European Earth Observation Ground Segment Coordination

Paper number

IAC-06-B1.1.03

Author

Mrs. Eugenia Forcada, European Space Agency (ESA), Italy

Coauthor

Mrs. Sylvie Berland, Canadian Space Agency, Canada

Coauthor

Mr. Yves Lavergne, Eumetsat, Germany

Coauthor

Mr. Giovanni Rum, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Gunter Schreier, DLR DFD, Germany

Coauthor

Mr. Maurice Winterholer, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France

Year

2006

Abstract

The Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) programme is based on a fleet of European earth observation satellites, built and operated by ESA, national ESA member states and even commercial entities therein. It would also enable access to data from non-European satellites. In order to provide operational and sustainable user services and to avoid unnecessary duplication in technologies, the challenge is to harmonize the various approaches to the payload data ground segment engineering and in interfacing the user community. In order to start this harmonisation for the important European EO missions, a Ground Segment Coordination Body (GSCB) was created with the objective to enable the adoption of a common, coordinated and cost-effective approach responding to the needs of the Earth Observation user community at large on Earth Observation ground segment issues at European level.  

Apart from the European Space Agency (ESA), the initial members of the GSCB include the: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Centre National d'Etudes spatiales (CNES), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) and Eumetsat, working towards the technical harmonisation of ESA and EUMETSAT EO mission ground segments, as well as those for Cosmo-Skymed, SPOT and Pleiades, Radarsat and TerraSAR-X.

The workplan of GSCB includes: the interoperability for harmonised EO data provision from the different missions, including among others product catalog and archived and near-real-time data access, implemented in the “Heterogenous Mission Access” project; the optimal use of acquisition stations and communication networks, and various other aspects of ground segment operations.

The paper will present the achievements of the GSCB in the process to define and create a harmonized ground segment for the European Earth Observation Missions. In doing so, a brief update of the GMES related flying and planned missions is given and an overview of interoperability aspects is displayed. Following general global information technology standards, the achieved solutions shall also act to interface to global coordination schemes such as the Group on Earth Observation (GEO).

Abstract document

IAC-06-B1.1.03.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-B1.1.03.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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