Final Report Summary - G-NEXT (GMES pre-operational security services for supporting external actions)
Executive Summary:
G-NEXT was a Collaborative Project funded by European Union (EU) in the frame of the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Technological Innovation (FP7), topic SPA.2012.1.1-03 Copernicus Security – Support to EU External Actions (SEA).
The project started on 1st of January 2013 with duration of 30 months. The total budget was of 5.981.822,61 €, being the maximum EU contribution of 4.000.000 €.
The consortium was made up of 15 members from 9 different countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Spain), including institutional stakeholders and Space Agencies, industrial service providers, leading European academic institutions and specialized small & medium size enterprises.
The G-NEXT Project aimed at supporting the transition of the Copernicus services for Security applications from research and development (pre-operational) service provision to a fully operational mode. G-NEXT is designed to provide information and geo-spatial products in support of emergency and crisis situations in support to EU External Action in a CFSP / CSDP context, ranging from pre-crisis or prevention (contingency plans, reference mapping), to the post-event phase (damage assessment, crisis area mapping, critical assets).
In the context of G-NEXT the geospatial products are generated in either Crisis or Preparedness mode. They are delivered to the user community which includes the main actors and stakeholders involved in the context of EU missions and operations in support to EU External Actions: European External Action Service (EEAS), national institutions, law enforcement entities, and international institutions such as UN bodies, etc.
The G-NEXT project aimed at: (a) Demonstrating the effective contribution of an integrated geo-spatial service concept to respond to the needs in SEA user-driven scenarios providing the User Community with an evolving set of security service/products. (b) Involving the main User organization in the GMES/Copernicus Security domain in the use of the provided services. (c) Assuring the continuity of the work done in previous GMES projects specifically on security and emergency domains. (d) Implementing synergies with the other GMES/Copernicus projects and initiatives (e.g. EU, ESA, EDA contexts) running in parallel with the project lifecycle. (e) Performing a comprehensive benefits analysis taking into account the main drivers for the set-up of an operational framework. (f) Addressing the potential service evolution in 2015 onwards perspective.
The project achieved the goals and milestones according to the Description of Work, by :
• Providing operational Users, amongst which are included the EEAS, European Agencies and Services, national institutions such as Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs and international institutions, with very high standard and tailored geospatial products and services
• Stimulating continuous dialogue among of the main actors and stakeholders in the context of EU Missions and Operations in support to External Actions.
• Demonstrating the effectiveness, reliability and sustainability of the proposed Service Model;
The successful G-NEXT Project finalization has been gained thanks to:
- strong involvement and commitment of the Institutional stakeholders SatCen, EC; EEAS, and of leading European industries, research organizations and SMEs.
- continuous monitoring of activities and assessment of the results in order to implement necessary changes in the service, including procedures and production chains.
The Copernicus services in Support to EU External Actions is therefore ready for operational deployment, and the final recommendation of the GNEXT Project is to built the operations on the GNEXT service model.
Further R&D activities and industrial co-investments for the for the development of new capacities for the Copernicus Security services through the EC Horizon2020 Programme remain of utmost relevance for driving technological enhancements that will cover the technical areas of improvement identified within G-NEXT:
- automated identification of objects of interest and automated information extraction procedure
- efficient data fusion of satellite imagery with other data sources
- provision of support tools to streamline the requests, delivery and exploitation of data
Project Context and Objectives:
The objective of the G-NEXT project was the provision of Security related Services in Support to EU External Actions in a pre-operational environment.
According to the potential application areas identified under SEA-WG (GMES/Copernicus Security working group in Support to External Actions), and the experience gained by the G-NEXT consortium in Security and Emergency precursor projects (LIMES, G-MOSAIC, SAFER, BRIDGES), the project proposed and exploited a Portfolio of Products demonstrating the reliable provision of support to the EU External Action service and suitable to be integrated in the user working environment in an effective and reliable way.
The main objectives achieved by the project were the following:
1. Demonstrate the effective contribution of an integrated geo-spatial service concept to respond to the needs of EEAS user-driven application domains by providing the User Community with an evolving set of Security service/products covering the entire crisis management cycle.
2. Involve the main User organisations in the Copernicus Security domain in the use of the provided services and in their evolution, through the collection of user feedback measuring the adequacy of the project service/products in the perspective of a future operational environment.
4. Implement synergies with the other Copernicus projects and initiatives (e.g. EU, ESA, EDA contexts) running in parallel with the project lifecycle, setting up specific collaboration initiatives to ensure synergies without unnecessary duplication in the fields of data policy, governance, above all Copernicus GIO EMS and the G-SEXTANT Projects, coordinated communication and user engagement initiatives.
5. Perform a comprehensive benefit analysis taking into account the main drivers for an operational framework.
6. Cover the gaps identified in the previous R&D phase, in the perspective of a forthcoming operational phase, by:
• Providing Users with tailored geospatial information products(in terms of map contents, symbologies, standards) for both the delivery production modes, based on enhanced production procedures.
• Proposing services assessment procedures for guaranteeing the quality products and the fulfillment of the Users’ expectations
• Demonstrating an operational Service Model for the access, production and distribution
• Proposing a Cost/benefit analysis based on production figures
In order to fulfill the above mentioned objectives, the project was organized as follow:
a specific work package was designed to keep a constant dialogue and coordinate the Users , and perform training activities (WP140 User coordination).
A dedicated work package was set up to define the service model, the communication procedures, the system for the distribution of products and the access to the service via a unique Focal Point. This dedicated WP was also in charge of implemented these aspects of the service model during the production. (WP 200Service Coordination).
As a key point of the overall strategy, a specific task was designed to validate the products (WP300 Service Validation) and is strictly complementing both the provision of services and products in crisis and preparedness mode (WP 400 Service Production), and the revision and update of the products specifications as well as the identifications and implementations of new developments and improvements (WP500 Service design and evolution).
A cross task addressed policy context and drivers to coherently develop and provide services applicable to crisis management, to explore the synergies with other related projects, to manage and maintain portfolio and to complete it with a punctual cost/benefit analysis (WP 600 Synergies and SEA context analysis).
Project Results:
User coordination
The User Coordination activities have been aimed at coordinating the community of Users, establishing and maintaining a constructive dialogue to ease the interaction with the project . The User Coordination was also aimed at building awareness of the benefits of the Copernicus SEA service for Security applications.
In order to achieve this objective, the strategy for the User Involvement has been defined by identifying the following means:
1. Strategic Events: Events used to strengthen the links between G-NEXT and User community, in order to maintain a close cooperation with the users.
