Tools to support the uptake and accessibility/exploitability of environmental observation information at European and global level

Deadline: Oct 6, 2021  
CALL EXPIRED

A successful proposal will enhance access and usability of environmental observation^[1] information and promote pre-operational European services through global infrastructures in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the European strategy for data and the European digital strategy, thus deploying and adding value to environmental observations and contributing to a strengthened Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

Proposals are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Conversion of existing environmental platforms into fully interoperable digital ecosystems, taking advantage of the progresses made in artificial intelligence, machine learning and high performance computing;
• Enhance the FAIRness (findability, accessibility, interoperability and re-usability) of environmental observation data, for example, through annotations turning them into relevant, open and accessible knowledge and provide support to decision makers involved in implementing the objectives of the European Green Deal ^[2], the new EU climate adaptation strategy^[3] and European strategy of data^[4];
• Improve the environmental observation knowledge at regional and local level across all European regions, leveraging existing platforms to foster the usability and practicability of digital services in support to the Horizon Europe missions and partnerships;
• Better access for European stakeholders to global environmental observation data, actionable information and knowledge, especially to the data derived from European programmes such as Copernicus^[5], Galileo^[6]/EGNOS^[7] and INSPIRE^[8] to establish a common European Green Deal data space, fully interlinked with the common European data space for research and innovation and the European Open Science Cloud;
• Contribution to the Destination Earth initiative^[9].

The project is expected to enhance access and usability to environmental observation information and promote pre-operational European services through global infrastructures, notably through the GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) infrastructure. Proposals should turn existing platforms into consolidated digital systems which provide analytical tools, including machine learning for large-scale analysis, improve the value of environmental observations (including in-situ data) to enrich the knowledge base needed to facilitate the reduction of anthropogenic impacts and to assure on optimal management of the transition to a climate neutral economy and a more resilient society.

Proposals should build on the relevant existing infrastructures^[10] and facilitate access and exploitation of EO derived data. The tools and services developed under the proposal(s) should be made available for future integration in the common topical European open infrastructure, Destination Earth. Proposals should deliver a plan for the sustained uptake of services by the European commercial sector and leverage the tools developed for the benefit of users from a variety of different sectors (e.g. public, private, civil society, citizen science). Proposals should contribute to support the EC-ESA initiative on Earth system science^[11].

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

EOSC and FAIR data

[1]The capacity to observe the environment, including space-based, in-situ-based (air, sea, land) observation, and citizen observations

[2]https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

[3]https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/commission-launches-online-public-consultation-new-eu-strategy-adaptation-climate-change_en

[4]https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-data-strategy_en

[5]https://www.copernicus.eu/en

[6]https://www.gsc-europa.eu/

[7]https://egnos-user-support.essp-sas.eu/new_egnos_ops/

[8]https://inspire.ec.europa.eu/

[9]https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/destination-earth-destine

[10]Such as the Copernicus DIAS, the European Open Science Cloud, EMODNet, the European research infrastructures, the Euro Data Cube, the GEOSS Infrastructure, INSPIRE and GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility).

[11]https://eo4society.esa.int/communities/scientists/ec-esa-joint-initiative-on-earth-system-science/