The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) insists, in a position paper published on Friday 15 November, that the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) should strictly confine itself to its scientific role and not take on a more “operational” role in the future.
For the authors of the document, the process is clear: once the European Commission has defined the policy needs and services for Copernicus, the implementation, organisation and configuration of operational services should be the responsibility of the relevant agencies. Above all, the EARSC calls for an “adequate share” of the implementation and operational procurement of services to be entrusted to the private sector.
There is concern among some operators in the earth observation sector that the JRC may gradually develop certain applications - perhaps for commercial purposes? - that would encroach on the activities of EARSC members.
In its eight-page document, EARSC also calls for the creation of a platform for dialogue between the relevant agencies and the earth observation industry, in order to strengthen the cross-disciplinary use of spatial data in European policies, for example for water quality or agriculture.
To consult the position paper: http://bit.ly/2qqkOrB (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)