2. Copernicus Support to EU External Action workshop, which took place in Brussels on the 5th of March 2015. Final User Workshop with more than 70 participants including EEAS, EC, Member States, UN and G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT partners, with the objective of summarising the main activities and achievements of the projects in order to gather the feedback from the Users.
3. Technical Events with users implemented as dedicated meetings with Authorised Users for better understanding of their needs and gathering Users requirements and feedback. Three Technical Events took place within G-NEXT.
4. Training Activities: organised by an EC user on the 19th March 2015 in Brussels. During this training, examples from G-NEXT activations were presented and the participants had the opportunity to learn more about what they can obtain from the project.
5. Dedicated remote session: since the G-NEXT Activation Portal has been put in place, each time that the SC received a request, used this opportunity to present the Activation Portal to the User, and to train them on how to fill the SRF and how to follow-up the activation through this portal up to the closure of the activation.
To guide the Users through the defined G-NEXT services procedures has been one of the key activities of the User Coordinator .This activity includes create awareness and ensure proper implementation of procedures for the Users interacting with the project. This activity has been ensured through the meetings and workshops and through the informative remote sessions.
As a part of this activity, the User Coordinator ensures that those procedures are fully understood and easily to be implemented by the Users.
The procedures on which the users have been instructed are mainly: mechanism to activate the service and how to contact the Service Coordinator; Product Design process, service distribution and User Feedback collection. The Users have been trained also on the G-NEXT activation Portal, on how to access and use it.
The collection of the User Feedback was a crucial task for the improvement of the service and the products delivered. For this reason, the SatCen has developed a User Feedback Form (UFF).
The UFF is sent to the user at the end of the activation.
However, this is not the only mechanism to collect the feedback from the user, it is also collected through: spontaneous e-mails and during the above-mentioned events.
the User Community is well-established and consists of four main categories of users:
- European External Action Service (EEAS);
- 28 Member States (MS);
- European Commission (EC) services;
- United Nations (UN).
Since the project starts to deliver products on the 15th of July up to March 2015, twenty-seven activations and one rehearsal have been performed. From these twenty-eight activations, the Service Coordinator has received twenty-one User Feedback Forms (UFF) completely filled by the Users. These twenty-one UFFs have been properly analysed and assessed. The results are used to improve the service and the products during the project lifetime
The Users who activated the Service (including EEAS, EC, MSs and UN) expressed clear satisfaction with the Service received. The Service was considered mature and the progresses with regards to the governance have been recognized as well. The Users coordination activities were harmonized in the frame of Support to EU External Action projects (BRIDGES and G-SEXTANT). This strategy produced evident benefits, as for example, the 72 participants in the last Copernicus Support to EU External Action Workshop, which has been organised as a joint event G-NEXT G-SEXTANT implementing the synergies about both projects.
All these factors contributed to the success of the G-NEXT service, the number of users requests received by the Service Coordinator, User Feedback received by different means and the attendance and participation of users to the meetings and events demonstrated the high level of user engagement and trust in the SEA service.
Service Coordination
The Service Model was implemented by the Service Coordinator through a structure of dialogue between different actors (User, Service Coordinator, Production Coordinator and Service Providers) and based on three pillars: the Service Access, the Service Production and the Service Distribution.
The Service Access mechanism allows the Users to activate the service, through the SatCen, that as Service Coordinator is the unique Focal Point , providing the Users with a 24/7 phone number , assistance to fill the Service Request Form and well defined activation procedures.
As part of the Focal Point tasks, the Service Coordinator analyses all the requests received, gathering the User needs and assessing together with other relevant actors the feasibility of each request. This assessment includes a Technical Feasibility Check and a Sensitivity Check.
The Service Coordinator is also responsible for the EO Data handling and ordering.
Once the request is accepted, the Service Coordinator translates the User Needs into a Product Design , that defines the contents of each of the products that the user has agreed to receive.
The achievements of the Product Design could be summarized as follows:
- It is appreciated by the users as a mechanism to free their requests from the constraints to being specific about production parameters, while at the same time it allows them to keep necessary control on the production, since Product Design is bind to their approval.
- It is appreciated by the Production team since it provides a clear guide of the purpose of each product and the expected information that have to be provided.
- It enhances the capacity of the service to adapt in a flexible manner to the specific needs of each activation, expanding the fit for purpose of the Product Portfolio and optimizing production.
- It becomes an essential step in the Validation process.
The Product Design defined by the Service Coordinator is the starting point for the Service Production.
The Service Production chain ensures the production tasks for the G-NEXT services. The production tasks are coordinated by the Production Coordinator and rely on a group of Service Providers, the Production Team, to produce the Final products, meant as a combination of layers of information that respond to one or more user needs for information.
Activation procedures to be used during the service provision have been established, and it included the communication and reporting procedures.
The Service Production is delivered in two modalities: Crisis and Preparedness.
The Crisis mode refers to any time-critical response of the service to the User request, where the time with respect to the complexity and level of details in the provision of products is a critical parameter.
The service Coordinator and the Production Team are available 24/7
The Preparedness Mode is normally from 1 week from the EO Data acceptance onwards. For the production team, the preparedness mode is activated in 8/5 modality.
The Service Coordinator proposed the implementation of a Token System with a double objective:
Serve as a tool to measure the accumulated effort of all productive actions that produce a tangible output. This can be used to understand the effort distribution among different activations. Accurately measuring the differences between activations can be used to predict efforts of future upcoming activations and consequently organize resources.
To be used as input for the cost modelling work package .By measuring the tangible outputs of the activations, the relative difference of efforts between activation can be accurately measured.
Once the products have been validated and are considered as ready to be delivered to the user, according to defined Distribution Policies, .the Service Coordinator as Focal Point is distributing the Final Products to the users through the G-NEXT Download Central and the Activation Portal, which represent the front end web applications of the G-NEXT Service Distribution infrastructure.
In the end, one of the main project outcome was the proven successful implementation of the above described Service Model, through 34 requests received by the Service Coordinator from July 2013 to March 2015.
The pre-operational service model can be considered well-established and in a good track for the future Copernicus in Support to EU External Action. This is supported by the feedback received by the users and the results of the activations performed.
Service Validation
The validation activities in the frame of G-NEXT included two well-defined validation modes
• On-Line Validation performed during the activation and before the product delivery.
• Off-Line Validation performed when the activation is closed (out of frame of an activation ).
The validation activities objective was to assess the degree of accordance between the user expectation over the services and the products.
The on line validation indicates if a product is ready for the delivery or provides recommendations for the improvement of the products in case is not. It has been implemented on the basis of applying easy, reproducible and reliable procedure in a short timeframe.
The validation of a products starts with the Product Design
The on-line Validation protocol has been improved during the overall project lifetime.
