1 ESA Report on ESA EO activities CEOS CONAE, WGISS Mar. 2005 I. Petiteville.

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ESA Report on ESA EO activitiesESA Report on ESA EO activities CEOS CEOS CONAE, CONAE,

WGISSWGISS Mar. 2005Mar. 2005

I. PetitevilleI. Petiteville

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Agenda

• Oxygen

• Ground Segment Task Force

• Earth & Space week (Brussels)

• TIGER

• EDUSPACE

• EO Missions

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Oxygen:Open and Operational

Ground Segment

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The need from the user view point

Today • >83% of the EO data users, access data from more than 1 instrument/satellite• close to 90% require other auxiliary data (e.g. met. or ground truth data) to process/correct the satellite data• 80% of the users ‘continue’ I.e. have established interfaces, tools procedures

Today a lot of • missions, instruments, data, tools, information • off-the shelf technology exists

However• no coherent access technically• no common international policy for data access and use• Everybody only knows parts ; Users know even smaller parts

Services providers spend up to 40% of their time getting access to data rather than providing the services

Dem

an

dR

eso

urc

es

Acc

ess

Serv

ice

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Phase 1 (1980-1990)ESA to develop Europ. Technology for EO Data accessEarthnet Programme

Phase 2 (1990-2002)Large nationally funded infrastructure developmentsESA to enable & support such national developments in the context of its and other individual missions

Phase 3 (2003-2010)• Develop global EO based service (independent of the space mission)• Convert and tune infrastructure overcapacity to service needs• Reach sustainability of services, benefits & budgets (existing operations to become more efficient)• Benefit from now available off-the shelf technology (less development)• Networking technologically and programmatically incl SMEs, • contingency agreements among operators• International EO standards• Internationally agreed EO policy

PDS technological evolution

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Oxygen: Why and how

1. User need for coherent access

2. Financial evolution requires to increase cost efficiency• Smaller programmes reduced budgets• Attract transition from research to other funding

3. Technological evolution leading to new ground segment partners and layout

• Co-ordination between partners• Standardization• Reuse of already available infrastructure

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Oxygen Objectives (1/2)

Oxygen is a concept aimed at

• Facilitating access to EO data from ESA and other missions

• Increasing sustainability of EO data provision widening the range of offered data sources

• Making the operations of EO missions more efficient

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Oxygen Objectives (2/2)Oxygen has started officially almost 2 years ago and is

ongoing to enlarge the benefits of EO .

It has been preceded by a series of precursor activities aiming at ease the users’ life:– harmonization of the user client interfaces

(EOLI based) in a Multi-mission environment– Introduction of standard state of the art technology

e.g. Web Mapping or access to MUIS catalogue using XML/SOAP

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http

://e

arth

.esa

.int/

serv

ices

/cat

alog

ues

EOLI – ESA’s Multimission EO Catalogue

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PrinciplesPrinciples

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Interoperability - harmonized data access

SER

VIC

ES

IN

FR

AS

TR

UC

TU

RE

Help Desk

Web Portal

Catalogue

Data Ordering User

Serv

ices

Mission Planning

Quality Control

CO-ORDINATION CENTRECO-ORDINATION CENTRE

Network Network

Acquisition

Mon

itori

ng

&

Con

trol

FACILITYFACILITY

Archive

Production

Dissemination

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Mission independent and modular

• PDS harmonization– Detailed definition of open architecture– identification of generic-common elements, specific mission elements and define standard

interfaces

• Evolution of existing system rather than new developments– Evolution of the common elements to integrate new missions

Archives

Monitoring &Control

Data Management User Services I/F

Products Packaging

Networks

Mission A B

C

D

Specific to missions elements (Processors,Acquisition,Q/C,etc.)

Examples of multimission common elements

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Implementation PlanImplementation Plan

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1st Phase (2003 – 2005)• Analysis of existing infrastructure

• EO Web Portal for awareness of missions, user services, products, information and service providers

• Service Support Environment: for easing provision of Services by Service Providers

• Online Data Access: provision of online products and improve online exchange of data

• Archive rationalization: Ensure data Archives integrity and access for ESA and national missions support

• Harmonization of ground segments for current and future ESA missions

– Archive and NRT Facilities Architecture

– User Services and Order Handling

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1st Phase (2003 – 2005)

• Policy and Programmatic:– Enlargement of data sources through 3rd parties cooperation – Data policy evolution: adjust ERS and Envisat data policy to internal

cooperation requirements

• Integrating upcoming EO National projects in Europe– Feasibility assessment at political, technical and programmatic level

(Terrasar-X, Radarsat-2, Cosmo, Pleiades)– Pilot activities for interoperability between catalogues, order and online

distribution systems (standards in SOAP/XML)

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2nd Phase (2005-2006)

• Prepare the ‘EO Data Access Component’: – Define the interoperability Standards for the harmonized access to heterogeneous missions– Co-ordination with the major satellite owners / industry– integrate the national missions and other non-European missions to respond to user needs

for access to ‘maximum number’ of mission data

• Mission Planning Cooperation Tool (Charter)

• Harmonization of ESA Ground Segment– Processing support environment– Product Verification and Labelling system– Mission Planning

• Online access to archived data

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Ground Segment Task Force Recommendations

Extracted from Final Report

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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

EU

ME

TS

AT

In-situNon-spacesystems

Access

Service Infrastructure and Support

Vision on global GS context

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Ground Segment Requirements

Data handling– To task, acquire, archive, process up to the appropriate level, distribute and catalogue data of all past,

present and future ESA missions on a long-term basis, and of third party missions according to the approved procedure. This requirement includes the provision of historical data in current formats through current distribution channels.

