Copernicus, the Earth Observation Programme of the European Union, celebrates its anniversary. First created in 1998, the program has now been providing information services for 25 years, based on satellite Earth observation data and in-situ (non-space) data, for the benefit of all European citizens.

The Copernicus program is coordinated and managed by the European Commission, and executed as a collaboration among the EU’s Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), various EU agencies, and the company Mercator Océan. Copernicus was created through signing of the Baveno Manifesto, which proposed development of a European environmental monitoring program, initially under the name Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES).

GMV plays an important role in the Copernicus program, through its active participation in a number of projects in the space and services components. Ever since the program began, the company has been involved in all of its phases, across the entire value chain. The Copernicus satellites have been able to generate data in an unprecedented way, in terms of both quantity and quality, and in addition to participating in generation of that data, GMV is making use of it in projects focused on areas such as land monitoring, maritime security, air quality monitoring, climate change, precision agriculture, and security and emergency services, among others.

All components of the Copernicus program are subject to a continual improvement process, including its space segment, ground segment, and services. In addition to ensuring continuity and improvement for the current Sentinel missions, the EU has initiated a service expansion process based on six new Sentinel missions. These will make it possible to measure anthropogenic CO2 emissions, track sea level rise, and monitor the various processes taking place in the Arctic.

It is estimated that by 2025, the Earth observation market will be worth almost $4.43 billion, because of the increasing interest being shown by governments and companies worldwide, availability of more user-friendly satellite data, and increasing demand among end users for satellite-based solutions. In turn, this will bring with it a growing demand for talent in this market, where GMV continues to be an active player.

In addition to the Copernicus program, even since it was first founded GMV has been working in the field of Earth observation (EO) and its applications, and over the years the company has solidified its track record as a leading company in this area. GMV’s client portfolio and service provision areas have continued to expand over time, with a wide range of services and applications now being covered.