For each product the validation results are reported into an Evaluation Workbook, providing recommendations for improvement, that represents analysis of the errors identified in the validation products and the solution to fix them.
The offline validation is detailed and external assessment of delivered products. It is applied for selected activations and the respective products after the delivery of the products to the user and based also on the User feedback
Mainly aimed at contributing to service improvement and check conformity between product and user needs
The offline validation protocol is based on 4 validation categories (relevance of the products, transferability, readability, impact on User Workflow) and the related set of validation attributes. A grading system (see chapter 3.1.1) is applied to assess the individual attributes on product level, which are the aggregated on activation level.
During the project, the off line validation was carried out over 5 activations.
In order to guarantee the high production quality, On-Line and Off-Line Quality Check
procedures were defined and applied to the products
On-Line QC is performed during production phase, and Off-Line QC is assessed after production phase, by external experts.
On line Quality Check is performed by the Production Coordinator on the map package by Service Providers, and it is aimed at verify mainly the following items:
• Information content completeness
• Metadata consistency
• Thematic content (layers consistency and completeness)
• Topology completeness
• Map content reliability and readiness-
On line Quality Check has been implemented through the Online Quality Check Web Tool (GNOCCO).
The Online Quality Check takes place before product delivery . It is applied in order to assure that each of the G-NEXT products provided to the users meet the defined standards and requirements
The Offline Quality Check is performed after the production phase over selected and closed activations.
The criteria for selection the activations to be checked are the following:
• Ensure that the largest variety of services/products are represented
• Ensure the balance between the amount of Crisis and Preparedness activations
• Ensure the diversity of Service Providers
• Ensure the different periods of selected activations in order to cover most of the pre-operational phase
Through the Off-Line QC, an high number of recommendations useful for improving the quality of service and products have been provided.
Production
G-NEXT started delivering services in pre-operational mode as of the 15th of July 2013; until March 2015 a total amount of 33 requests for activation has been received:
• 28 activations were closed and the products have been delivered to the Users
• 3 requests were rejected as a result of the sensitivity check
• 1 activation were stopped and 2 hold on by the Users
A number of informal requests have also been received by the G-NEXT Service Coordinator, which have not been formalized in an official Service Request by the Users as exceeding the production and resources capacity of the project.
G-NEXT Production teams managed 28 activations producing about 170 maps, gathering very positive feedbacks by the User both via the official User Feedback Form and via spontaneous email. On November 2013 the Service received even an appreciation letter from the UN Department of Field Support.
The service is available 24/7 and it offers two different activation modes: crisis mode and preparedness mode.
The main difference between the two modalities is the timeline: Crisis mode activations are handled on a 24/7 basis, whereas Preparedness mode activations are managed during the working hours..
The existing pre-operational service framework involves the following keyactors : the Service Coordinator, the Production coordinator, the Service Providers (mainly industrial partners) and an Independent Validation team.
• The Service Coordinator (role carried out by EU SatCen), supervises the entire service production chain ensuring that the product meets the user’s expectations by creating the Product Design and later on performing an online validation before the product is delivered. The Service Coordinator also acts as a Focal Point for the users and is responsible for ordering the EO data and product distribution, ensuring that the service is available on a 24/7 basis.
• The Production Coordinator is in charge of coordinating the production chains in accordance with the request from the Service Coordinator. He or she also manages the Service Providers in a collaborative framework to produce the outputs and performs the online quality check for the final products. The products generated are grouped into two different categories: Crises (24/7 availability) and Preparedness mode. The role of Crises Production coordinator is carried out by e-GEOS while the role of Preparedness Production Coordinator is conducted by GMV.
• Service Providers are responsible for carrying out the production tasks. In cases where products must be generated in Crises mode, Service Providers ensure a 24/7 availability.
The Independent Validation team performs the offline validation after the activation has been closed. The aim of this process is to improve the products for future activations
G-NEXT Production is based on collaborative mapping approach.
There are two flows of communication during an activation, inwards (from the request of activation to the production) and outwards (from the production to the delivery)
Inwards flow is focus on the products design that will cover the user needs. With this design in mind the Service Coordinator will define the expected outcome of the product with the objective of meeting the required production standards.
The workflow is based on dialogue cycles. Each dialogue results in definition of needs that will be then tackled by the next dialogue cycle.
1. G-NEXT can be activated only by an Authorized Users. the Users have a unique contact point which is the Service Coordinator.
Users communicate their needs through the Service Request Form (SRF) to the Service Coordinator, who uses this information as a basis for deriving product specifications via the Product Design. Following the specifications drafted in the Product Design which is a document agreed with the User, input for the next dialogue cycle.
2. The Service Coordinator and the Production Coordinator define the Production Plan (WorkPlan) and the task assignation.
3. The Production Coordinator proposes the WorkPlan to the Service Providers that assess its feasibility.
4. The Service Provider Point of Contact and the production team to define the production steps to fulfil the requests of the Product Coordinator.
The Out-Ward Workflow is the process from the end of the production to the final delivery to the Users.
As soon as products are ready and quality checked by the Production Coordinator, the Service Coordinator performs the on line validation.to ensure if the final products are fit for purpose and , if needed, suggests to the Production Coordinator the necessary changes.
Once the product is ready for the delivery, the Service Coordinator delivers the product to the users. After the activation closure, the User sends the feedback on the Product and service.
The production covered almost all the services included in the Service Portfolio.
Portfolio of Products
One of the main project outcome has been the consolidation of the Portfolio of Products, and the foundation for the Technical Specifications for the future SEA operational service.
The consolidated version of the Portfolio of Services consists of 10 different products which aim to fulfill the main needs of the User involved in the EU External Action context.
• Road Network Status Assessment - provides users with a map containing different kinds of information on the status of the road network. In crisis mode the product consist of a map of the road network together with information related to its status, including trafficability and road blocks. In preparedness mode the product can provide additional information on the impact of periods of torrential rain on the road network, highlighting which roads are potentially prone to flooding.
• Conflict Damage Assessment - develops change detection maps by providing visual interpretation containing information on the road network and the distribution of damage in a crisis area
• Critical Infrastructure Analysis - identifies the most relevant components of an infrastructure (e.g. power plants, industrial sites) considered to be critical, and assess their operational status. The objective is to identify the elements that make the infrastructure critical in any given crisis.
• Reference Map - includes background information that serves as a basis for other more analytical products
• Support to Evacuation Plan - provides geospatial information to support the evacuation of EU citizens from crisis areas. The products developed, include information such as potential rally points, helicopter landing areas, and evacuation points and routes.