– This may include higher-level processing and data assimilation where appropriate, as agreed on a case-by-case basis.'

Data access– Provide easy and coherent access to all Earth Observation data from ESA and third party missions, and

facilitate access to space borne Earth Observation data for European users.

Product generation and delivery– Deliver standardized, calibrated and validated products.

User and service support– Support equally any type of users: scientific, commercial and public services including security and

defence, and provide a technical service support environment.

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Ground Segment Requirements

Interface to national and international missions– Be open to interface with national and international missions information – easy-to-access, coherent and open gateway to EO data

Reusability– The elements and facilities of the ESA EO ground segment should be open and compatible for use by

any ESA and other European missions.

Efficiency– The Earth Observation ground segment must be operated and maintained in an efficient way, with

respect to technical performance and costs.

Reliability– Be highly reliable and sufficiently redundant, to avoid data loss and interruption of services.

Evolution– Be open to evolve due to new user requirements and technological developments, allowing the easy

replacement of technically obsolete or inefficient elements

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Implementation Principles

• Mission independence

• Modularity

• Competition

• Coordination and cooperation.

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GSTF Recommendations

• Define and promote building-block approach with well-defined and published external and internal interfaces for all components 

• Put in place a Coordination Body capable to ensure:– technical and programmatic coordination– standardisation

of all European activities concerning Earth Observation ground segment development and operation, taking account of standards where they exist.

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GSTF Recommendations: ESA

• Define new mission independent and modular ground segment architecture for all new missions

– Apply it in the early design phases– Revise ground segment budget arrangements – Immediately start to move to the new mission-independent scenario, reviewing:

• Oxygen initiative (Oxygen Phase 2)• Earth Explorer ground segments and operations• ENVISAT & ERS and 3rd party missions operations

• Apply new competitive approach for:– multi-mission operations support. – building-block development and evolution through framework contracts

• Ensure consistency across the Earth Observation ground segment activities of ESA and EC

• Modify 3rd party mission selection 

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Earth & Space Week

Brussels

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Events

• A number of events took place during Earth & Space Week. Most important ones are:– Third EO Summit– GEO-6– International Conference on Cooperation in Space– Earth & Space Exhibition– Industry Summit

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Major achievements of EO Summit

• Adoption of 10 Year Implementation Plan for GEOSS

• Ministerial Resolutions on 10 Year Plan and Tsunami

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Next steps / GEO

• GEO now formally established (was ad-hoc GEO before);• GEO-I meeting 2-4 May 2005 in Geneva• Executive Committee established, details TBC at GEO-I• GEO Secretariat formally established, hosted by WMO Geneva,

approx. 10 staff after 2006;• S&T Workgroup and User Interface WG established; details

agreed at GEO-I• Workplan 2006 preparation with ad-hoc team (3-4 experts),

seconded by governments and organisations; starts work 1 April; Workplan 2006;

• Call for financial and in-kind support issued by GEO

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TIGER

CEOS Plenary – I nternational Workshop on Earth Observation Technology and Application

16-17 Nov Nov 2004, Beijing-China

TIGER – A CEOS Initiative to Use Space Technology for Water Resources

Management

J osef Aschbacher, ESA HQ Paris

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EDUSPACE

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EDUSPACE www.eduspace.esa.int

• "Eduspace, the ESA Multilingual Website on EO for Secondary Schools operational in six languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Danish).

• Powerful education tool and excellent communication mechanism to provide EO information and related internet links. Provides professors and students with:– EO material, discussion forum, helpdesk function, huge image databank

of satellite images, interactivity with weather satellites image loops, library of study cases, generated also by professors, and a dedicated powerful image processing software, called LEOWorks (Learning with EO).

• Some 1500 schools have already registered from all over the world. Stand-alone versions on CD are distributed to schools with connectivity problems."

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EO Missions Status

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EO Missions handled by EOP

1977

Op

era

ted b

y E

um

ets

at

Sci

en

ce

Ap

plic

ati

on

sS

erv

ices

Mete

o

Envisat

Metop-1, 2, 3

Meteosat Second Generation

MSG-1, 2, 3Transition

M-7

Earth

Explorers

Earth Watch

ERS 1, 2

Cryosat,SMOSGOCE,ADM

Swarm

Earthnet: European access to non-ESA missions (Landsat, SeaWifs, NOAA, JERS, MODIS, Alos, Proba, Bird, Scisat...) E

uro

p.

Use

rs

Operational M-4, 5, 6

GMES SE

20081991

TerraSARFuego GMES

Sentinels

MeteosatM-1, 2, 3

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First Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission

ESA Mission dedicated to measure changes in the thickness of Polar ice sheets and floating sea-ice

CRYOSAT

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First Earth Explorer Core Mission

First ESA Mission dedicated to the exploration of the Earth Gravity Field

Determination of the geoid with an accuracy of 1-2 cm at a resolution better than 100 km

Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer: GOCE

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Atmospheric Dynamic Mission : AEOLUS

Second Earth Explorer Core Mission

Mission to measure global wind profiles

2m/s to 1 m/s (boundary layer) accuracy, 0.5 to 2 km vertical resolution

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Second Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission

First ESA Mission dedicated to the global measurement of soil moisture and ocean salinity

Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity - SMOS