On Friday 5 June, the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the launch of the Rapid Action Coronavirus Earth observation (RACE) platform, based on data produced by the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, to monitor environmental parameters.
“The platform (...) will not only help us during the coronavirus pandemic but also in many other areas given the versatility of its functionalities, including to reach our green objectives”, stated the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. Copernicus data is processed by artificial intelligence.
The tool, which uses data generated by the Sentinel-5P satellite monitors key environmental parameters such as changes in the air (nitrogen dioxide) and water quality and economic and human activities including industry, shipping, construction, traffic and agricultural productivity.
“Over the following months, the RACE dashboard will be expanded to monitor additional sites across Europe and will be enriched with new data provided by the Copernicus Sentinels and Third Party Missions (data not owned by the ESA)”, said Joseph Aschbacher, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes.
The day before, the Council of the EU had adopted conclusions on the role of the space sector in the green transition and post-Covid recovery (see EUROPE 12499/27).
To access the platform: https://bit.ly/374CQAT (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)