• Crisis Situation Map - is an important tool for the overall assessment of the severity of a conflict/crisis and its consequences.
• Border Map - provides users with detailed information on border areas of interest with a special focus on the features considered relevant for border monitoring activities.
• Camp Analysis - focuses on detecting changes in population settlements in politically or environmentally unstable regions. The final product shows the location, the extent and the nature of any changes in the temporary dwellings situated in the area in question.
• Camp Monitoring Analysis is essentially a Camp Analysis provided in monitoring mode. It involves monitoring the development and evolution of changes in population settlements during a crisis over a longer period of time
• Activity Report - is delivered in text format on the basis of pre- and post-event imagery and it is available for all products and provides an explanation of the possible changes detected at different points in time.
Synergies with other initiatives
This project task was aimed at providing an assessment of the potential synergies between G-NEXT and other relevant projects, allowing the consortium to exploit the complementarities, set up coordinated initiatives, exchange relevant information, participate in events, and share lessons learned and results in general.
The coordination activities between the G-NEXT project and the GIO-EMS has been
defined with the relevant point of contacts, scope of the synergies; methodology (perimeter of application of the coordination, identification of the typical application cases for the synergies, definition of the procedures); framework of the coordination; the “Routine” and “Interactive” coordination procedures have been defined and implemented through a real activation (Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, November 2013)
With regards to the coordination activities: the possibility of coordinating with G-SEXTANT at activation level has been a constant during the life-time of the project.
Main result of the synergies with G-SEXTANT has been the cooperation established for the definition of the technical specifications of the Copernicus Support to External Action (SEA) service. Such close cooperation resulted in the integration of those G-SEXTANT products considered mature into the service portfolio.
As for the synergies with LOBOS and SAGRES, the dialogue among projects has shown that there is a strong strategic, tactical and operational interests in potential synergies withing the security domain - including border control and maritime security, where the activities of the different communities tend to overlap.
It is suggested to establish inter-Agency cooperation in order to overcome the refrains in sharing sensitive data and information among different institutional actors. The experience gained by the G-NEXT consortium in relation with the coordination with the GIO-EMS Emergency service could be used as best practices.
The core of the operational cooperation procedures to exploit synergies should be placed at the Focal Point/Service Coordinator level in order to perform systematic communications among the respect activities and set up specific mechanisms to complement these ordinary information-sharing procedures.
Potential Impact:
In the context of the G-NEXT project, economic benefits and associated costs were assessed on the basis of the assumption that G-NEXT represents a proxy for future operational services in the area of support to EU External Actions, or at least, for a sub-set of these future services. In so doing, a novel methodology for the measurement of tangible outputs of geospatial services in the Security domain was developed, and linked to a model for estimating the overall service costs.
The benefits of geospatial services (in the form of maps, reports, etc.) arise as a result of the information which they convey (and, to some extent, the timeliness with which the services are provided). Information conveyed via maps, layers, visualisations or reports influences human decision-making or action, and the subsequent gains can be traced back to the information provided; but the relationship between the information and the effect are non-linear and are mediated by a chain of interactions leading to an end result. The assumption of the “value of information” amounting to an order of magnitude of 1% of the societal cost of the phenomena being impacted was adopted in the cost-benefit analysis of G-NEXT.
In the domain of Security, benefits arise either as a result of improved decision-making or increased efficiency, and include reducing the costs of law enforcement, preventing cross-border crime, monitoring critical infrastructure, and supporting peacekeeping and crisis management operations. Specific examples of G-NEXT services and their chain of benefits include the following:
• Analysis and monitoring of refugee and IDP camps can support better management of the resources required to maintain health and sanitary standards, especially in cases where such camps are undergoing rapid growth and evolution;
• Critical infrastructure monitoring can facilitate the rapid organisation of reconstruction and redevelopment activities, thus reducing the economic costs of loss of services which rely on such infrastructure;
• Crisis situation maps can support the planning of logistical operations in the field, and thereby improve the effectiveness and efficiency of such operations, mitigating the economic and humanitarian costs of conflict. This ultimately leads to two forms of benefit: reduced operational costs, and reduced human costs (loss of live or injuries);
• Evacuation plans can improve the effectiveness and timeliness of citizen evacuations from crisis zones, ultimately reducing injuries and loss of life;
• Border mapping services can be expected to reduce illegal immigration by improving the intelligence available to border guards. Border permeability and trafficability maps, for example, can be used to inform the strategic allocation of security resources along a border. These services can improve the effectiveness of border guards, and as a consequence, mitigate the economic impacts of illegal immigration.
The cost-benefit analysis in G-NEXT was based on two major areas of impact: (1) humanitarian crises related to conflict, and (2) supporting the evacuation of EU citizens, knowing that whilst this conservative approach provides a reasonable baseline, the result should be regarded as a minimum level of benefit. Three scenarios of service coverage (16/5, 16/7, 247) were examined in the course of this analysis, and a series of assumptions around working hours and the baseline cost of labour were adopted in order to feed the model.
The results of the analysis indicate a positive benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR). In an operational setup, and for a service volume corresponding to 27 activations, registering 2902 tokens and consuming 12.886 hours of effort, the costs were estimated to range from approximately EUR 1,7 Mn (baseline of 16/5 scenario) to EUR 2,2 Mn (upper bound of 24/7 scenario).
Approximately EUR 104 Mn in benefits stemming from increased efficiency and reduced humanitarian costs were estimated, based on a cost profile linked to the Support to External Actions budget published by the European Commission.
The synthetic conclusion from the G-NEXT CBA is that for every 1 Euro invested in operational Copernicus services in support to EU External Actions, a minimum of 2,8 Euros return in socio-economic benefits can be expected.
Regarding dissemination, the activities undertaken in G-NEXT have contributed significantly to the increased awareness and appreciation of the Copernicus services in support to EU External Actions.
Following the request from the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission to ensure the close coordination of the two projects, G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT, a common visual identity was established for the two projects, along with a single web entry point and a common Communication Strategy and Action Plan. The communication tools developed in this context were designed to target relevant stakeholders and users and raise awareness about the G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT projects.
The website has attracted a comparatively large number of visitors (around 10.000) during the G-NEXT project, including relatively high numbers of visits from countries outside Europe.
The G-NEXT project has been represented at several events. A major highlight was the organisation of the Copernicus Support to EU External Actions workshop, which was attended by 72 high-level participants from the user community as well as high-level officials from the European Commission. Media coverage includes an article on the event, which has been published on the common website.
Several of the tools and materials produced will continue to be exploited beyond the project’s lifetime. The common website will remain online for a year after the end of the project, and the publication Window on Copernicus will be distributed to relevant stakeholders.
