About GMES

As the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure safety and security for the European citizens. The GMES programme is led by the European Union (EU).The European Space Agency (ESA) is the overall coordinator of the GMES Space Component and will, inter alia, ensure the delivery of data from upwards of 30 satellites (the GMES Sentinel Missions and the national or European Contributing Missions). The European Environmental Agency (EEA) is responsible for the GMES In-Situ Component, i.e. for data from airborne and ground sensors, while the EC, acting on behalf of the European Union, is responsible for the GMES Programme management and the GMES services.

Thanks to GMES the users will be provided with information through services dedicated to a systematic monitoring and forecasting of the state of the Earth's subsystems. Six thematic areas are developed: marine, land, atmosphere, emergency, security and climate change. A land monitoring service, a marine monitoring service and an atmosphere monitoring service contribute directly to the monitoring of climate change and to the assessment of mitigation and adaptation policies. Two additional GMES services address respectively emergency response (e.g. floods, fires, technological accidents, humanitarian aid) and security-related aspects (e.g. maritime surveillance, border control). Today GMES is in its initial operational phase, with many of its services already pre-operational. It is planned that GMEs will enter into its operational phase in 2014.

For more information please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/gmes & www.esa.int/gmes