Europe and RoW)

Full scale

services in

ERCS v0

from 2009

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Product volumes - Reference and Assessment Mapping

Reference Mapping

Total of 834 mapping units over 3 years

Approx. 90% Outside Europe

> 3000 maps

Approx 6.9 Million km2

EEA to coordinate/procure European Reference maps for ERCS

purposes?

Rapid Mapping

Number of event activations per year to gradually increase: 30-45-60

Total of 540 mapping units over 3 years

50% Europe, 50% RoW

Around 2000 map sheets

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How does it work? July 2007 - Satellite image of Tewkesbury

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Flood Map derived from TerraSAR-X

Flood Map derived from TerraSAR-X

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Flood Map derived from TerraSAR-X, overlain on Air photography

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Tewkesbury Flood Overview

Flood extents

mapped on 25th

July and

superimposed

on national

mapping

OS Licence No: 200016034

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Abbey

Rugby

Club

Tewkesbury – Abbey and Rugby Club validation against in situ air photography

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Tewkesbury – Mythe Water Treatment Works

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Approximate flood water depth map

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Roads affected by Flooding

Example

highlighting

roads

impacted by

flood waters

OS Licence No: 200016034

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Key Sites and Flood Extents

Example

highlighting

buildings impacted

by flood waters

OS Licence No: 200016034

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Addresses of Buildings Flooded

Extraction of

addresses of

impacted

buildings

OS Licence No: 200016034

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Rural Land Registry Field Parcels Flooded

Example

highlighting

fields

impacted by

flood waters

OS Licence No: 200016034

RLR Rural Payments Agency

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Data in Google Earth

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Mozambique Flooding – The River Zambesi (Feb - Mar 2007):

1:200k Reference Mapping, used for route planning in Darfur

Mapping of Al Fashir: Guba Clinic (1:2k) and Abu Shoc IDP camp (1:5k)

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In Summary

GMES will provide rapid response and preparatory

mapping for major emergencies and crises in Europe and

the Rest of the World.

In the UK, flooding is likely to be the primary application of

the satellite maps.

Flood maps, land cover and other geographic information

will be available to support operations anywhere in the

country.

Satellite imagery, land cover and flood layers can be part

of a national spatial data infrastructure.

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Thank You!

Dr Nick Veck

Chair, UK GMES Emergency Response

Network Group

Infoterra Ltd, Farnborough, UK

nick.veck@infoterra-global.com

Global Monitoring for Environment

and Security (GMES)

Emergency Mapping Services