List of Websites:
http://externalaction.security-copernicus.eu/
G-NEXT was a Collaborative Project funded by European Union (EU) in the frame of the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Technological Innovation (FP7), topic SPA.2012.1.1-03 Copernicus Security – Support to EU External Actions (SEA).
The project started on 1st of January 2013 with duration of 30 months. The total budget was of 5.981.822,61 €, being the maximum EU contribution of 4.000.000 €.
The consortium was made up of 15 members from 9 different countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Spain), including institutional stakeholders and Space Agencies, industrial service providers, leading European academic institutions and specialized small & medium size enterprises.
The G-NEXT Project aimed at supporting the transition of the Copernicus services for Security applications from research and development (pre-operational) service provision to a fully operational mode. G-NEXT is designed to provide information and geo-spatial products in support of emergency and crisis situations in support to EU External Action in a CFSP / CSDP context, ranging from pre-crisis or prevention (contingency plans, reference mapping), to the post-event phase (damage assessment, crisis area mapping, critical assets).
In the context of G-NEXT the geospatial products are generated in either Crisis or Preparedness mode. They are delivered to the user community which includes the main actors and stakeholders involved in the context of EU missions and operations in support to EU External Actions: European External Action Service (EEAS), national institutions, law enforcement entities, and international institutions such as UN bodies, etc.
The G-NEXT project aimed at: (a) Demonstrating the effective contribution of an integrated geo-spatial service concept to respond to the needs in SEA user-driven scenarios providing the User Community with an evolving set of security service/products. (b) Involving the main User organization in the GMES/Copernicus Security domain in the use of the provided services. (c) Assuring the continuity of the work done in previous GMES projects specifically on security and emergency domains. (d) Implementing synergies with the other GMES/Copernicus projects and initiatives (e.g. EU, ESA, EDA contexts) running in parallel with the project lifecycle. (e) Performing a comprehensive benefits analysis taking into account the main drivers for the set-up of an operational framework. (f) Addressing the potential service evolution in 2015 onwards perspective.
The project achieved the goals and milestones according to the Description of Work, by :
• Providing operational Users, amongst which are included the EEAS, European Agencies and Services, national institutions such as Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs and international institutions, with very high standard and tailored geospatial products and services
• Stimulating continuous dialogue among of the main actors and stakeholders in the context of EU Missions and Operations in support to External Actions.
• Demonstrating the effectiveness, reliability and sustainability of the proposed Service Model;
The successful G-NEXT Project finalization has been gained thanks to:
- strong involvement and commitment of the Institutional stakeholders SatCen, EC; EEAS, and of leading European industries, research organizations and SMEs.
- continuous monitoring of activities and assessment of the results in order to implement necessary changes in the service, including procedures and production chains.
The Copernicus services in Support to EU External Actions is therefore ready for operational deployment, and the final recommendation of the GNEXT Project is to built the operations on the GNEXT service model.
Further R&D activities and industrial co-investments for the for the development of new capacities for the Copernicus Security services through the EC Horizon2020 Programme remain of utmost relevance for driving technological enhancements that will cover the technical areas of improvement identified within G-NEXT:
- automated identification of objects of interest and automated information extraction procedure
- efficient data fusion of satellite imagery with other data sources
- provision of support tools to streamline the requests, delivery and exploitation of data
Project Context and Objectives:
The objective of the G-NEXT project was the provision of Security related Services in Support to EU External Actions in a pre-operational environment.
According to the potential application areas identified under SEA-WG (GMES/Copernicus Security working group in Support to External Actions), and the experience gained by the G-NEXT consortium in Security and Emergency precursor projects (LIMES, G-MOSAIC, SAFER, BRIDGES), the project proposed and exploited a Portfolio of Products demonstrating the reliable provision of support to the EU External Action service and suitable to be integrated in the user working environment in an effective and reliable way.
The main objectives achieved by the project were the following:
1. Demonstrate the effective contribution of an integrated geo-spatial service concept to respond to the needs of EEAS user-driven application domains by providing the User Community with an evolving set of Security service/products covering the entire crisis management cycle.
2. Involve the main User organisations in the Copernicus Security domain in the use of the provided services and in their evolution, through the collection of user feedback measuring the adequacy of the project service/products in the perspective of a future operational environment.
4. Implement synergies with the other Copernicus projects and initiatives (e.g. EU, ESA, EDA contexts) running in parallel with the project lifecycle, setting up specific collaboration initiatives to ensure synergies without unnecessary duplication in the fields of data policy, governance, above all Copernicus GIO EMS and the G-SEXTANT Projects, coordinated communication and user engagement initiatives.
5. Perform a comprehensive benefit analysis taking into account the main drivers for an operational framework.
6. Cover the gaps identified in the previous R&D phase, in the perspective of a forthcoming operational phase, by:
• Providing Users with tailored geospatial information products(in terms of map contents, symbologies, standards) for both the delivery production modes, based on enhanced production procedures.
• Proposing services assessment procedures for guaranteeing the quality products and the fulfillment of the Users’ expectations
• Demonstrating an operational Service Model for the access, production and distribution
• Proposing a Cost/benefit analysis based on production figures
In order to fulfill the above mentioned objectives, the project was organized as follow:
a specific work package was designed to keep a constant dialogue and coordinate the Users , and perform training activities (WP140 User coordination).
A dedicated work package was set up to define the service model, the communication procedures, the system for the distribution of products and the access to the service via a unique Focal Point. This dedicated WP was also in charge of implemented these aspects of the service model during the production. (WP 200Service Coordination).
As a key point of the overall strategy, a specific task was designed to validate the products (WP300 Service Validation) and is strictly complementing both the provision of services and products in crisis and preparedness mode (WP 400 Service Production), and the revision and update of the products specifications as well as the identifications and implementations of new developments and improvements (WP500 Service design and evolution).
A cross task addressed policy context and drivers to coherently develop and provide services applicable to crisis management, to explore the synergies with other related projects, to manage and maintain portfolio and to complete it with a punctual cost/benefit analysis (WP 600 Synergies and SEA context analysis).
Project Results:
User coordination
The User Coordination activities have been aimed at coordinating the community of Users, establishing and maintaining a constructive dialogue to ease the interaction with the project . The User Coordination was also aimed at building awareness of the benefits of the Copernicus SEA service for Security applications.
In order to achieve this objective, the strategy for the User Involvement has been defined by identifying the following means:
1. Strategic Events: Events used to strengthen the links between G-NEXT and User community, in order to maintain a close cooperation with the users.
2. Copernicus Support to EU External Action workshop, which took place in Brussels on the 5th of March 2015. Final User Workshop with more than 70 participants including EEAS, EC, Member States, UN and G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT partners, with the objective of summarising the main activities and achievements of the projects in order to gather the feedback from the Users.
