ESA approves release of next stage funding for GMES
At a meeting held at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, on 21 and 22 September, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth observation programme board approved the release of 80 million euro to fund the next stage in the European global monitoring for environment and security (GMES) initiative. The decision signals the beginning of work on the space component of GMES, with 30 million euro earmarked for preparatory activities, including architectural studies, ground segment design, and initial studies for the five so called 'Earth watch sentinel' satellites that form the backbone of the system. The rest of the funding will cover a socio-economic assessment of the benefits of GMES, as well as a follow up to the work already done to define and demonstrate the services that GMES will provide. Furthermore, the release of funds paves the way for a decision at the next ESA Council meeting to approve the full implementation of the project. José Achache, director of Earth Observation at ESA, said: 'Natural disasters, such as the hurricanes in the Caribbean this year and the floods which devastated Eastern Europe in 2002, are becoming increasingly frequent and violent. In order to understand their connection with man-induced global changes and mitigate their impact, there is an increasing need for better global monitoring and forecasting capabilities. That is what GMES will provide.' Steven Wilson, chair of the ESA programme board and director of Earth Observation at the British National Space Centre, added: 'ESA Member States have now agreed on the provision of key information services for critical aspects of our environment, and the underpinning technologies to guarantee comprehensive monitoring of our environment from space.'