EuroGEO webinar 2020 discussed the future of the initiative and its benefits for Europe

On 8 June, over 120 people came together to discuss the state of play of the EuroGEO initiative and how to increase its role as a solution provider for the climate transition, building on the Copernicus and the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) initiatives.

The webinar Increasing the EuroGEO role into GEO was co-organised by the European Commission (DG DEFIS, DG R&I and EASME) and the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation with the support of MINES Paris Tech.

Participants learnt of the progress made in Environmental and Earth observation (EO) from the GEO and Copernicus perspective (offering data and services) and from the R&I perspective (use of EO-derived services and innovation actions supporting EO uptake).

Attendees, mostly from the European EO community, reflected on EuroGEO and on how its role within GEO can increase so to reap fully the benefits it can bring to Europe. In fact, the webinar provided an avenue to discuss expectations on EuroGEO for the near future and the GEO Work programme 2020-2022, including the future of the Action Groups and the EuroGEO secretariat.

Participants also looked into how the EO community can give a significant contribution to the European Commission political priorities, the European Green Deal and A Europe fit for the digital age, with special attention given to EO contribution to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the presentations are available here [all in one zip file] and the session recordings are available here:

Session 1

Session 2

Background information

EuroGEO adopts a practical approach to climate transition by developing concrete solutions for end users – both in the adaptation and mitigation domains – through Research & Innovation.

The Horizon 2020 e-shape project is a perfect example of the concrete application of EO services. In the domain of renewable energies, EO services can be used for solar energy estimations or for improving offshore wind resource estimates, thus helping wind farm planning and development.