3. Technical Events with users implemented as dedicated meetings with Authorised Users for better understanding of their needs and gathering Users requirements and feedback. Three Technical Events took place within G-NEXT.
4. Training Activities: organised by an EC user on the 19th March 2015 in Brussels. During this training, examples from G-NEXT activations were presented and the participants had the opportunity to learn more about what they can obtain from the project.
5. Dedicated remote session: since the G-NEXT Activation Portal has been put in place, each time that the SC received a request, used this opportunity to present the Activation Portal to the User, and to train them on how to fill the SRF and how to follow-up the activation through this portal up to the closure of the activation.
To guide the Users through the defined G-NEXT services procedures has been one of the key activities of the User Coordinator .This activity includes create awareness and ensure proper implementation of procedures for the Users interacting with the project. This activity has been ensured through the meetings and workshops and through the informative remote sessions.
As a part of this activity, the User Coordinator ensures that those procedures are fully understood and easily to be implemented by the Users.
The procedures on which the users have been instructed are mainly: mechanism to activate the service and how to contact the Service Coordinator; Product Design process, service distribution and User Feedback collection. The Users have been trained also on the G-NEXT activation Portal, on how to access and use it.
The collection of the User Feedback was a crucial task for the improvement of the service and the products delivered. For this reason, the SatCen has developed a User Feedback Form (UFF).
The UFF is sent to the user at the end of the activation.
However, this is not the only mechanism to collect the feedback from the user, it is also collected through: spontaneous e-mails and during the above-mentioned events.
the User Community is well-established and consists of four main categories of users:
- European External Action Service (EEAS);
- 28 Member States (MS);
- European Commission (EC) services;
- United Nations (UN).
Since the project starts to deliver products on the 15th of July up to March 2015, twenty-seven activations and one rehearsal have been performed. From these twenty-eight activations, the Service Coordinator has received twenty-one User Feedback Forms (UFF) completely filled by the Users. These twenty-one UFFs have been properly analysed and assessed. The results are used to improve the service and the products during the project lifetime
The Users who activated the Service (including EEAS, EC, MSs and UN) expressed clear satisfaction with the Service received. The Service was considered mature and the progresses with regards to the governance have been recognized as well. The Users coordination activities were harmonized in the frame of Support to EU External Action projects (BRIDGES and G-SEXTANT). This strategy produced evident benefits, as for example, the 72 participants in the last Copernicus Support to EU External Action Workshop, which has been organised as a joint event G-NEXT G-SEXTANT implementing the synergies about both projects.
All these factors contributed to the success of the G-NEXT service, the number of users requests received by the Service Coordinator, User Feedback received by different means and the attendance and participation of users to the meetings and events demonstrated the high level of user engagement and trust in the SEA service.
Service Coordination
The Service Model was implemented by the Service Coordinator through a structure of dialogue between different actors (User, Service Coordinator, Production Coordinator and Service Providers) and based on three pillars: the Service Access, the Service Production and the Service Distribution.
The Service Access mechanism allows the Users to activate the service, through the SatCen, that as Service Coordinator is the unique Focal Point , providing the Users with a 24/7 phone number , assistance to fill the Service Request Form and well defined activation procedures.
As part of the Focal Point tasks, the Service Coordinator analyses all the requests received, gathering the User needs and assessing together with other relevant actors the feasibility of each request. This assessment includes a Technical Feasibility Check and a Sensitivity Check.
The Service Coordinator is also responsible for the EO Data handling and ordering.
Once the request is accepted, the Service Coordinator translates the User Needs into a Product Design , that defines the contents of each of the products that the user has agreed to receive.
The achievements of the Product Design could be summarized as follows:
- It is appreciated by the users as a mechanism to free their requests from the constraints to being specific about production parameters, while at the same time it allows them to keep necessary control on the production, since Product Design is bind to their approval.
- It is appreciated by the Production team since it provides a clear guide of the purpose of each product and the expected information that have to be provided.
- It enhances the capacity of the service to adapt in a flexible manner to the specific needs of each activation, expanding the fit for purpose of the Product Portfolio and optimizing production.
- It becomes an essential step in the Validation process.
The Product Design defined by the Service Coordinator is the starting point for the Service Production.
The Service Production chain ensures the production tasks for the G-NEXT services. The production tasks are coordinated by the Production Coordinator and rely on a group of Service Providers, the Production Team, to produce the Final products, meant as a combination of layers of information that respond to one or more user needs for information.
Activation procedures to be used during the service provision have been established, and it included the communication and reporting procedures.
The Service Production is delivered in two modalities: Crisis and Preparedness.
The Crisis mode refers to any time-critical response of the service to the User request, where the time with respect to the complexity and level of details in the provision of products is a critical parameter.
The service Coordinator and the Production Team are available 24/7
The Preparedness Mode is normally from 1 week from the EO Data acceptance onwards. For the production team, the preparedness mode is activated in 8/5 modality.
The Service Coordinator proposed the implementation of a Token System with a double objective:
Serve as a tool to measure the accumulated effort of all productive actions that produce a tangible output. This can be used to understand the effort distribution among different activations. Accurately measuring the differences between activations can be used to predict efforts of future upcoming activations and consequently organize resources.
To be used as input for the cost modelling work package .By measuring the tangible outputs of the activations, the relative difference of efforts between activation can be accurately measured.
Once the products have been validated and are considered as ready to be delivered to the user, according to defined Distribution Policies, .the Service Coordinator as Focal Point is distributing the Final Products to the users through the G-NEXT Download Central and the Activation Portal, which represent the front end web applications of the G-NEXT Service Distribution infrastructure.
In the end, one of the main project outcome was the proven successful implementation of the above described Service Model, through 34 requests received by the Service Coordinator from July 2013 to March 2015.
The pre-operational service model can be considered well-established and in a good track for the future Copernicus in Support to EU External Action. This is supported by the feedback received by the users and the results of the activations performed.
Service Validation
The validation activities in the frame of G-NEXT included two well-defined validation modes
• On-Line Validation performed during the activation and before the product delivery.
• Off-Line Validation performed when the activation is closed (out of frame of an activation ).
The validation activities objective was to assess the degree of accordance between the user expectation over the services and the products.
The on line validation indicates if a product is ready for the delivery or provides recommendations for the improvement of the products in case is not. It has been implemented on the basis of applying easy, reproducible and reliable procedure in a short timeframe.
The validation of a products starts with the Product Design
The on-line Validation protocol has been improved during the overall project lifetime.
