June 24th, 2019
EuroGEOSS launches a pioneering new project, e-shape

To strengthen Europe’s contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),  EuroGEOSS  has launched e-shape. With a user-centric approach to Earth observation (EO) data sharing, the system aims to improve forecasting capabilities for sound decision-making.

e-shape represents the largest coordinated effort to showcase operational services in the field of Earth observation research in Europe. Coordinated by ARMINES and funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme, this regional GEO initiative aims to improve user uptake of Earth Observation data in the European region.

It allows Europe to position itself as global force in Earth observation through leveraging Copernicus, making use of existing European capacities and improving user uptake of the data from GEO assets.

Moving away from a data-centric approach to a user-driven era

TimeScan data in Nantes derived from Sentinel 2 (20 m resolution), provides temporal statistics about Normal Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normal Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and Normal Difference Water Index (NDWI) meant to derive information about urban energy modeling.

TimeScan data in Nantes derived from Sentinel 2 (20 m resolution), provides temporal statistics about Normal Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normal Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and Normal Difference Water Index (NDWI) meant to derive information about urban energy modeling.

EuroGEOSS, as Europe’s contribution to GEOSS, aims at bringing together Earth Observation resources in Europe. e-shape is a unique initiative that brings together decades of public investment in Earth Observation and in cloud capabilities into services for the decision-makers, the citizens, the industry and the researchers.

In this line of focusing on user’s needs, the European Commission has launched e-shape.

e-shape currently includes 27 cloud-based pilot applications under 7 thematic areas to address societal challenges, foster entrepreneurship and support sustainable development, in alignment to the three main priorities of GEO, namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework.

e-shape is a powerful tool in our arsenal and is here to:

• Coordinate EO actions and leverage on existing European heritage benefiting from open science, innovation and linking to GEO flagships and initiatives;
• Deliver concrete EO-derived benefits with and for users, through a rigorous co-design;
• Implement a coordinated and comprehensive portfolio of activities while at the same time emphasizing on user uptake, operational services, business support and aggressive outreach strategy;
• Onboard new pilots being currently developed outside the project, in an inclusive manner, providing them access to the strategic knowledge and communication channels of e-shape.

Why e-shape matters?

One tool can assist in monitoring field based on vegetation indices including meteo, temperature or rainfall. It aims to supporting farmers in variable rate planting to work and grow more efficiently and to store information from and for farmers and industry.

One tool can assist in monitoring field based on vegetation indices including meteo, temperature or rainfall. It aims to supporting farmers in variable rate planting to work and grow more efficiently and to store information from and for farmers and industry.

e-shape boasts a rich portfolio of innovative key pilots participating in the project. Two examples are indicative of the impacts of a coordinated approach to EO data sharing.

The “agro-industry support” pilot, which combines high-resolution EO data provided by Copernicus, with farmers and machine-derived in situ data and meteo data, in support of farmers and agro-industry in a web based application. This pilot tackles the important question on how to increase the agricultural productivity in a sustainable way taking into account the challenges we are facing due to climate change.

In addition, the “high photovoltaic (PV) penetration in urban areas” pilot aims to improve solar energy exploitation through a geographic information system m (GIS) tools. It combines high spatial resolution EO data, at the urban scale, with solar radiation information to integrate, among others, urban PV rooftop systems for electricity injection on the local grids and self-consumption. It makes also use of EO based information about urban energy system modeling, electric energy demand profiles.

Example of metric solar mapping in Nantes, including local shadow mask and local roof orientations, averaging at the yearly basis, time series of Plane-of-Array irradiance used for accurate photovoltaic simulation at urban scale.

Example of metric solar mapping in Nantes, including local shadow mask and local roof orientations, averaging at the yearly basis, time series of Plane-of-Array irradiance used for accurate photovoltaic simulation at urban scale.

Discover all our pilots on food security, health, renewable energy, biodiversity, water resources, disaster resilience and climate from the launch press release.

Contacts:

• Thierry Ranchin – ARMINES, Project Coordinator
• Erwin Goor – EASME sector B2.2 Climate Action, Project Officer European Commission
• Jean Dusart – DG RTD unit C.3 Climate & Planetary Boundaries, Policy Officer European Commission
• Eleni Christia – e-shape Communication Manager ([email protected])