For each product the validation results are reported into an Evaluation Workbook, providing recommendations for improvement, that represents analysis of the errors identified in the validation products and the solution to fix them.
The offline validation is detailed and external assessment of delivered products. It is applied for selected activations and the respective products after the delivery of the products to the user and based also on the User feedback
Mainly aimed at contributing to service improvement and check conformity between product and user needs
The offline validation protocol is based on 4 validation categories (relevance of the products, transferability, readability, impact on User Workflow) and the related set of validation attributes. A grading system (see chapter 3.1.1) is applied to assess the individual attributes on product level, which are the aggregated on activation level.
During the project, the off line validation was carried out over 5 activations.
In order to guarantee the high production quality, On-Line and Off-Line Quality Check
procedures were defined and applied to the products
On-Line QC is performed during production phase, and Off-Line QC is assessed after production phase, by external experts.
On line Quality Check is performed by the Production Coordinator on the map package by Service Providers, and it is aimed at verify mainly the following items:
• Information content completeness
• Metadata consistency
• Thematic content (layers consistency and completeness)
• Topology completeness
• Map content reliability and readiness-
On line Quality Check has been implemented through the Online Quality Check Web Tool (GNOCCO).
The Online Quality Check takes place before product delivery . It is applied in order to assure that each of the G-NEXT products provided to the users meet the defined standards and requirements
The Offline Quality Check is performed after the production phase over selected and closed activations.
The criteria for selection the activations to be checked are the following:
• Ensure that the largest variety of services/products are represented
• Ensure the balance between the amount of Crisis and Preparedness activations
• Ensure the diversity of Service Providers
• Ensure the different periods of selected activations in order to cover most of the pre-operational phase
Through the Off-Line QC, an high number of recommendations useful for improving the quality of service and products have been provided.
Production
G-NEXT started delivering services in pre-operational mode as of the 15th of July 2013; until March 2015 a total amount of 33 requests for activation has been received:
• 28 activations were closed and the products have been delivered to the Users
• 3 requests were rejected as a result of the sensitivity check
• 1 activation were stopped and 2 hold on by the Users
A number of informal requests have also been received by the G-NEXT Service Coordinator, which have not been formalized in an official Service Request by the Users as exceeding the production and resources capacity of the project.
G-NEXT Production teams managed 28 activations producing about 170 maps, gathering very positive feedbacks by the User both via the official User Feedback Form and via spontaneous email. On November 2013 the Service received even an appreciation letter from the UN Department of Field Support.
The service is available 24/7 and it offers two different activation modes: crisis mode and preparedness mode.
The main difference between the two modalities is the timeline: Crisis mode activations are handled on a 24/7 basis, whereas Preparedness mode activations are managed during the working hours..
The existing pre-operational service framework involves the following keyactors : the Service Coordinator, the Production coordinator, the Service Providers (mainly industrial partners) and an Independent Validation team.
• The Service Coordinator (role carried out by EU SatCen), supervises the entire service production chain ensuring that the product meets the user’s expectations by creating the Product Design and later on performing an online validation before the product is delivered. The Service Coordinator also acts as a Focal Point for the users and is responsible for ordering the EO data and product distribution, ensuring that the service is available on a 24/7 basis.
• The Production Coordinator is in charge of coordinating the production chains in accordance with the request from the Service Coordinator. He or she also manages the Service Providers in a collaborative framework to produce the outputs and performs the online quality check for the final products. The products generated are grouped into two different categories: Crises (24/7 availability) and Preparedness mode. The role of Crises Production coordinator is carried out by e-GEOS while the role of Preparedness Production Coordinator is conducted by GMV.
• Service Providers are responsible for carrying out the production tasks. In cases where products must be generated in Crises mode, Service Providers ensure a 24/7 availability.
The Independent Validation team performs the offline validation after the activation has been closed. The aim of this process is to improve the products for future activations
G-NEXT Production is based on collaborative mapping approach.
There are two flows of communication during an activation, inwards (from the request of activation to the production) and outwards (from the production to the delivery)
Inwards flow is focus on the products design that will cover the user needs. With this design in mind the Service Coordinator will define the expected outcome of the product with the objective of meeting the required production standards.
The workflow is based on dialogue cycles. Each dialogue results in definition of needs that will be then tackled by the next dialogue cycle.
1. G-NEXT can be activated only by an Authorized Users. the Users have a unique contact point which is the Service Coordinator.
Users communicate their needs through the Service Request Form (SRF) to the Service Coordinator, who uses this information as a basis for deriving product specifications via the Product Design. Following the specifications drafted in the Product Design which is a document agreed with the User, input for the next dialogue cycle.
2. The Service Coordinator and the Production Coordinator define the Production Plan (WorkPlan) and the task assignation.
3. The Production Coordinator proposes the WorkPlan to the Service Providers that assess its feasibility.
4. The Service Provider Point of Contact and the production team to define the production steps to fulfil the requests of the Product Coordinator.
The Out-Ward Workflow is the process from the end of the production to the final delivery to the Users.
As soon as products are ready and quality checked by the Production Coordinator, the Service Coordinator performs the on line validation.to ensure if the final products are fit for purpose and , if needed, suggests to the Production Coordinator the necessary changes.
Once the product is ready for the delivery, the Service Coordinator delivers the product to the users. After the activation closure, the User sends the feedback on the Product and service.
The production covered almost all the services included in the Service Portfolio.
Portfolio of Products
One of the main project outcome has been the consolidation of the Portfolio of Products, and the foundation for the Technical Specifications for the future SEA operational service.
The consolidated version of the Portfolio of Services consists of 10 different products which aim to fulfill the main needs of the User involved in the EU External Action context.
• Road Network Status Assessment - provides users with a map containing different kinds of information on the status of the road network. In crisis mode the product consist of a map of the road network together with information related to its status, including trafficability and road blocks. In preparedness mode the product can provide additional information on the impact of periods of torrential rain on the road network, highlighting which roads are potentially prone to flooding.
• Conflict Damage Assessment - develops change detection maps by providing visual interpretation containing information on the road network and the distribution of damage in a crisis area
• Critical Infrastructure Analysis - identifies the most relevant components of an infrastructure (e.g. power plants, industrial sites) considered to be critical, and assess their operational status. The objective is to identify the elements that make the infrastructure critical in any given crisis.
• Reference Map - includes background information that serves as a basis for other more analytical products
• Support to Evacuation Plan - provides geospatial information to support the evacuation of EU citizens from crisis areas. The products developed, include information such as potential rally points, helicopter landing areas, and evacuation points and routes.
• Crisis Situation Map - is an important tool for the overall assessment of the severity of a conflict/crisis and its consequences.
• Border Map - provides users with detailed information on border areas of interest with a special focus on the features considered relevant for border monitoring activities.
• Camp Analysis - focuses on detecting changes in population settlements in politically or environmentally unstable regions. The final product shows the location, the extent and the nature of any changes in the temporary dwellings situated in the area in question.
• Camp Monitoring Analysis is essentially a Camp Analysis provided in monitoring mode. It involves monitoring the development and evolution of changes in population settlements during a crisis over a longer period of time
• Activity Report - is delivered in text format on the basis of pre- and post-event imagery and it is available for all products and provides an explanation of the possible changes detected at different points in time.
Synergies with other initiatives
This project task was aimed at providing an assessment of the potential synergies between G-NEXT and other relevant projects, allowing the consortium to exploit the complementarities, set up coordinated initiatives, exchange relevant information, participate in events, and share lessons learned and results in general.
The coordination activities between the G-NEXT project and the GIO-EMS has been
defined with the relevant point of contacts, scope of the synergies; methodology (perimeter of application of the coordination, identification of the typical application cases for the synergies, definition of the procedures); framework of the coordination; the “Routine” and “Interactive” coordination procedures have been defined and implemented through a real activation (Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, November 2013)
With regards to the coordination activities: the possibility of coordinating with G-SEXTANT at activation level has been a constant during the life-time of the project.
Main result of the synergies with G-SEXTANT has been the cooperation established for the definition of the technical specifications of the Copernicus Support to External Action (SEA) service. Such close cooperation resulted in the integration of those G-SEXTANT products considered mature into the service portfolio.
As for the synergies with LOBOS and SAGRES, the dialogue among projects has shown that there is a strong strategic, tactical and operational interests in potential synergies withing the security domain - including border control and maritime security, where the activities of the different communities tend to overlap.
It is suggested to establish inter-Agency cooperation in order to overcome the refrains in sharing sensitive data and information among different institutional actors. The experience gained by the G-NEXT consortium in relation with the coordination with the GIO-EMS Emergency service could be used as best practices.
The core of the operational cooperation procedures to exploit synergies should be placed at the Focal Point/Service Coordinator level in order to perform systematic communications among the respect activities and set up specific mechanisms to complement these ordinary information-sharing procedures.
Potential Impact:
In the context of the G-NEXT project, economic benefits and associated costs were assessed on the basis of the assumption that G-NEXT represents a proxy for future operational services in the area of support to EU External Actions, or at least, for a sub-set of these future services. In so doing, a novel methodology for the measurement of tangible outputs of geospatial services in the Security domain was developed, and linked to a model for estimating the overall service costs.
The benefits of geospatial services (in the form of maps, reports, etc.) arise as a result of the information which they convey (and, to some extent, the timeliness with which the services are provided). Information conveyed via maps, layers, visualisations or reports influences human decision-making or action, and the subsequent gains can be traced back to the information provided; but the relationship between the information and the effect are non-linear and are mediated by a chain of interactions leading to an end result. The assumption of the “value of information” amounting to an order of magnitude of 1% of the societal cost of the phenomena being impacted was adopted in the cost-benefit analysis of G-NEXT.
In the domain of Security, benefits arise either as a result of improved decision-making or increased efficiency, and include reducing the costs of law enforcement, preventing cross-border crime, monitoring critical infrastructure, and supporting peacekeeping and crisis management operations. Specific examples of G-NEXT services and their chain of benefits include the following:
• Analysis and monitoring of refugee and IDP camps can support better management of the resources required to maintain health and sanitary standards, especially in cases where such camps are undergoing rapid growth and evolution;
• Critical infrastructure monitoring can facilitate the rapid organisation of reconstruction and redevelopment activities, thus reducing the economic costs of loss of services which rely on such infrastructure;
• Crisis situation maps can support the planning of logistical operations in the field, and thereby improve the effectiveness and efficiency of such operations, mitigating the economic and humanitarian costs of conflict. This ultimately leads to two forms of benefit: reduced operational costs, and reduced human costs (loss of live or injuries);
• Evacuation plans can improve the effectiveness and timeliness of citizen evacuations from crisis zones, ultimately reducing injuries and loss of life;
• Border mapping services can be expected to reduce illegal immigration by improving the intelligence available to border guards. Border permeability and trafficability maps, for example, can be used to inform the strategic allocation of security resources along a border. These services can improve the effectiveness of border guards, and as a consequence, mitigate the economic impacts of illegal immigration.
The cost-benefit analysis in G-NEXT was based on two major areas of impact: (1) humanitarian crises related to conflict, and (2) supporting the evacuation of EU citizens, knowing that whilst this conservative approach provides a reasonable baseline, the result should be regarded as a minimum level of benefit. Three scenarios of service coverage (16/5, 16/7, 247) were examined in the course of this analysis, and a series of assumptions around working hours and the baseline cost of labour were adopted in order to feed the model.
The results of the analysis indicate a positive benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR). In an operational setup, and for a service volume corresponding to 27 activations, registering 2902 tokens and consuming 12.886 hours of effort, the costs were estimated to range from approximately EUR 1,7 Mn (baseline of 16/5 scenario) to EUR 2,2 Mn (upper bound of 24/7 scenario).
Approximately EUR 104 Mn in benefits stemming from increased efficiency and reduced humanitarian costs were estimated, based on a cost profile linked to the Support to External Actions budget published by the European Commission.
The synthetic conclusion from the G-NEXT CBA is that for every 1 Euro invested in operational Copernicus services in support to EU External Actions, a minimum of 2,8 Euros return in socio-economic benefits can be expected.
Regarding dissemination, the activities undertaken in G-NEXT have contributed significantly to the increased awareness and appreciation of the Copernicus services in support to EU External Actions.
Following the request from the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission to ensure the close coordination of the two projects, G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT, a common visual identity was established for the two projects, along with a single web entry point and a common Communication Strategy and Action Plan. The communication tools developed in this context were designed to target relevant stakeholders and users and raise awareness about the G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT projects.
The website has attracted a comparatively large number of visitors (around 10.000) during the G-NEXT project, including relatively high numbers of visits from countries outside Europe.
The G-NEXT project has been represented at several events. A major highlight was the organisation of the Copernicus Support to EU External Actions workshop, which was attended by 72 high-level participants from the user community as well as high-level officials from the European Commission. Media coverage includes an article on the event, which has been published on the common website.
Several of the tools and materials produced will continue to be exploited beyond the project’s lifetime. The common website will remain online for a year after the end of the project, and the publication Window on Copernicus will be distributed to relevant stakeholders.
List of Websites:
http://externalaction.security-copernicus.eu/